Romans 4:22-25Like Father, Like Son

WREFC 10/07/18

A doctor from Texas owned a home in Mexico. Many of the nearby villagers became sick from drinking unpasteurized milk. He felt sorry for them, so he bought them a pasteurizing machine. The villagers built a special shed to house the machine. When the doctor brought it down and installed it, the villagers had a big celebration.

A few months later the doctor returned to the village to see how the people were doing. He was greeted by one of the leaders who said, “Oh, doctor, good to see you! If we had known you were coming, we would have plugged in the pasteurizing machine.”

That story describes the way that many people use their Bibles. They know that the Bible is good for their spiritual ailments, but they only plug it in for special occasions, like when the pastor comes around for a visit. The rest of the time, it’s as useless as an unplugged pasteurizing machine. (1)

The apostle Paul has been emphasizing the truth that we are justified by grace, through faith alone in Christ alone, apart from good works, like giving to the poor, apart from religious rituals, like

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baptism and confirmation, and apart from Law keeping as in obeying the 10 Commandments. He used Abraham, the patriarch of Israel, as the supreme example of a person who believed God and it was imputed to him as righteousness.

Abraham was justified or declared righteous by faith before he submitted to the rite of circumcision; the righteousness of God was imputed or credited to his account by faith, hundreds of years before the Mosaic Law. Now, Paul wants each of us to apply Abraham’s saving faith personally. He wants us to know that we too can be justified by faith and have the righteousness of God imputed or credited to our account.

In Rom.4:22-25, Paul reminds us that the same God who saved Abraham is the same God who saves men today. Open your Bible to Rom.4. Follow along as I read vv.22-25:

Rd Rom.4:22-25

The passage I just read starts with a “Therefore.” Whenever you see a “therefore” find out why it’s there for. A “therefore” takes you back to the previous context. What did Paul talk about in the section just before v.22? He was talking about Abraham as an example of someone who was

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justified by faith. “Therefore, in view of the fact that Abraham was justified or declared righteous by faith, his faith (v.22) was “accounted to him for righteousness.”

What did Abraham need to get right with God? Righteousness. In his sinful flesh, Abraham was totally unable to meet God’s standard of perfect righteousness. As Paul already pointed out in 3:10, “there is none righteous, no not even one.”

But Abraham believed in the promise of God that he and his barren wife Sarah would have a child in their old age. Kata 4:21, He was “fully convinced that what [God] had promised [God] was able to perform.” And “Therefore, [v.22] ‘it was [imputed or] accounted to him for righteousness.’”

It’s not that faith in faith brings salvation. Faith only works if it’s attached to the right object. And the right object of Abraham’s faith was God’s promise that he would become the father of many nations. “Therefore, [v.22, his faith in God’s and God’s promise] was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Now, Abraham had a lapse in faith when he, at the suggestion of his wife Sarah, cohabitated with her maid Hagar and had a child. But Ishmael, the son of their union was not the child of promise.

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Fourteen years later, Abraham’s faith was renewed when God reaffirmed the promise that he and his wife Sarah would have a child. Despite an occasional lapse in faith, Abraham’s initial faith was genuine and sincere. “Therefore, [his faith] was accounted to him for righteousness.” (v.22)

Preacher, why do you keep repeating that phrase “his faith was accounted for righteousness”? Because Paul keeps repeating that phrase throughout chapt.4. If I counted correctly, it’s found at least 7 times in vv.3, 5, 6, 11, 22, 23, and 24. The Gk. term is logizomai. And depending on what Bible translation you use, the Eng. equivalent is translated “imputed”, “credited to”, “accounted for” or “reckoned.”

Logizomai is a bookkeeping term. For example, when you deposit $500 to your account, the bank credits your account with $500. That means, when you write a check or use your debit card for the sum of $500, you don’t have to worry about it because you are reckoning on the fact that $500 is in your account. (2)

Now let’s apply logizomai to Abraham. Abraham believed God. His faith in the promise was valued as righteousness. Abraham’s act of saving faith in God was imputed or credited to his account as righteousness. But thank God, logizomai doesn’t

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stop with Abraham. Saving faith imputes and credits God’s righteousness to every believer’s account.

Rd Rom.4:23-24

Paul’s point here is that the O.T. story of how Abraham was justified is more than a history lesson; it was written so that all might know the way to be justified and declared righteous before God.

Since Abraham was justified by faith apart from works, rituals, and law keeping, we too can be justified by faith apart from works, rituals, and law keeping. Just as Abraham believed in the promise of God and it was imputed to him for righteousness, we too must believe in the promise of God so it will be imputed to us as righteousness. Salvation has always been by grace through faith in God.

Now the content of our faith is different from that of Abraham. The promise that Abraham believed was that God would bless him with a son and a multitude of descendants. Abraham responded with faith to the light that God had given him. As a result, God credited his faith as righteousness.

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For us to be saved, we must have faith in the light that God has given us. And the light of God’s Word today shines brightly on the substitutionary death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In v.24, Paul said the righteousness of God is imputed to us “who believe in Him who raised up Jesus from the dead.”

Even thought the content of Abraham’s faith was limited, he apparently had some understanding the coming Savior. Jesus emphatically declared to the faithless Jewish leaders that “Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (Jn.8:56).

MacArthur writes “If despite his limited revelation, Abraham could anticipate the Savior and believe that God could raise the dead how much more reason do men today have to believe that the Father did indeed raise Jesus our Lord from the dead.” (3)

Have you put your faith alone in Christ alone? A Christian is someone who personally applies the saving faith of Abraham to the promise of salvation in Christ. His faith in Christ’s substutionary death and resurrection is imputed, reckoned, and credited as righteousness.

Here’s an illustration that might help you better understand imputation:

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(pic of me and Logan at a Brewers’ game)

Here’s a picture of me and my grandson Logan at a Brewer’s game on July 4. Half-price tickets, dollar hot dogs, war veterans were honored, and the Brewers won. We had a great time. He informed me that he’d like to go to another game sometime.

Suppose the Brewers make it to the World Series and I told Logan “I have two tickets to game 1 in the World Series. Would you like to go?” He says “I sure would!” I then tell him “The game is in three days, but you have to rake up all the pine needles in my back yard. I want a clean yard before we go.” He says “No problem grandpa. I’ll get it done.” I remind him “Don’t forget—a clean yard before you go.”

Well, day one goes by and there’s still a brown carpet of pine needles covering the lawn. Day two goes by and the job isn’t done. So, I rake the yard and bag the pine needles myself. On Day three, Logan comes over expecting to go to the game. He realizes what he failed to do. He feels terrible. He apologizes and humbly accepts the consequences.

To which I say, “Logan, I’m going to credit your apology and submission as a yard raked free of pine needles. I told you ‘I want to see a clean back

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yard before you go to the game’. I see a clean yard now, so you can go to the game with me.”

When I said to Logan “I credit your apology as a yard raked free of pine needles,” I did not mean that his apology is the clean yard. Nor did I mean that Logan really raked the pine needles. I raked them. It was pure grace.

In my way of reckoning, his apology connects him with the promise to go to the game. I credit that clean back yard to Logan. Or, I credit his apology as a clean back yard. You can say it either way and the result is the same—Logan goes to the game. And Paul said it both ways: “Faith is credited as righteousness,” and “God credits righteousness to us through faith.” (4)

So when God says to those who believe in Christ, “I credit your faith as righteousness,” he does not mean that your faith is righteousness. He means that your faith connects you to God’s righteousness.What is a Christian? A Christian is someone who personally applies the example of Abraham’s saving faith so that the righteousness of Christ is credited to him/her. Have you done that? It’s not a must if you want to go to the World Series, but it is a must if you want to go to heaven.

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Imputation is also found in 2Cor.5:21: “For He [God] made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Here we have double imputation.

“He [God] made Him [Jesus Christ] … to be sin for us…” That means God imputes or credits our sin to Christ’s account.

“… that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” That means God imputes or credits His righteousness to our account.

Let me illustrate double imputation. To your right are two chairs. One chair is labeled ME & YOU. The other chair is labeled JESUS CHRIST.

Here are two T-shirts. This white T-shirt represents the perfect righteousness of Christ. (drape over Jesus Christ chair). This grey T-shirt is covered over with the names of many sins. It represents the fact that me and you are sinners. (drape over Me & You chair). When I trust Christ as Savior, something wonderful happens. My sins are transferred to Jesus Christ; and His righteousness is transferred to me.

By faith alone in Christ alone, God imputes our sins to Christ who did no sin; and God imputes Christ’s righteousness to us who had no righteousness of

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our own. He takes our sinfulness; we get His righteousness. This is the deal of a lifetime.

The Bible says “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption—”(1Cor.1:30 ESV). In other words, when saving faith unites us to Christ, we participate in all that Christ is. His Word is our Wisdom, His death is our redemption, His Spirit is our sanctification, and His sinless life is our righteousness.

Christ is in heaven. He’s seated at the right hand of the Father. Since Christ is our righteousness, that means your righteousness is already there in heaven. Jesus promised His followers, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn.14:3). Your union with the Righteous One guarantees your place in heaven.

That righteousness doesn’t get better when your faith is strong. It doesn’t get worse when your faith is weak. It’s perfect. Christ is your righteousness. Look away from yourself. Fix your eyes on Jesus Christ. Rest in His righteousness.

A Christian is someone who personally believes in Jesus Christ. So, I ask you again: Have you put your

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faith alone in Christ alone? Are you trusting God to credit Christ’s righteousness to your account?

Paul adds one more essential element to the doctrine of Justification by faith in v.25:

Rd Rom.4:25

The Christian faith rests ultimately on two events that happened 2000 years ago. One is the death of Christ on the cross; the other is the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Jesus Christ was delivered up to serve the sentence of death because of our sins. He was raised up because of our justification by faith. In other words, His sacrificial death paid for our sins; His resurrection secures our right standing before God. Because Jesus Christ lives, God can credit His righteousness to the account of every person who has faith alone in the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.

Chuck Swindoll explains the meaning of verse 25 this way: “Man owed God a debt for his transgressions that he could not repay. However the Lord, who is both just and merciful, sent His Son to pay man’s [sin] debt. Jesus Christ took the bill in His hand and paid it in full on Calvary. The payment was made by His own blood. Three days

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after He was buried in a tomb, Jesus rose from the dead and presented the bill as paid to His Father. The Lord stamped it Paid in Full and gave His Son the receipt. Thus, any person who believes that Jesus died for his sin and rose from the dead for his justification is secure forever. The Son has the receipt to prove it!” (5)

The only question that remains is “Have you accepted what Jesus Christ has done for you? Like that pasteurizing machine, salvation only benefits you if you plug your faith in the gospel of Christ— “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom.1:17).

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse summarized Christianity in three sentences: I deserved Hell. Jesus took my Hell. There’s nothing left for me but His Heaven. (6)There are three groups of people here today— true-believers, non-believers and make-believers. Which group are you in? True believers are justified by faith alone in Christ alone who died for their sins and rose again. Non-believers reject the message of salvation. And make-believers think they’re saved but they’re not saved because they haven’t personalized the saving faith of Abraham.

If you’re not sure of going to heaven or hell, then here’s a prayer of faith to plug you into God’s

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salvation. The prayer itself will not save you. It simply expresses your heart’s desire to trust Christ as your personal savior:

“Heavenly Father, I confess that I’m a hopeless sinner in need of a Savior. I realize that I’m on a sinful path that’s taking me to hell. But I repent and believe that You, Lord Jesus, are the way to heaven. I believe that You died on the cross to take away my sins and to give me Your righteousness. I believe that You rose from the dead to assure me that You can save me and secure a place in heaven for me. Amen.”

If that prayer expressed your sincere faith in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ, then tell someone after the service. Don’t hide it; don’t be shy or ashamed of your decision. As Paul said in chapt.1 of Romans “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes … For in it the righteousness of God is revealed” (1:16-17a).

I hope you let me know about your decision to trust Christ today. It would be my joy to welcome you into God’s forever family. I also have some Christian literature to give you to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ.

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If you don’t fall into the category of a non-believer or a make-believer, what I’m about to say is geared to those of you who profess to be true believers.

As believers, we don’t go to church to be entertained; we go to church to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. We don’t go to church to listen to sermons, take notes, and file them away in a three ring binder; we go to church to be equipped for the work of the ministry so we can fulfill our Lord’s Great Commission mission to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples.

Just how intentional are you about growing and maturing in your faith and reproducing your Christ-like life in the life of others? We profess to believe in the imminent, any moment, pre-tribulational rapture of the church into heaven. When the trumpet sounds to meet the Lord in the air, our witness on earth is done. We’ll worship God in heaven; we’ll have fellowship with believers in heaven; there will be joy in heaven; but there will be no outreach to the lost in heaven. The lost will be left behind to enter the horrors of the Tribulation.

William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army. Some of his salvation soldiers were sent to minister in the ghettos of Los Angeles in the 1920s. After three years of no results, they sent Booth a

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telegram: “It just won’t work. We have tried everything. The gospel is just not being received here.” Two days later they received a two-word telegram from General Booth that said, “Try tears.”

Maybe it’s time for us to try tears! When was the last time you shed a tear for someone’s soul? Are you saddened by the fact that someone in your family is still resisting the gospel after years of witnessing to them? While it’s important for non-believers to know “where we stand” on religious matters, our witness can sometimes come across as holier-than-thou and judgmental. Wouldn’t it be better if along with knowing where we stand that lost people know that we love them enough to pray for their conversion with moist eyes?

The idea is not original with me, but as a way to help us try tears, I want each of you to take a Kleenex. There’s a packet of tissues at the end of each pew closest to the center aisle. Please pass it down until everyone has a tissue.

As we prepare for communion today, think of one person who doesn’t know Jesus. Now imagine them in torment, suffering in fires of Hell. Picture them crying out…forever. The Kleenex is for you just in case you’re moved to shed a tear in love for them. After a few moments of prayerful meditation, I will offer a prayer to the God of mercy who is not

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willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, as you looked over the City of Jerusalem, you wept over the lostness of its inhabitants. Help us to see our community, our friends, and our loved ones as You see them—hopelessly lost in sin until they receive You as Savior and Lord. Forgive us for our dry eyes and sealed lips when it comes to our gospel witness. Please send a messenger to the person heavy on our hearts this morning. May that messenger find an open door of opportunity to clearly and confidently share good news that You Lord Jesus died on the cross for their sins and rose again for their justification. May they respond with saving faith just like Abraham. And if we’re not the messenger to lead our love one to saving faith in You, then lead us to someone else’s loved one to share the good news with them. I ask this sincerely, in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen.

________________________________________(1)https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-24-what-christian-romans-423-25(2)https://www.preceptaustin.org/romans_41-3 (3)MacArthur, John (1991), The MacArthur N.T. Commentary, (Romans 1-8), p.268. Moody Press. (4)adapted from a sermon by John Piper “Faith and the Imputation of Righteousness” from Rom.4:22-25, DesiringGod.org

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(5)https://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/1992-05-24-The-Oldest-Dad-in-the-Nursery/ (6)ibid