Romans 4
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tonight the Gamma Phi Beta house bible study is starting back up. I was reviewing the lesson tonight, which is over Romans 4.
In Romans 4, Paul is tracing the evidence for justification by faith to the Old Testament in Abraham. Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 to show that Abraham was not justified by works: "And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness." According to Tim Keller (who writes this study we are going through), the Jews of the time thought that faith = obedience of the law, but Paul shows in the first four verses that really that means faith = righteousness, which can't be true because faith is not a "work" that merits anything. If faith = obedience = righteousness, then the actual object of our faith would be ourselves and our own abilities. But if, as Keller says, faith = trust God's promise to save, then the actual object of our faith is God and his ability.
This is an important distinction to make, since most churchgoers and religious people today think faith is something that it is not. Keller says that if you ask a random sample of churchgoers today "What are the general requirements for admission into heaven?" their answers often fall into three categories:
In all these cases, the religious people are still working to be saved and are not trusting in God to do the saving. God credits us righteousness while we are still wicked and unable to save ourselves. That is what we believe and have faith in. God doesn't only exist, He saves by transferring Christ's righteous standing, a righteousness of character, to us.
The last question of our study tonight is GREAT:
We must realize that there is a difference between believing IN God and believing God. We don't just simply believe that God exists and that he is good and holy. We also look at what God has said and let that define reality for us. This means we don't live our lives according to our feelings or appearances. In verse 19, "He [Abraham] did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb." Abraham looked at the appearance of his body and it looked hopeless that he would ever bear a child. Now, faith is not opposed to reason, but to self-trust. Faith is God-trust. It is going on something despite our weakness, feelings, or perceptions. (And it is not easy, but scary.)
And lastly, that is why Theology matters. If we are supposed to self-trust less and less, and God-trust more and more, we must find ways to know God and act on God's promises and word. This is hard to do, because it might mean giving away money generously, even if it appears economically risky, says Keller. (Malachi 3:9-10). It is also hard to do, because when we study God and His word, it is easy to impose our own perception and feelings onto what we take in. If I studied my Bible every day for two hours, yet I only ever studied it alone and without any other resources or interpretive helps, I could make any crazy assertion I wanted to about who God is and what He has said. I could misinterpret the Bible to say most anything. It's so important to study God's word corporately and to hear it preached by others who have studied and trained in theology.
It applies even to this passage. The NASB Bible quotes the Genesis 15:6 passage as "Then he believed in the LORD," which does not fit at all with how Paul's exegesis of the text.
Whew!
Pray for us as we study this passage tonight!
In Romans 4, Paul is tracing the evidence for justification by faith to the Old Testament in Abraham. Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 to show that Abraham was not justified by works: "And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness." According to Tim Keller (who writes this study we are going through), the Jews of the time thought that faith = obedience of the law, but Paul shows in the first four verses that really that means faith = righteousness, which can't be true because faith is not a "work" that merits anything. If faith = obedience = righteousness, then the actual object of our faith would be ourselves and our own abilities. But if, as Keller says, faith = trust God's promise to save, then the actual object of our faith is God and his ability.
This is an important distinction to make, since most churchgoers and religious people today think faith is something that it is not. Keller says that if you ask a random sample of churchgoers today "What are the general requirements for admission into heaven?" their answers often fall into three categories:
- "Because I have tried my best to be a good Christian" (read: "salvation by works")
- "Because I believe in God and try to do his will" (read: "salvation by faith plus works")
- "Because I believe in him with all my heart" (read: "salvation by faith AS a work")
In all these cases, the religious people are still working to be saved and are not trusting in God to do the saving. God credits us righteousness while we are still wicked and unable to save ourselves. That is what we believe and have faith in. God doesn't only exist, He saves by transferring Christ's righteous standing, a righteousness of character, to us.
The last question of our study tonight is GREAT:
How does the case of Abraham (vv. 18-25) illustrate the difference between only believing in God, and believing God (v. 3)? How can his example help you strengthen your faith (v. 19)?
We must realize that there is a difference between believing IN God and believing God. We don't just simply believe that God exists and that he is good and holy. We also look at what God has said and let that define reality for us. This means we don't live our lives according to our feelings or appearances. In verse 19, "He [Abraham] did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb." Abraham looked at the appearance of his body and it looked hopeless that he would ever bear a child. Now, faith is not opposed to reason, but to self-trust. Faith is God-trust. It is going on something despite our weakness, feelings, or perceptions. (And it is not easy, but scary.)
And lastly, that is why Theology matters. If we are supposed to self-trust less and less, and God-trust more and more, we must find ways to know God and act on God's promises and word. This is hard to do, because it might mean giving away money generously, even if it appears economically risky, says Keller. (Malachi 3:9-10). It is also hard to do, because when we study God and His word, it is easy to impose our own perception and feelings onto what we take in. If I studied my Bible every day for two hours, yet I only ever studied it alone and without any other resources or interpretive helps, I could make any crazy assertion I wanted to about who God is and what He has said. I could misinterpret the Bible to say most anything. It's so important to study God's word corporately and to hear it preached by others who have studied and trained in theology.
It applies even to this passage. The NASB Bible quotes the Genesis 15:6 passage as "Then he believed in the LORD," which does not fit at all with how Paul's exegesis of the text.
Whew!
Pray for us as we study this passage tonight!
posted by Brittany Smith at 1:16 PM
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