What kind of people does God justify?
(Romans 4; Gen. 15:6; Gal. 3:6-9; 19-22) Blog Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 2017
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: Paul’s theme in the book of Romans is the Gospel of God and on what basis it gives eternal life. After listing the steps one may take towards damnation he assures all humanity that God will judge all by his perfect Law. There will be no bias in this judgment nor any missing evidence. The doers of God’s Law will be justified in that day. In chapter three Paul shows that God is entirely righteous and has the right to judge and punish sinners regardless of whether they have his Word or not. Then he says that in ourselves none of us has the perfect righteousness required for acceptance in God’s sight but that this kind of righteousness God has provided in the perfect life and atoning death of his Son, Jesus. All who believe in him will be accepted by the Father.
Reckoned righteous (Romans 4:1-8; Gal. 3:6-9; )
1. What did Abraham receive from God?
2. By what means did Abraham receive righteousness?
3. How did righteousness become Abraham’s possession?
4. Why does verse 4 say that if we present our obedience for justification it wouldn’t be justification by grace?
5. What kind of people does God justify?
6. What does “justify” mean?
7. What does it mean to “impute” righteousness?
Righteousness and ritual (Romans 4:9-12; Gal. 3:19-22; Gen. 15:6; 17:24)
8. Was Abraham reckoned righteous before or after he received the rite of circumcision?
9. What can we learn from the fact that God counted Abraham righteous while he was yet uncircumcised?
10. How was circumcision related to justification in Abraham’s day?
11. Whose father did Abraham become when he believed the promise of God’s Word?
Two kinds of righteousness (Romans 4:13-25; 8:3-4; 10:5-6; Gen. 17:5)
12. Of what two kinds of righteousness does Paul write in Romans?
13. In essence what did God promise to Abraham?
14. On what basis did God give the promise of eternal life to Abraham?
15. How do faith and grace work together for our salvation?
16. In whose presence is Abraham our father if we believe he Gospel?
17. What great truth taught by Martin Luther is taught in verse 17?
18. What did God call Abraham when he was certainly not that?
19. What is the result of believing God’s declaration that we are righteous in his sight?
20. How did Abraham strengthen his faith?
21. When is a person counted legally righteous (justified)?
ANSWERS: 1. Righteousness; 2. Faith; 3. By being put to his account, by reckoning it as his, not by infusion into his life; 4. For God would be indebted to pay us for our good behavior whereas grace is to be considered deserving of something we have not earned; 5. The ungodly; 6. Justify means to account or reckon righteous, not to make righteous; 7. To impute means to put to one’s account, to credit, to reckon; 8. After; 9. That our justification before God is not dependent on some ritual or something done to us; 10. Circumcision was the sign or seal of justification by faith, of the covenant God made with Abraham; 11. The father of all believers, whether Jew or Gentile, whether having received some ritual (like baptism) or not; 12. The righteousness of faith & the righteousness of the law; 13. Eternal life; 14. On the basis of of a righteousness received by faith & not on the basis of a righteousness personally rendered by the person receiving the promise; 15. Grace is God’s undeserved gift of his law-abiding Son while faith is our response to the revelation of that gift – like the opening of the eye or the hearing of the ear or the hand that receives a gift – our response is not a good work we do but rather it is accepting the good work that God has done in our behalf; 16. Not in the presence of our fellow men unless we are of Jewish descent, but rather in God’s presence Abraham is the father of all who believe in Jesus; 17. “Simul justus et peccator” which means “At the same time righteous and a sinner” for God counts the things that are not (that we are righteous) as though they were – this means we can be perfectly righteous before God while still sinners on earth; 18. A father of many nations; 19. We will be made righteous in ourselves – the righteousness of the law will be fulfilled in us; 20. By giving glory to God; 21. When they personally believe in Jesus the Christ.