The Just Shall Live By Faith

This Week's Sermon Prep is Romans 4:13-25

The great reformer Martin Luther had a problem. No matter how dedicated he was... no matter how faithful... no matter how self-sacrificing... he could not escape the sinful reality of his heart. This burden was so great that Luther thought he had to suffer like the Savior. So, as a Monk he would flagellate (whip) himself and use other means... in an attempt to be righteous before God... to earn salvation. However, no matter what he did, he continued to be BURDENED by the darkness of his soul. Fortunately for Martin Luther he was a Bible reader and a Bible scholar. One day, he happened upon Romans 1:17...

"The just shall live by faith."

Luther was overwhelmed with peace. He was beginning to realize  the theology the Apostle Paul penned in the Book of Romans. We are saved by our faith in the righteousness of Christ, NOT in our own righteousness! The work of righteousness was done by Christ's work on the cross! And the promise of Christ's righteousness is for the faithful to one day be resurrected like Christ!

We call this REFORMED THEOLOGY and it was the leading concept of the REFORMATION. It centered around the crazy idea that GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE! This is why Jesus (God) died for our sins!

Now before I continue, I want to share a quote from the late Reformed Bible Scholar R. C. Sproul...

"The relationship of faith and good works is one that may be distinguished but never separated...if good works do not follow from our profession of faith, it is a clear indication that we do not possess justifying faith. The Reformed formula is, “We are justified by faith alone but not by a faith that is alone."

This is a great quote! Yes! Praise God! We are saved through the sacrifice Jesus made for all sin: past, present, and future. We are saved because of our faith in Jesus and our trust in 'that' given work of the cross! However, don't call yourself faithful, IF you take the work of the cross arrogantly. If there is not a change in your life to attempt to be like Christ. If you are not honest, faithful, and don't commit yourself to good works... THEN YOUR FAITH IS NOT FAITH. IT IS PRESUMPTION! This is why James 2:26 says...

(26) For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Pastor Jim Quote: Faith, due to our human condition, will never be in the perfectly performed... but we have to be about attempting to perfectly perform it!

Not one single word for 'faith' or 'belief' in the Bible is in the past tense ... it is always in the ongoing 'active' tense.' Faith is doing!

I have faith in Carol. And, I know... hope... trust... that Carol has faith in me. However, this might surprise you, but my works for Carol don't always match up with my faith. However, my intent... and my heart is bent in a 'Carol direction.' I imperfectly demonstrate my love for Carol. However, I am demonstrating my love towards Carol and not away from her. There is a big difference. In one very obvious way! My dating life has been eliminated ever since I married Carol 45 years ago! Carol would be right to doubt MY FAITHFULNESS, should I have continued taking out a different gal every Friday and Saturday night! It would not be right for me to suggest I am in a faithful relationship with Carol. My works (dating) would suggest otherwise!

Now I use this humorous, exaggerated example, to illustrate 'HOW' to define what 'FAITH' actually is! However, this is the entire story of the Bible! We can turn to Hebrews 11, THE BIBLE'S HALL OF FAME OF FAITH to discover... that FAITH ALWAYS INVOLVES A POSITIVE ACTION...

(8) BY FAITH Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And Abraham went out, not knowing where he was going. (9) BY FAITH Abraham dwelt in the land of the promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the SAME PROMISE; (1) for Abraham waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

FAITH changes a heart to want to serve Christ out of love... not just duty. Not because we are trying to EARN something! This is why I like Sproul's last comment about faith...

"We are justified by FAITH ALONE (sola fide)...

but not by

FAITH THAT IS ALONE!"

CONCLUSION

This week we will be studying Romans 4:13-25, to better understand the concept of being 'justified by faith.' However, tomorrow we will learn more about Father Abraham from Genesis to have a better understanding of the Abrahamic metaphor being used by the Apostle Paul to explain faith.

See you tomorrow!