Studies in Romans Presentation 10

Summary of Contents OPENING REMARKS: 1:1-17 BAD NEWS: Universality of sin and its condemnation 1:18 - 3:20 GOOD NEWS : A gospel that changes our relationship to God 3:21- 5:21 HOW TO GROW AS A CHRISTIAN : 6: Sanctification 6:1-23 The Place of the Law 7:1-25 Life in the Spirit 8:1-39 A SHORT DETOUR : Questions concerning Israel 9:1-11:36 HOW A CHRISTIAN OUGHT TO LIVE : 12:1-15:13 In our various relationships 12:1-13:14 Dealing with the ‘weak’ and the ‘strong’ 14:1-15:13 PAUL’S GENTILE MINISTRY, POLICY AND PLANS : 15:14-33 GREETINGS AND CLOSING DOXOLOGY : 16:1-27 Presentation 10

Studies in Romans A Gospel that Changes our Relationship to God Chap.3v21- 5v21 Presentation 10

Studies in Romans Abraham: A Justified Man Part 2 Chap. 4v1-25 Presentation 10

Some human guarantees are more important than others. Drinking glasses are guaranteed ‘dishwasher proof ‘parachutes are guaranteed to open when you jump out of a plane. Which is the more important! The one that holds your life on the balance. How much more important is the guarantee of justification. Only grace can bring a solid guarantee to salvation, because it rests not on man's activity but on God's. A Gospel that Changes … Abraham: A Justified Man The Guarantees of Grace. v16 Presentation 10

If my law-keeping cannot contribute to my justification, then my sin and failure cannot change God’s verdict upon me once it is passed. We do not wander in and out of justification as if God’s salvation operated like a revolving door, in one minute and out the next. We enter through a once-and-for-all act of God's grace. A Gospel that Changes … Abraham: A Justified Man The Guarantees of Grace. v16 Presentation 10

Abraham Men and women of faith A Gospel that Changes … Abraham: A Justified Man Who are Abraham’s Children? v16 Natural Descendants Presentation 10

Justification is of such vital importance that Paul does not want anyone to be uncertain about any aspect of it. Continuing with Abraham he points to the faith that justifies. Abraham's faith enabled him to believe the promise of God. The particular promise in Paul’s mind refers to the occasion when God told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation. To illustrate his promise God told Abraham to consider the number of stars that could be seen in the desert sky, and the number of grains of sand found beneath his feet, and said, in Gen. 15.5, 'so shall your offspring be'. A Gospel that Changes … Abraham: A Justified Man The Faith that receives the promise 4v Faith looked beyond human capacity… “against hope…” Presentation 10

Paul introduces this quotation in v18; "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed...” This staggering promise was made to a man of a 100 years of age and whose wife was over 90! Faith enabled Abraham to believe that promise. History has proved the trustworthiness of the promise producing not only the Jewish nation, but also the worldwide church. Cf. Matt 8:11, 'many will come from the east and the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven'. Those who would demonstrated the same justifying faith that is the identifying family characteristic. A Gospel that Changes … Abraham: A Justified Man The Faith that receives the promise 4v Faith looked beyond human capacity… “against hope…” Presentation 10

Abraham's faith focused on God’s word. He had nothing else to aid his belief. On one side there lay the enormous weight of physiological, sociological and historical evidence, and on the other God’s word of promise. Abraham stood on God’s promise. 'Against all hope’. This is a wonderful characteristics of true faith. There is what has been described as a naked element in faith. It does not ask for proofs and signs to support its belief. It does not need them. A Gospel that Changes … Abraham: A Justified Man The Faith that receives the promise 4v Faith fed upon the word of God. Presentation 10

Abraham’s faith not only survived and flourished without proofs and signs, it went on believing despite all appearances to the contrary. It believed, despite what might be described as negative proofs that argued against the very thing that faith believed. Abraham 'against all hope believed in hope.’ Time had run out! The chances of him fathering a child were now laughable. A Gospel that Changes … Abraham: A Justified Man The Faith that receives the promise 4v Faith believed despite appearances to the contrary Presentation 10

Genuine faith always contains an element of assurance. It is not a kind of religious ‘whistling in the dark’, which one does to keep up one’s courage. It has within it the seeds of unshakeable conviction. cf. 2 Tim 1:12. “Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day”. The presence of faith is a title deed to the promise. When we possess the former, we are convinced that we possess the latter. A Gospel that Changes … Abraham: A Justified Man The Faith that receives the promise 4v Faith brought Abraham to a place of strong assurance v21. Presentation 10

Abraham ‘did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief but was strengthened in/by his faith'. In what way? Illustration: As you turn the zoom lens on a camera, the foreground that was in focus becomes blurred and the background that was blurred comes into focus. That is what faith does. It changes the focal plane. A Gospel that Changes … Abraham: A Justified Man The Faith that receives the promise 4v Faith brought Abraham to a place of strong assurance. Presentation 10

Surrounding difficulties become blurred, as our attention is focused on God. Had Abraham focused on his circumstances they would have weakened and pulled him down. Abraham gave glory to God. We glorify God,when recognising who he is and what he has done, we commit ourselves to him. Unbelief is an insult to God. It refuses to trust him. It calls him a liar. Faith, despite discouraging circumstances says, ‘I believe God’, and so God is glorified. A Gospel that Changes … Abraham: A Justified Man The Faith that receives the promise 4v Faith brought Abraham to a place of strong assurance. Presentation 10