From the earliest days, when Abraham was still Abram, God made a promise, and Abram believed. Abram and Sarai were childless. Their heir was a servant born in their house but of a different nationality. “Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:4–6, CSB) This was before the covenant, before circumcision, before the near sacrifice of Isaac. It is this moment that Paul next turns to in his letter to the Roman church.
Paul begins, “What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:1–3, CSB) Faith came first. Abraham didn’t earn justification; it was a gift from God.
The whole of Romans 4 explores this must-have basic truth. And Paul is clear, it wasn’t only Abraham that is justified by faith apart from the law, it is all who follow. “This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to the one who is of the law but also to the one who is of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all.” (Romans 4:16, CSB) And, “Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone, but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:23–25, CSB)
While we use the concepts of righteousness and justification every day, we don’t use those words regularly. They are connected and overlapping in purpose and effect. Something righteous is correct, proper, appropriate, and pure according to law or standards. A good driver who obeys all the traffic laws and uses excellent driving techniques could be called a righteous driver. But none of us keeps the law perfectly. None of us is really righteous in all things. That’s where justification comes in; we are made righteous. That doesn’t mean we are innocent or not guilty. It means that our trespasses and sins are no longer counted against us. We are righteous before God. A righteousness that begins and ends with faith.
While Abram had a general faith in God’s promise, we have a specific faith in both God’s promises and in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was delivered for our trespasses. The penalty of our sin was paid in full by Jesus. His resurrection seals our justification, being made righteous before God. Jesus is the author and the completer of our faith.
This doesn’t mean that works do not exist. It means that works are our response to faith, not its genesis. Faith comes first, good works follow. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10, CSB) And to be complete, while James 2:14-26 seems to argue against Paul, it really doesn’t. Paul is looking at the first cause, and James is looking at the mature result.
What applications do you see in Romans 4? Begin with faith. Believe in God. Believe in the promises of God. Believe in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Trust Him for forgiveness and justification before God. Signs, symbols, and religious acts will follow. Good works will happen. But faith comes first. We don’t boast in what we’ve done; we boast in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Faith first.
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