Romans 4:1
(1) What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
As pertaining to the flesh= I’m pretty sure Paul words verse one this way because of what he would later write, oddly enough, from a Roman jail to the Ephesians; Ephesians 4:6:
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Isaiah says; Isaiah 51:1:
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
Isaiah 51:2:
Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
So we know plainly that according to the flesh Abraham is the father of not just the Jews, short of Judah, but all of the Hebrews, but God is the Father of us all.
Moving on;
Romans 4:2-4
(2) For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
(3) For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
(4) Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Oddly enough while we’re talking about Abraham, let’s take a look at Noah,
Hebrews 11:7:
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
I’m going to try to stay out of the weeds here, but when we think of Noah we think of work. The children’s song “Brother Noah built an ark, bang bang”. We think of him along with his sons and their wives working and building, but he was saved, not by works, but by faith. Noah would not have built the ark if God wouldn’t have told him it was going to flood! His salvation came by obedience!
Ok, back to Abraham;
Romans 4:3
(3) For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Hebrews 11:8:
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Hebrews 11:9:
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Hebrews 11:10:
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Hebrews 11:11:
Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Hebrews 11:12:
Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
This is where “churchianity” splits on salvation from the true church of the Living God. James says;
James 2:21:
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
James 2:22:
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
James 2:23:
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
James 2:24:
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Martin Luther wanted to throw the book of James out of the canon of scripture! He could not reconcile the apostle James’ statement of “and by works was faith made perfect” and the apostle Paul’s “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness”.
God made promises to both Noah and to Abraham, and both men had faith, one to build a large boat and another to walk away from all he had ever known and go to a land 1500 miles away!
We have a promise from Word of God too;
Paul says; Ephesians 2:8:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
But just as Noah was given the dimensions of the boat and he went to work, we believe Peter had the keys to the Kingdom of God and spoke the salvation message to the multitude; Acts 2:37:
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Acts 2:38:
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:39:
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Acts 2:40:
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
We did nothing to merit this salvation. All we have done is received it and acted on it! Just like Noah, just like Abraham!
Romans 4:4
(4) Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
When I get out of bed and go to work, sooner or later I will get a paycheck. My paycheck is not a reward! My employer owes me for the work I have done and they better pay up!
Romans 4:5
(5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
I did not work for this. I did nothing to deserve salvation. In fact I would say I did a lot that should have excluded me from salvation, but God says “Come this way” and I did.
Romans 4:6-8
(6) Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
(7) Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
(8) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
The scripture referenced here is;
Psalms 32:1:
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Psalms 32:2:
Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
We’re all glad that we are forgiven, we are all glad that our sin has been covered, but what does “will not impute sin mean”?
When He sanctifies us, we are in a state of grace. This is what I have alluded to before; I Timothy 2:5:
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
When we stay before that cross of Christ and leave Him in a position of mediation, keeping that sacrifice between us and heaven, our sin is not imputed to us, His righteousness is credited to our account. The apostle John says;
I John 2:1:
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
I John 2:2:
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
I John 2:3:
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
I John 2:4:
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
I John 2:5:
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
It’s clear that our salvation is free of charge. That is the message of the Bible. If we tried to save ourselves, no matter how good our motives, we would fail and fail miserably.But! As John says; I John 2:4:
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
We still have our code of conduct. There is a way for a child of God to behave themselves and there is an expectation that; I John 2:6:
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Colossians 2:9:
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.