By Pastor Greg
George grew up in church. His parents always made him attend even though it was sometimes boring. One night, during a weeklong revival service, George went forward and was baptized at the age of ten. He then spent the next 12 years of his life involved with church activities and functions. He became involved with the Youth Group, and was the president of the class for two years. George graduated from High School and even attended a Christian College.
Sam, on the other hand, was never involved in a church. During his teenage years he battled addictions, getting his first taste of alcohol long before he should have. After high school, Sam found a simple job, but spent most of his weekends in a bar. The sad part was that Sam was empty inside and knew it, yet had no idea how to quench the thirst deep within his heart. He often thought that there must be more to life than this.
George and Sam were as different as night and day, at least from the outside it appeared that way. At twenty two, the one was teaching Sunday School while the other spent evenings in a bar. While one was drinking communion juice the other was drinking beer. While the one spent the weekend at an all-night bowling party with friends, the other spent all night chasing women. The one spent Sunday mornings in church. The other spent Sunday mornings in bed with a hangover. Well, one day George and Sam had a chance to meet, and after that encounter, one of them would never be the same. Which of these two men did God love more; the one who did religious things, or the one who did worldly things?
I ask you this question and have told you this story (which is true, by the way) because of what Paul is about to claim to the Roman Christians. He is about to make a claim that will shock the entire Jewish community. And it is still a controversial claim today. Even today there are people who say Paul was wrong. Every now and then someone will come along and say Salvation is not by Grace through Faith, but also by works. But before we make up our minds, lets read what Paul says in Romans 4 (read entire chapter).
Don’t miss the significance in this section. Abraham was justified (declared righteous) by God not because of his many religious practices (good deeds), but because he believed what God said. And what had God told him? God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, something outside of human possibility. He and Sarah were far too old to have children. Physically it was impossible, and Abraham knew this. Yet he believed that not only could God make it happen, but that He would. And looking deep into Abraham’s heart, God was pleased with the faith He found there. So He justified Abraham; He declared him righteous.
Abraham lived 600 years before God would hand down the Ten Commandments, so he never had them to follow. Yet God declared Abraham to be righteous. And actually, if you think about it, Abraham was declared righteous while he was still a Gentile. You see Abraham was circumcised 14 years after God declared him righteous. So Abraham’s faith made him righteous in God’s sight, and circumcision was nothing more than a symbol or a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham – to make him the father of many nations.
What Paul is saying here is that if a person truly has faith in God, the Law (or the Commandments of God), God declares them righteous. And then the righteous person obeys the Laws in response to that faith. But the Jew felt that living according to the Law is what brought righteousness. Faith never even entered into the picture. So Paul’s argument is spot on. How could Abraham, who never had the Law, live according to that Law? It was impossible! Yet the scriptures say that God counted Abraham as a righteous. And it was because of his faith. God made a promise and Abraham believed.
For you and me the lesson is obvious. Participation in religious activities or religious rituals does not make us right with God. God looks past what we do and instead looks deep into our hearts. He is looking for men and women who believe what He has promised. And what has God promised us? He has promised us eternal life by believing in Jesus. For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17). So when we believe this, we say “Amen”. And God, who sees that we have faith enough to believe this promise, even though it seems too good to be true, counts us among the righteous. He justifies us; He declares us innocent.
Our efforts to become Justified surround what we believe, not what we do, which is a lesson George learned in his encounter with Sam. George had made the mistake many Christians make. He associated religious practices with righteousness. However, although a Christian might honor God and strengthen their faith through religious practices (prayer, reading the Bible, tithing, etc.), they are not justified because of them. And George learned this when he met Sam.
Shortly before George and Sam met, Sam was introduced to Jesus. And Sam believed. Sam was justified by God because of his faith, not because he lived a life filled with Good Deeds. So one night at a Bible Study, George was deeply impressed with Sam’s enthusiastic love for God; his deep devotion and passion to live according to God’s commands. When Sam shared his past, George was dumbfounded. How could a man who had such a wicked past be so on fire for Jesus? That’s when George realized that “Christian” did not mean keeping a long list of commandments or participating in religious activities. To be a Christian is to be reborn when a person is ready to admit they are a sinner in need of a Savior; to believe in the promise of God found in Jesus the Son.
Who did God love more? Neither George or Sam. He loved them both the same. Both Sam and George needed to learn that to be a Christian is not to fill their life with Good Deeds, but to have faith in the promise of God. Which is really Good News. George did not need to fear that his bad deeds might outweigh his good deeds one day. And Sam didn’t need to work to undo all his bad deeds from his past. Both Sam and George need only have faith, believing in the promise of God. Actually, people should not be asking God, “What do you want me to do to be saved”, but instead, “What should I believe in order to be saved”. God is looking for faith within our hearts that admits we are sinners in need of a Savior, and who say “Amen” to God’s promise found in Christ the Lord.
And now to answer your questions.
1. I am a little confused by verse 12. If I understand this correctly it is saying that even those on the “outs” with God but embrace what he has done for them are set right for God & by God. Is this a correct interpretation & will you explain what all this means in terms of salvation?
Verse 12 speaks of those who were Jewish by birth (physical descendants of Abraham), yet who did not trust that their religious practices made them right with God. If they had the same type of faith that Abraham demonstrated, he would have been their spiritual father as well. It is the same for you and me today. For the person who grew up in church, they need to realize that participating in religious activities does not make them right with God. And for the person who did not grow up in church, they need to realize that their absence of religious activities does not keep them separated from God. Salvation comes by faith; for the life-long church attender as well as the person who has never attended church. I might have grown up in church, but this did not mean I was right with God. My friend did not grow up in church. That did not mean he was forever separated from God. Salvation comes by faith in the promises of God. And as New Testament Christians, our faith rests in the promise God made that if we believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that He paid the penalty for our sins, we will be granted eternal life.
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