Romans 4 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression 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. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

The Story So Far Paul has showed us that neither lawlessness or legalism can save ALL are lost That God is both just and justifier Holy anger and sacrificial love Sin distances, decays, and destroys

The Story So Far Righteousness is deeply connected to relationship and covenant That God is moving to in history to deal with Sin Jesus is the means by which things are put right

The Big Picture Wrath The purposes of GOD Those things opposed Hell Shalom

Rebecca Pippert “Anger isn't the opposite of love. Hate is. And the final form of hate is indifference.”

The Full GOSPEL “The Good News” For whom? Paul starts to expand from here The danger of individualism The GOSPEL>YOU The GOSPEL is good news for ALL people and even for the earth itself Everything we say about God must be understood through His purposes and His promises

Israel and the Oracles of God Paul has worked his way backwards The story of Israel as one of a faithless messenger Causes a complex problem Gospel is tied up in the promises that came to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob To be “justified” is to be in God’s covenant family These are to deal with Sin (God never leaves us to our own devices) God must send a faithful Israelite to both deal with Sin and keep the covenant (Phil 2:8) Through Jesus it all comes true

I’m From the Future… Offers the life of heaven now and entrance into the family of GOD Jesus comes to take the future wrath of God on Himself in the present as the MERCY SEAT (Lev. 16) Judgment at the end of time and the restoration of all things

Why Abraham? Paul’s argument is reaching a crescendo Verse 1 says “discovered” in NIV Justification by faith wasn’t a Christian invention Faith=Obedience to Law Faith=Trusting in God’s promises to save

Why Abraham? The Hebrews in general believed Abe to be justified by his actions Paul says Abe was justified through faith Genesis 15:6 Any good Hebrew would know that Abe was God’s choice and response to the evil of the first 14 chapters A blessing for all

Why Abraham? Paul says that Abraham was declared “righteous” and blessed before he had done anything Why? How? He believed (trusted) He says God gave Abe this as a gift God pursued Abe God even does this for the “ungodly” Quotes David (Ps. 32:1-2) Verse 9-10

Deconstruction of religion Paul says that if circumcision happened AFTER then it can’t be what matters most to God The time between ch. 16 and ch. 17 was years! Already destroyed the LAW, now this! Only God controls salvation If it could be earned, He wouldn’t be God

The Father of ALL?! Verse What makes someone a child of Abe is not these things, but trusting in God Those that do this, through Jesus, inherit the world (Rom. 8, Rev. 22:5) Abe is the spiritual father of all who believe Through his trust, not his genes What is faith?

Trust Transfer When you go into a new country you operate by their currency Faith is the process of learning to not trust ourselves To stop seeing ourselves as the justifier Faith=obedience leads to boasting or despair Faith=trust in God’s promises to save leads to humility and confidence

Trust Transfer “Evangelism Explosion” Why should you be justified? A. “I have tried my best to be a good Christian.” B. “Because I believe in God and try to do His will.” C. “Because I believe in Him with all my heart.”

Trust Transfer None of the above A. Salvation by works B. Salvation by faith plus works C. Salvation by faith as a work Abe grew in faith by looking at God Verse This is why we study God! Justification and faith come by observing God, not the Law

Look at God Abe looked around at his life and saw deadness and barrenness It his own body and his wife’s But he knew who God was (V. 17) God brings life out of death and He is not hampered by having nothing to work with Abe’s faith reverses the curse laid out in Romans 1 God renews Abe and he fulfills Gen 1

Abe and I Abe leaves everything behind, ways of thinking about the divine and more (fear as the beginning) Abe trusted God when reality was against him His story is our story How do you act when nothing is being born in your life? I know the God who raises the dead! Difficulties in faith are like weights in a gym

Lessons In Faith

Conservative Liberal

Conservative Person Liberal

Unbelief Belief

Unbelief Jesus Belief

Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones on faith

Wrath Again? Verse 15 Why give something that causes wrath Teaching not taunting Law was meant to facilitate relationship It rests on and points to faith Faith doesn’t destroy the law, it shows what it is all about

CS Lewis “No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good.”