Devotional : JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, NOT WORKS (Romans 4:16)

Yesterday, As we've established, Abraham believed God, and God credited it to him as righteousness (Romans 4:3). It is crucial to understand that our justification is not a gradual process of becoming perfectly righteous; rather, it's an immediate, legal declaration by God that we are now guiltless and perfectly righteous in His sight. This is the act of imputed righteousness, where Christ’s righteousness is credited to our account.

The Law and Justification

In the Old Testament, the Covenant of Law was indeed linked to righteousness. The promise of God to Abraham was that all nations would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3). Under the Law, circumcision and obedience were seen as the way to be part of God's people and partake in the blessings. However, the New Covenant reveals a different path. We are not required to be circumcised or perfectly obey the law to be justified by God God; all we need is to have faith, just as Abraham did.

This does not mean that obeying the law or doing good works is bad. However, as human beings, we are incapable of keeping the law perfectly. If justification depended on our works, we would all fall short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). The Law was never intended to be a means of salvation. Instead, it was given to expose our sin and our desperate need for a Savior. As the Apostle Paul argues in Romans, the more we try to keep the law, the more we realize we fail, revealing our sinfulness.

Faith Versus Works

Consider a servant who was dismissed for stealing from his master. The master's son offers a way for the servant to return: all he has to do is call upon his name. However, the servant is so convinced he must earn his way back that he begins to do all sorts of good deeds—sweeping the compound, washing the car, and polishing shoes. He does all these works in an attempt to be restored, but he never takes the simple step of calling on the master's son's name, which was the only requirement.

This illustration highlights the difference between faith and works. The servant was repentant, but he did not believe the simple condition for his restoration. He thought his works could justify him, but access to the master's house was granted by grace through faith alone. This is the difference between earning a gift and receiving it.

Abraham's Example

Abraham’s life provides a clear timeline for this truth. God declared Abraham righteous in Genesis 15 because of his faith, yet he was not circumcised until Genesis 17. This proves that his justification came before and was separate from his obedience to the sign of the covenant. We are the spiritual heirs of Abraham's faith, and the promise is extended to us through grace and received through faith, not by our works (Romans 4:16). Righteousness is a gift from God, not something we can earn.

The Object of Our Faith

When we speak of faith in Jesus, we mean more than simple intellectual belief. It is a trusting reliance on the finished work of Christ on the cross—His death, burial, and resurrection. This is the essence of the gospel. Our faith is placed in His victory over sin and death, not in our ability to perform good works. This is what we call salvation by grace through faith—the core message of the gospel.

PRAYER 

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of righteousness, for the legal declaration that I am guiltless in your sight 

Help me to be justified by faith 

Help me to believe in the finished works of Christ on the cross 

Through my faith, let me inherit the promise (blessings) of Abraham 

In Jesus name amen 🙏