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Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 - |
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THE BLESSING OF
JUSTIFICATION (Rom 4:6-12) 5/20/07 Pastor I. THE BLESSING OF
JUSTIFICATION IN PSALMS (6-8) A. It is Credited Apart from
Works (6) 1. Paul
pauses from looking at Abraham’s example of justification by faith and now
quotes David. In Psa 32:1-2, David speaks of the blessing of justification by
faith. 2. “Blessing” (makarismós
from makários) usually speaks of
the spiritual joy one experiences (Mat 5:3-11) through godly character. But it also refers to the state of spiritual joy
concerning the one who has been given the benefits of God’s grace (Rev 19:9;
22:14). 3. It is a blessing because God credits (logízomai; to “put to someone’s
account” -
3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,22,23,24) righteousness apart from works (the theme of
Romans). So the one who is blessed is the one who does not have to depend
upon their own failing deeds but has been justified by
God through faith. B. It is Forgiveness from
Lawlessness (7) 1. In Psalm
32, we see one of seven of David’s confessional Psalms (6; 38; 51; 102; 130;
143). In Psalm 51, David confesses his sin to the Lord, which is believed by many to be his sin of murder and adultery (2Sa 11-12). Quite possibly Psalm 32 is the follow up of
51 and shows the blessing of God’s forgiveness to those who repent. 2. David then speaks of the blessedness of
God’s forgiveness (aphiemi - lit.
“send away” cp. Mic 7:19; Psa 103:12) but mentions
nothing of the works of the Law. In fact, God’s forgiveness was given to
those who acted against the Law (anomía;
a - against & nómos - law)
but repented and trusted in God’s mercy. 3. Forgiveness means that God literally
“covers over” (epikalúpō -
used only here in NT) or hides the believer’s sin (cp. Psa 85:2). This is not
in the sense of ignoring sin, but in the sense of dealing and removing it. C. It is Removal of the Debt
of Sin (8) 1. David
goes on to describe the blessing of justification. It is the fact that the
Lord removed the debt of sin from the believing sinner’s account. 2. Justification has two aspects. The first
one is that the Lord will not count or credit (logízomai)
the believer’s sin against him. The debt of sin has been
paid for and removed by the death of Christ (i.e. expiation). The
other is that the Lord adds or credits (logízomai)
Christ’s righteousness to the believing sinner’s account. 3. David emphasizes the removal of the debt
of sin. To appreciate the blessedness of this truth, a double negative is
employed (où & mę́). In other words, there is
absolutely no way that the Lord will bring up sin against the believer. Sin has been eternally removed and Christ’s righteousness has
been eternally imputed. II. THE BLESSING OF
JUSTIFICATION WITHOUT CIRCUMCISION (9-12) A. It Does Not Involve
Circumcision (9) 1. “Blessedness”
becomes a segue for Paul to argue the next
anticipated objection from the Jews, namely, that justification comes from
the works of the Law and specifically circumcision. The Jews had a
misunderstanding and a false hope in circumcision (Rom 2:25-29). 2. Paul
refers to the original passage in Gen 15:6 to prove Abraham was credited with righteousness by faith. Circumcision is not even mentioned in the text. B. It was Credited Before
Abraham was Circumcised (10) 1. Paul
moves to the crux of his argument, “How then was it credited, while
circumcised or uncircumcised?” For if Abraham were
circumcised before Gen 15:6, the Jews might have a case. 2. Paul answers his question, “Not while
circumcised, but while uncircumcised.” 3. According to the biblical account, it was
at least thirteen years from Abraham’s faith
(Gen 15:6) to the time he received the rite of circumcision (cp. Gen
16:16 with Gen 17:10; 24-25). 4. This chronology not only proves
justification by faith, but it shed light on the fact that salvation was extended to believing Gentiles though they have not
been circumcised. C. Circumcision was a Seal of
Righteousness by Faith (11a) 1. In
continuation, Paul explains that circumcision was a “sign” (semeíon) which can be: 1) a sign for
distinction (Luk 2:12; Gen 1:14); 2) a supernatural event (Luk 11:29a,b; Jdg 6:17); 3) a
symbolic meaning (Luk 11:29c; Gen 9:12-13) as is here in Ro 4:11. 2. The symbolic meaning here is that
circumcision was a “seal” (sphragís
–stamp of authentication) of the righteousness Abraham already possessed
while uncircumcised. 3. Circumcision was then to be passed on to Abraham’s descendants as a distinguishing
sign to those who were included in the Abrahamic Covenant by birth. D. Abraham is the Father of
All Who Believe (11b-12) 1. In a
very real sense then, Abraham
becomes the “father of all who believe.” This would include Jews and
Gentiles. 2. First, believing Gentiles are Abraham’s
children even though they have not been circumcised.
This solidifies Paul’s argument that all who have faith alone in Christ alone
are credited with righteousness. 3. Secondly, Jews who have
been circumcised become Abraham’s true children when they follow in
the steps of Abraham’s faith. III. PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS A. Have you followed in the
steps of faith? 1. Are you
depending on anything other than the death of Christ for salvation? 2. Have you placed your faith alone in
Christ alone? B. Our God is a Righteous and
Merciful God 1. Romans has explicitly shown the righteousness of God and the
righteous standard by which all men are measured. But
Romans also shows the mercy of God in Christ, by forgiving and removing the
believer’s sin, penalty, and debt. 2. God’s mercy is His compassion toward
those who are afflicted by sin and is the basis for man’s salvation through
Christ (Tit 3:5; Eph 2:4-5; 1Pe 1:3). C. There is Great Blessing
After Remorse 1. David
speaks of the blessed man some 30 times in Psalms (1:1; 2:12; 33:12; 40:4;
84:4-5). One is truly blessed, whose lawless deeds are
forgiven and righteousness has been credited. 2. No matter how great a sin or failure a
believer may have committed, the mercy of God has forgiven and removed all
sin through Christ. |
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