Romans 4:22-25

Passage

… Therefore, it was being credited to him as righteousness.  And it was not being written that “it was being credited to him” only for his sake but also for our sake.  It is about to be credited to us, the ones who are in faithfulness upon Jesus our Lord who was raised up out of the dead.  He was being handed over on account of our trespasses.  He was being raised up on account of our justification.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul wants his readers to understand that the expression “it was being credited to him as righteousness” does not apply only to Abraham.  This is the great point to which he has been building this whole chapter.  If Abraham received righteousness while he was still outside of the Law and the covenant of circumcision, then all who humble themselves before God will fall under this same expression.  All of us – inside or outside of the Law – will be credited with righteousness so long as it comes from God and is not through our own efforts.  We simply receive.  We only trust in God.  Everything else comes from God and it is credited to us whether we deserve it – or more likely, don’t.

How does it feel to realize that your righteousness is not your own but a gift from God?  How does it feel to know that your righteousness is completely a gift from God?  How will you respond to this grace?

Second Thought:

In Jesus, we come to a full understanding of how God deals with our unrighteousness.  To satisfy the Law, Jesus was handed over to die.  God desires to give us grace, but our sin must still be atoned.  Christ came so that He could atone for our sinfulness.  Christ came so that there would still be punishment for our sin.  Christ’s death freed God to pour out His grace and love upon us fully while knowing that the problem of human sin had received the sacrifice that was necessary.  We are justified in the moment of His death.

Do you realize that you are saved through no effort of your own?  How does it make you feel to realize God did all the work on your behalf?  What response is evoked by this understanding?

Third Thought:

As a sign of our justification, Christ rose.  While we are justified in the moment of Christ’s death, we are made righteous in the moments after our justification.  We call this the process of sanctification.  I was saved – justified – when Christ was on the cross.  But I am made holy – sanctified – day by day as I live out God’s promise and work within me.  Because of the justifying work of Christ, I can respond faithfully in God’s grace.  My response is not the work that saves me; my work is the response to the understanding that it is God who has saved me.

What’s the difference between working to be saved and working because you are saved?  How is God actively sanctifying your life right now?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 5:1-2