Father God, thank you so much for this time that we can spend reading and studying your word, specifically today in Romans chapter 4. Jesus's name we pray amen.
Romans 4:15-25
Again in Romans 4:15 it says,
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
If you are not under the law, then you are not condemned. Today we are not under the Mosaic Law and as believers we have also already learned the lesson of the law of our conscience that we are sinners who cannot save ourselves and we then believed the gospel of the grace of God for our salvation. This means that we are no longer under the law of our conscience. Instead, in order to walk worthy unto all pleasing to God, we are to get sound grace doctrine built up in our inner man, believe it, and obey it, which is allowing Christ to live in and through us. We live the way that God wants us to live by reckoning our old man to be dead and choosing to walk in the Spirit. We do NOT live for God by trying to keep the law in the energy of our flesh. But we need to fully understand first that we are justified by faith, not by works. If after studying Romans chapters 1-5 you don't understand that, or you question it, go back and study Romans chapters 1-5 again.
Usually people who are brought up in legalistic churches need to study Romans several times before they can see the truth. Studying Galatians can also be very helpful. Some people will simply just refuse to see the truth. They are actually really hurting themselves and they just don't know it. I've learned to be patient with some people who struggle with this basic understanding of justification, but who are at least willing to learn. However, I've learned to walk away from those that are stubborn and contentious about it. I do not spend my days arguing and debating with legalists. I just pray that they will one day be saved (if they are not saved) and that they will come unto the knowledge of the truth.
16 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,
Again, we are saved by grace through faith alone. And this salvation is for anyone, Jew or Gentile, that is willing to simply believe the gospel.
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
God always wanted Gentiles to also be saved. In fact, no matter the dispensation, every person has an opportunity to be saved but in the dispensation of grace it is much more simple as we are only required to believe in Christ's death, burial and resurrection as atonement for our sins and we do not have to do works in order to maintain our salvation today.
Where it says, he "calleth those things which be not as though they were" is in reference to God's plan to save us, make us spiritually alive in Christ (when we were spiritually dead) and give us a heavenly inheritance. Even today we are seated with Christ in the Heavenly places though we haven't yet actually experienced this.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Abraham and his wife Sarah were not capable of having a child together, had God not miraculously intervened. Hope in the King James Bible actually means a for-sure thing (Hope here is also specifically speaking about receiving salvation and all of God's blessings). In his own strength he had no hope, but in God he had hope. The same is true for us. In our own strength we could never be good enough to go to heaven. But, in Christ we have His imputed righteousness and we know for-sure that we are going to heaven.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:
He believed God even though physically speaking he knew it would be impossible if it were not for God's miraculous intervention. As believers, even though we might at times still sin, we know that one day we will be completely delivered from these bodies of sin and given glorified bodies and spend eternity in the heavenly places. Not only that but we also know that God will create a whole new heaven and earth for believers from the prophetic program and the mystery program to live in. If man relied purely on his own efforts, everything would just become more and more corrupt over time and we'd spend eternity in the lake of fire and we would have no hope.
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
He had faith! He believed exactly what God told him. When we believed the Gospel of the grace of God, we too had Christ's righteousness imputed to us. In order to be saved we must believe how that Christ Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again for our justification. This means that we are fully persuaded that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Saviour and that what He did for us is sufficient to save us.
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
God wants all people to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. But we have freewill choice to believe or to not believe. The billions of souls in hell are there primarily because of unbelief , but they will be punished for eternity for their sins because if you don't believe the gospel, then you don't have forgiveness of sin even though Christ did pay your sin debt but you refused to accept the free gift of salvation through faith alone. They didn't receive the free gift through faith, so now they have to pay for their sins in the lake of fire for all of eternity. But to be saved and have eternal life in Christ Jesus we must believe how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again for our justification.
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