Voice of Authority

Grace and peace,

today we are going over Romans 4.

Here is a link to it on biblegateway.com

 

“Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.“

Paul gives such a great contrast here in v4.  When we work, we are normally working because we expect to get some benefit from what we are doing.  At the end of a work week, an employer doesn’t expect to be thanked when they pay the worker, the worker earned their pay.  If the worker didn’t get paid, there’d be an up roar!

Does this same thing work with God?  If you follow the rules laid down in the Old Testament and the rules laid down in the New Testament, does that put God in your debt so that He owes you heaven?

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, 
   and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”

(Isaiah 64:6a)

No, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), even what we do and think is righteous turns out to be filthy rags…

So where is the hope?

Our hope lies in Christ.  It is not something we earn but through faith alone that we are reconciled and considered righteous before God.  Nothing we can do can earn it, nothing we can do can destroy it.  If we have faith in Jesus’ saving act of redemption on the cross, that in sharing in His death, we also share in His life, than nothing can separate us from God.

I read a little while ago a short explanation on this.  How does faith in Christ make us righteous?  The question people often have is “How”.  God speaks with authority.  If we look at Genesis 1, there was nothing and God spoke and what was spoken came to pass.  God said “let there be light” and light was there.

“Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.”

and there was…

“Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.”

and there was…

The point being, that somehow, what God says, happens.

Paul’s contrast with v4 is v5:

“However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

Here in Romans, God speaks to us and His word is authoritative.

-Zack

 

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