ROM 4Verses 1-8. Faith rests in God. The word is believed; what need of works? God's righteousness is by faith, without works. Abraham cannot boast of anything of his own before God, and so it is written, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." If works could do anything, grace would not be needed; then the reward would have been of debt, and not of grace-the wages or reward of sin is death. Grace comes in; Jesus takes the death and gives the believer life and forgiveness, so to him who does not work, but 'believes on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. Grace gives righteousness to the ungodly who believe on God. So David, who describes the blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness without works, said, "Blessed are they whose iniquities (lawlessness’s) are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute (or reckon) sin.”
Verses 9-12. This blessedness came to Abraham before he was circumcised. He was reckoned righteous when he believed, and circumcision was given as seal of the righteousness by faith which he already possessed, in order that he might be the father of all them Who believe, who are uncircumcised, that is, the Gentiles are brought in as saved by faith. children of Abraham by faith without circumcision.
Verses 13-25. The promise to Abraham and to his seed was made long before the law was given, so that it was not by keeping of law that righteousness came. If the law made those under it heirs of the blessing, then faith is nothing, and the promise made of no effect.
The law works wrath; it shows the exceeding' sinfulness of sin. Where there is no law, there is no transgression. It curses those who are under it. A sinner can not he justified by trying to keep the law. "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace." Grace the law demands, so that all Gentile sinners without law, and transgressors under law, can all be justified by faith, like Abraham, who is the father of all who believe, as it is written, "I have made thee a father of many nations." Abraham's faith rested in God to fulfill what He had promised, though it seemed an impossibility,' but he believed God could raise the dead, and call into being things that were not, as though they were, and this faith was rewarded, by the miracle of Isaac's birth. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform, therefore it was counted to him as righteousness. So the saints, of the time before Christ came, who believed God's promises and thus rusted on His word, were counted righteous, and God, on account of what His Son was to do upon the cross, passed over those sins for the time, till they were borne by Jesus, the holy, spotless Lamb of God. God's righteousness was declared when Jesus suffered for sin.
Now it was not written for Abraham's sake alone, that he was counted righteous, but for us also, that we, too, believing on God who has raised up our Lord Jesus from the dead, who was there delivered up to death for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification, should be counted righteous.
How wonderful all this is! What grace to sinners! He gave Himself up to hear our sins. He said, "It is finished," and yielded up His life, and now lives for us on high, bearing in His blessed Person the proofs of a finished work. God is glorified, and we forever justified. Praise His blessed name!
We have now seen that God's grace has freely justified the believer. We have redemption in Christ Jesus. We have a mercy-seat through faith in His blood: God's righteousness declared for remission of sins: justice done, and the ungodly justified by faith his faith counted for righteousness. Christ delivered for our offenses, and raised for our justification. All our guilt fully met in grace by the very One against whom we have sinned. God lets us see His pleasure and satisfaction in 'raising the Lord Jesus from among the dead. He is Just and the Justifier of him who believes in Jesus.
In all this part of the Epistle, and to chapter 5:11, we have nothing of our experience of sin in us, and how we are delivered from its power, but we have our guilt, and what God is in grace. How full is His love and grace to guilty sinners, and its ends with the believer boasting in God Himself, through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom he has received the reconciliation.