How is Righteousness Credited? – Surrendering and Believing

Hello friends and welcome back to The Book of Romans Series. Today we are exploring chapter four. Yesterday we talked about how no one is righteous except through faith in Christ Jesus and today we will continue with that subject where Paul gets into detail about how righteousness is credited.

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Verses 1-3)

It’s not what we do on this earth that makes us righteous, so there is nothing to boast about. You could spend your whole life doing nothing but good, but before God, you would have NO righteousness. Only through believing is righteousness credited. It’s not our works but His that gives us any value or purpose.

Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However; to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. (Verses 4-11)

We cannot work for righteousness, like we can work for wages. Wages are something we earn and are an obligation, but righteousness from God is a gift. A gift only given to those who believe, those whose sins are covered, who are blessed.

God’s blessings are not only for those who are circumcised. Abraham was the first in the Bible to be circumcised. It was a part of the covenant between him and God. So, I think what Paul is saying is that if blessedness is only for the circumcised, then how did Abraham get any righteousness credited to him at all? That covenant had not started. So, you don’t have to be circumcised from birth to gain God’s blessings, but it’s for everyone and anyone to accept it – to believe in it.

It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be the heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promises is worthless, because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring – not only to those who are the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. (Verses 13-16)

So, if you depend only on the law, you receive nothing but wrath, and the promise is worthless. Yet if you depend solely on faith, there are no transgressions to begin with – at least none you know about because you ignore the law. We talked about yesterday how the law and faith goes hand in hand. Faith beats out the law because of Christ Jesus' Crucifixion and raising from the dead, but the law still lets us know when we are sinning. Without it we cannot know God’s promises or know what we need to improve on. The promise comes by faith – only then is it guaranteed.

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was a hundred years old - and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (Verses 18-21)

Abraham was against all hope, yet he did not waver through unbelief. He knew that God had the power to do what he had promised. Even if your situation looks hopeless – there is ALWAYS hope through God. His blessings are there all you have to do is reach out and take them.

This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness”. The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness – for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Verses 22-25)

So long as we believe, we will be credited righteousness – isn’t God so GOOD? If our righteousness was credited solely from our works, we would all be condemned. Thank God that isn’t the case. Hallelujah! Smile about that today my friends. And I will continue to use my word for this year – surrender. I will surrender to God and continue to believe. Only then will I gain any righteousness. It will not be earned by me but will be a gift from God.