Real Grace for Real people Series
Real Grace in Romans Four

Note: This is one sermon from a multi-message series. The various parts are at the following links:

Introduction

From time to time we have to go back and dig carefully, and make certain we haven't swallowed something beyond what we meant to. Words like "salvation," and "grace," and "faith," and "justification" are not exempt from tampering. In fact, they attract the lint of error like Velcro.

"Grace" the word, comes up only twice in this chapter (in the fourth and sixteenth verses). Let's work through and see what it tells us about grace. Turn to Romans 4:1-3:

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

In Romans 3:28 Paul has already concluded that we are justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. But look at Romans 2:13: "Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified."

In Romans three Paul had argued that all -- not just non-Jews -- are condemned for disobedience to God's will. Having come to view themselves as God's especially favored people, having lost sight of the radical wickedness of all humanity, the mere outward participation in the forms and traditions of Judaism to many seemed the sum of religiosity.

Poisonous Thinking

The true religious system of God had by then been overlaid with a vast structure of unsound ideas and reasonings -- self-deceiving sophistry excusing disobeying while saying you were obeying. Paul made this clear back in Romans 2:23: "Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?" In other words, "you who claim to be living within God's will are actually breaking it and thus dishonoring Him!"

As long as this kind of thinking among the early Jewish converts remained, the church would never be safe. Reliance on the fact of their Jewishness betrayed their very narrow conception of salvation. As long as faith in Christ was supplemented by their self-assured racial pride, they would be incapable of experiencing the inward circumcision wrought through the gospel. Paul sought to disabuse them of this misconception. Again and again he returns to the issue, pressing to their spiritually parched lips the plea to have faith in Christ; a faith taking nothing away from the law.

God doesn't owe anyone anything for their being Jewish or white or black or any color or ethnic group. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Hear the next verses: "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:4-5).

We want to notice something in these verses. Look closely. What do we want to have? We want to believe; we want to have faith. Now what don't we want to have? Well, that's not hard either. We don't want to be working for salvation without faith. We are plainly told that if we try to live the Christian life by earning our salvation, then it would not be "of grace." And if it's not of grace, then its not that salvation that comes from God. For the Scriptures tell us that it is "by grace" that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8).

The statement in Romans 4:3, "but to him that worketh not" needs to be understood, for James tells us that works are there. "By works was faith made perfect" (James 2:22). Indeed, James says so very plainly, "by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24). It is clear that Paul in Romans is saying that faith/belief is the critical component. If you are working for your salvation, and trying to do so without relying on Christ, then you are working out your own salvation without God working in you, because only you are working in you. The only terms of salvation you have then are terms of debt. Because you've done the work, you suppose the debt of salvation is owed you.

But the salvation that is true is a lively salvation. It is the situation in which faith is working by love (Galatians 5:6). It is a faith that is not dead or alone, as James warns of (James 2:17).

Nor miss you this fact: the belief that we find in Romans 4:5 is the belief of one in a God who "justifieth the ungodly. See, it is a belief in which there is a real recognition of human lostness and human sinfulness and deep, bottomless human need. It is not a faith in which man is practically unaffected by the fall and just a kind of confused being wandering around in search of a little guidance. Our predicament is so much worse than that! We must see our need, or we won't see Who we need.

I tell you this: he who sees his need and turns to his Maker, of that person the Scripture says, "his faith is counted for righteousness."

Justification: Not What We've Been Told

Now with this "counted," we've bumped into an important word, and we need to pause for a moment and try to understand it. A great misconception has its ground right here.

The word in the underlying Greek is logidzomai. This word logidzomai means to count something, to estimate, to consider something, to attribute to it, to weigh something as being equivalent to something else. It shows up in the Bible about 30 times, most of them in the New Testament in the writings of Paul. This word has been translated to English most often with the words "reckon," "impute," and "count." In Romans chapter four, this word occurs no less than 11 times (Romans 4:3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24).

This word has often been presented in an unbiblical sense and given a mistaken sense. It has been construed to mean to count what is not as though what is. That is, this word has been presented as a convenient tag white-washing fact with legal fiction. Paul has, in fact, as some have justly charged, been widely misunderstood.

Just how is this word (logidzomai) used in this chapter?

In Romans 4:3 Abraham believes and is "counted" righteous. In Romans 4:4, one who works for salvation would be rewarded through debt, not "reckoned" as being of grace. Romans 4:5 however points out that if one believes, his faith is "counted" for righteousness. In Romans 4:6 we are reminded that to the repentant, God "imputeth" righteousness apart from works. Romans 4:8 says that one is blessed to whom God will not "impute" sin. In Romans 4:9 we see that faith was "reckoned" to Abraham for righteousness. In Romans 4:10 Paul points out that this was done before Abraham was circumcised. Romans 4:11 highlights that to us as unto Abraham righteousness is to be "reckoned" also.

Who is "The Blessed Man"?

What's interesting is that in every case where we come up to this word, faith is linked with righteousness, and works done without faith -- without God's help -- are linked with sin. Of particular interest is Romans 4:8. This verse talks about God imputing sin. Now let me ask you, is sin an actual thing? Oh yes. And blessed is the man to whom God will not impute sin. But to whom is sin not imputed/counted/reckoned? To one who has truly repented, who has truly sought for pardon. And God truly pardons. The man to whom sin is not imputed is the man from whom sin has been removed. And only God can remove sin. Notice in verse seven that the one is blessed "whose iniquities are forgiven." That word "forgiven" literally means to leave-off completely. In fact, in Romans 1:27 this same word is translated "leaving." So the Scripture is saying "blessed is the man whose sins have been left behind." The same word is used in 1 Corinthians 7:11, 12, and 13 where it is translated "let not the husband put away his wife." So Scripture says, "blessed is the man whose sins have been put away." And let me ask you, which is more blessed -- to have your sins counted as if put away, or to have experienced their truly having been put away?

Hebrew often expresses itself in parallel, saying the same thing in different ways. And so this verse says, "blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven [that is, put away, entirely left behind], and whose sins are covered." What does this word "covered" mean? Well, this is a quotation straight from Psalm 32:1-2. Let's look at that together.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

O.K. then. Who is the blessed man? Yes, the man "whose transgression is forgiven;" yes, the man "whose sin is covered;" yes, "the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity." Everyone here will agree to those lines. But will you go all the way with God and admit that the next specification is equally true? That the blessed man to whom the Lord no longer imputes sin is the man "in whose spirit there is no guile"? That's what the Bible says. And how well this agrees with Proverbs 28:13: "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." The person trying to cover his own sins is trying not only to keep them hidden, but to keep them. But he who confesses and what? And forsakes, that is, who puts away, who leaves behind, he is the one who is blessed, that experiences the mercy of forgiveness.

Put very simply, just as real as the sin is, is the real removal of sin. The sin does not remain -- it is not covered up, but it is completely dealt with. It is removed. In the heart of this person "is no guile." Can you begin to see that the "imputing," the "counting," and the "reckoning" we are talking about here is far from a white-wash. We speak here not of legal fictions, but of actualities, of realities. What a gospel this is! Oh, how God is against sin. Oh, how dangerous it is! Don't play with it, it will destroy you. God pleads with His children, "remove yourself from these things," He says, "turn and live."

Friends, we are staring a theological forgery right in the face at this point. Justification is nowhere limited to an external blanket white-washing sin, a velvety and cozy comforter in transgression. Justification is the creation, in actuality, of a just person. God's changes are real; they punctuate reality, not paper. God reaches in and makes a change as we've asked Him to. He rips out the sin completely, in accordance with our willingness to let Him.

But . . .

If we don't really want the sin removed, then He doesn't remove it. You can't fool God. God looks on the heart. He can't be conned.

No Baggage on the Blessed Path

back in Roamns four Paul continues in verses 9-11 showing that this blessing of sin removal is not only for Jewish folk, but for non-Jews as well. Just as Abraham did not have his sins removed because he was circumcised but rather because he had faith in God, a non-Jewish person can become free of sin on the very same terms -- faith in God. Consider verses 11 and 12:

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

He "received the sign of circumcision" because it was the outward sign of a walk that was both outward and inward. See how Paul speaks of those "who walk also in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised." Abraham was walking, he was spiritually on the move. His faith was active, it worked by love (Galatians 5:6) to the purification of the soul (1 John 3:3).

"For the promise," says Paul, "that he [Abraham] should be heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith" (Romans 4:13). The law plays a wonderful role, but it never saves. It is a revealer, not a savior. Faith comes down to us from God and empowers our actions; it fills them with a goodness that otherwise could never fill them. And then our works don't save us, but accompany us. James says of Abraham that faith worked with his works, that by works his faith was brought to perfection (James 2:22). The Bible doesn't talk about a big "sha-zam" that comes rolling out of the sky and rewrites our brain. Salvation doesn't occur like the metallic click of a staple-gun. Salvation, much more than being a strange supernatural moment, is an extended supernatural walking. It is a journey during which what we really are becomes so lucidly real that we cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy upon me!" And we continue to move on the pilgrimage.

Are you camped here -- here on earth? Are you planning on staying? Then you will be destroyed. We need to prepare for lift-off. We are not staying. In our Father's house are many mansions. Not a shelter for homeless sinners, but a palace for changed sinners. The Bible, speaking not idly, calls God's people His saints. They have in their mouth no guile (Revelation 14:5). They walk in the steps of the faith of father Abraham. They are not fakes. They are actual. They are not the moving dots on a charged computer screen, electronic pips fooling the eye; they are real people, flesh and blood. Saints of flesh and blood. They are journeyers on the simple path of faith.

The Faithful Seed

In Romans 4:14-15 Paul explains that salvation cannot come to fallen man through the law, because it would nullify God's promise that salvation would come through faith. We now come to Romans 4:16, the other place in this chapter where we find the word "grace." And Paul now ties faith in with grace.

Therefore, it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.

It has to be by faith so that it can be by grace. Otherwise the promise could not be fulfilled to "all the seed," all the children of faith. Everyone who says, "God, salvation through faith may not be the terms I had in mind, but it is salvation on Your terms. I submit to Your plan. I am willing to be saved Your way," -- everyone who will say that and live that, is of the seed of Abraham. And God's grace -- His real grace -- is for His seed. And His seed are those who are of faith.

The next several verses reprise Abraham's experience and speak of his growth in grace. He may have staggered at God's promises at the first, but came to the place where he was fully persuaded that what our heavenly Father had promised He was completely willing and able to perform. Then Romans 4:22 says "and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness." Was he counted as if believing when he was unbelieving? Not at all. He was not just barely persuaded that God could deliver, but the Bible says he was "fully persuaded" that God would deliver (Romans 4:21). His faith, a very real faith, was the outcome of a righteousness that was a very real righteousness. Not a righteousness generated by being a Jew, or by doing some good thing, but a righteousness in which works and faith were thoroughly connected.

Sin, Not Law, the Problem

Now as this chapter so helpful in understanding real grace closes, our eyes are turned to Jesus. But we again need to clarify something. Our Father's commandments are good. His law is full of wonderful things, not bad things. But it isn't there to save. God is not against His own law, He is against sin. Salvation is not salvation from God's law, but from our sin. We're not saved by God's character becoming as fallen man's character, but fallen man's character needs to become like our holy God.

The Bible speaks of a stumbling stone -- one that the Jews stumbled at. But read the text carefully. What is this stumbling stone? Consider Romans 9:30-33:

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; as it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.

The Jews stumbled at that stumbling stone, and that stumbling stone was not the law -- it was Christ. It was not obedience in the narrow, done through our own strength; it was obedience made full through Christ. It was not a willingness to be "counted" right (in their case because they were Jewish), but what most offended was the submission of all to Christ.

Christ the Stumbling Stone

How uncommon today is that willingness to accept Jesus in His humanity, in the completeness of it. How uncommon to hear a passage like Hebrews 2:16-18:

For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.

Jesus came and He came too-human for the Jews' taste. So they rejected Him. Today Christ's divinity is emphasized while His humanity so often is negated. But look at God's Word. It says that Jesus became as human as we are, that we might become as obedient as He is. Such is an impossibility if we cannot live as He lived. 1 John 3:8 says that Jesus was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. And I tell you that He was not merely manifested in some vague way, but the most specific way. He was manifested in human flesh. Romans 8:3-4 says that "What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh" -- that is, what the law could not do for a man because his fallen nature rendered him incapable of obeying in his own strength -- "God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh."

Jesus was sent in human flesh -- even our own flesh. Not "in the unlikeness" but "in the likeness" of sinful flesh. Why? "For sin." And what did He do in that so very human flesh? He "condemned sin" in it. He showed that in the power of God, man can obey Him. He can, through faith, keep the commandments.

No Atonement Without Christ

And how important also the divinity of Christ -- that point which the Jews so opposed accepting. His divinity testified that the higher life, the spiritual life, even the life ordained by God, was also the life ordained for man. The value of the sacrifice must be sufficient to atone for all the sin of all men for all time. Such a life no ordinary human character could bring to the cross. Yes, a man could die, a thousand times ten thousands of men could die; but in their lives would not be sufficient merit to atone for anyone's life. And what if they could? What if a thousand people were found who were able somehow to die bearing some measure of merit for salvation? If a thousand could die and make atonement for themselves, then the sacrifice of Christ would be shown to be unnecessary. Yet what of the billions and billions who've lived and died having sinned? All but the tiniest fraction of them would be lost.

No; even if a thousand could die and have some merit in themselves, would they have the power to resurrect themselves? Never! All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). There are no candidates, there are no one thousand self-atoners. All are unjust. Only Christ has lived in this flesh yet never sinning. The Just must die for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18). And all have made themselves unjust but Christ.

Only His divine character was of sufficient moral value to pay the penalty for the sin of the world. The value of all the paper money of the United States of America is (at least supposed to be) assured because the nation has vaults filled with gold bullion scattered here and there about the country insuring its value. But if you could pile up all of the precious metals owned by our country for this purpose, and write a check for an amount greater than that, no one could cash it. Beyond a certain finite point the check would bounce; there wouldn't be enough reserve value to cover the check. Only Christ, a divine character (yet coming in human flesh), is who He is. Only He has in Himself sufficient value of character to pay the penalty for everyone's sin for all time.

Only He is Jesus.

And He paid this penalty. Yet not so we might run around continually sinning and indifferent to morality, not because we somehow thought that justification was a VISA card to buy sin having no expiration date. Look at Romans 8:4. Yes, there was a divine goal in the atonement of Christ: "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." He died so that we might truly live a life ceased from sin. He died so that in our lives sin might be utterly cut-off, stopped, chopped, ended. He died that we might work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, not so that we might live out a riot of sin in high-handed indifference.

When we let Him work in us, He will work in us. He will justify us. He will not justify our sinning, but He will justify us -- He will make us actually right inside.

What did Abraham find about trying to help God fulfill His promises? He found that God didn't need any help, and that even could he have contributed something, it would have been spiritually unhealthy for Abraham to have helped out. If Abraham had sought for justification -- not just an external declaration of, but an actual experience of being internally made right with God -- through his own strength done without God's strength, he'd have something that self could take pride in. No. "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Abraham believed God and that opened the door for God to work in fullness in his life. God's strength to empower obedience was poured out to Abraham, not because of some random sparkle of goodness lurking in Abraham's bosom, but because Jesus had promised the Father that He would die for fallen man. Abraham trusted God instead of the flesh. That was righteousness.

Man is not God, and God is not man. We must never say that Jesus did not become as human as we are, or that He is not as divine -- truly divine -- as He is. If His humanity is stripped away, He is not one with us and cannot condemn sin in our flesh; He cannot destroy the works of the devil. If He is not God then His character carries no more weight to atone for sin than yours or mine. And that's not enough. For God so loved the world that He died to make possible the salvation of "whosoever" would believe on Him (John 3:16). A whole world needs Jesus as Savior. He must be God in the maximum sense or the world lacks a Savior. A good man, nay, the best of men, if, when all pretensions are stripped away, is nothing more than a very good man -- is no Savior.

Conclusion

Grace that is ungrace is not grace. And justification that is unjust is not justification.

Hear the last lines of Romans four:

Now it was not written for his [Abraham's] sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:23-25).

Hear this very clearly: real grace is here to change us. It is made available to us by our Lord Jesus, who was delivered for our offences, who was raised again for our justification. Not a paper justification or a fairytale, but a biblical justification. Not for heavenly lawyer-stuff, but to produce a living people who are worshippers of a living God. Heaven is not silent. God is not dead. Our future is not our past but our present. And our present is where the rubber meets the spiritual road. May we purpose ourselves to walk in the steps of faith of our father Abraham, to whom none of this was any easier than it is for us, but who made the journey that was possible only through real grace given by a real Savior. Accept no cheap substitutes, for ye are bought with a price. When you are "counted,""reckoned," or "imputed," as just, it will be because you cooperated with Jesus in His efforts to change you. The merits all flow from Him, the mercy all flows to us, and the glory all goes to God.