Romans 4:16-17

16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Hi, this is Dr. Bill Branks, author of Love the Word. Today we'll look at Romans 4 verses 16 to 17. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring, not only to the adherent of the law, but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. In the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead, and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Our most critical need is righteousness before God, which only comes through repentance and faith in him. We have nothing to offer on our behalf. On our own, we amount to mere dust, Psalm 103 verse 4, and our best attempts at righteous behavior are equivalent to filthy rags. Isaiah 64 verse six. Let that sink in for a minute. If some stranger, or worse, a loved one, told you emphatically, you are no more than dust, and your so called goodness is no better than a filthy rag. We would be offended, maybe even outraged. We would find ways to convince ourselves that we are more than that. Perhaps it is a good thing that when we see in Scripture, we may not like it, but since it is God's holy and perfect perspective, we reluctantly accept it. Even so, we cannot help but try to prop ourselves up before God with pathetic good work offerings. Scripture makes it clear the Lord has no interest in our filthy rags. We cannot depend on anything humans have to offer, no goodness, no law keeping, no partial obedience, nothing. That is why it depends on faith, Paul writes. Since we cannot be depended upon to offer the Lord anything for our salvation, he offers one way, through faith in Christ. I must admit, I wondered for a long time why God didn't choose the be good and go to heaven option. Seems fair. Be good and get rewarded, be bad and get punished. It is much simpler than trusting in something we do not fully understand. But the be good method would require a compromise on God's part. He would have to lower his standards of holiness, purity, and righteousness. It would also render the death of his son pointless. Why would he sacrifice his son if there was some other way? There wasn't. That is why it depends on faith. God chose faith on our part to provide salvation because it is the only thing we can do that is not of us. We must trust in him, and when he calls us, he enables our faith. John six verses forty four and one Corinthians two thirteen fifteen. God's promise of salvation rests on grace and is guaranteed to all his spiritual offspring. Those with or without the law, with or without circumcision, or those outside of Abraham's lineage, if they share the faith of Abraham, which is saving faith, he gives life to the spiritually dead. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to fly to India to teach a class for two weeks at a Bible college there. I was scheduled to fly from Norfolk, Virginia, to Kerala, India. My very first flight was delayed for two hours, causing me to miss every connection all the way to India. By the time I got to London, it was very late in the evening. I went to the ticket counter to find out what I was supposed to do. Most everything was closed, and I had no options and no idea how to get to the college on time. My rescue happened something like this. The lady at the ticket counter where I arrived said go see the concierge. I was skeptical that my seemingly impossible situation could be resolved. When I walked up to the concierge, I told her who I was, and she said, Oh yes, sir, we have you rebooked on the first flight tomorrow, a ride to the hotel for tonight and back in the morning. Sorry for the inconvenience. Everything is paid for. I was overjoyed and wanted to give her a big hug. The remainder of the trip was a joy, and I arrived in time for the first class. I was burdened and lost, with no way to fix my situation, but after one conversation with a gracious young lady, I was at complete rest. I think of that situation often because in a small way, it reminds me of God's gracious resolution to my sin problem. The unrepentant have no hope in their own abilities, but the promise that rests on God's grace is theirs with one conversation with Jesus. If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10 verses 9 to 10.