Romans 4:1-8 comments: faith is counted for righteousness

 

Romans 4:1 ¶  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

 

Note from verse 2;

 

Philippians 3:9 ¶  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

 

Ephesians 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 

Now, good works are evidence of faith but works do not justify us, only faith. Consider these verses;

 

John 6:28 ¶  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

 

Considering;

 

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

 

James 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

 

Look at all the verses on a topic to derive the doctrine. Neither Abraham nor we were saved by works but our works show our faith, reveal it. We’re not talking about works like giving away free loaves of bread or charity to the poor but by how we think and act before God and man as evidence of our faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

 

Galatians 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

 

But, like Abraham we are only saved by believing what God said. In the following verse to believe on means to believe what Christ said about Himself. The phrase after the colon defines or modifies the phrase before it.

 

John 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

 

In verses 6-8 Paul uses a Psalm to underscore his point.

 

Psalm 32:1 ¶  «A Psalm of David, Maschil.» Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2  Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

 

Notice by word substitution in these verses in Psalms and Romans how sins, iniquities, and transgressions are all linked as synonyms. Also note the comparable use of impute, charging someone with something.