I would like to offer a definition of faith for your consideration. Faith is the belief of one party in the integrity of that person or thing believed. Our banking system is fiduciary, based upon faith and therefore rests entirely upon the integrity of the people involved. I express faith in the US government when I work for US dollars and my bank when I deposit to them. A simple purchase carries with it a lot of faith: when I swipe my MasterCard, the merchant recognizes that my card is legitimate and has faith that MasterCard will pay him, MasterCard has faith that my bank will pay it and finally my bank has faith in me that I will pay it. Without the integrity to pay what is promised, this system fails. It's no coincidence that the Apostle Paul explained justification by faith in the 3rd chapter of Romans after confirming the complete inadequacy of mankind.
The first three chapters of Romans confirms the constantly apparent guilt and depravity of mankind. The law declares the righteousness of God and reminds us how short we fall from the holy rule. Then Paul states the mechanism of our justification in the most direct way it can be stated. Romans 3:21-26 But now the righteousness of God, without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
God's righteousness is witnessed by the law, but it declares us guilty and informs us that death is the only just punishment for sin. But the great mystery: How can God be just in not punishing us with eternal death? But now, the apostle says, the righteousness of God is manifest without the law. God is just because Jesus is our propitiation, set forth (foreordained) by God, and declared openly the righteousness of God by suffering the just punishment of our sins. God forgave sins for thousands of years before Christ died because by His own oath He was made our surety. By God's faith in our Surety, Abraham and all the old testament saints were delivered from their sins (Heb 7:20-22). And now this righteousness is manifest to us by Christ making good on his eternal oath when He was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification. Christ's death was a seal of His faith unto and upon all them that believe, and his resurrection was the seal of our justification by the Father (Romans 4:25).
Even as God was not obligated to create us, He was not obligated to redeem us, and He is not obligated to reveal any of His mysteries to us. Yet in His infinite love He did all of those things. The third chapter is closed with a very extraordinary statement: Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea we establish the law. I believe the fourth chapter of Romans then presents us with the fundamental purpose of the law, which is for the human understanding of the righteousness of God. The law is established by faith and obedience is the answer of a good conscience toward God. As Abraham believed in God before he was circumcised, so all obedience is subsequent to and because of faith. Righteousness was reckoned to Abraham because he saw and believed the promise of God--that God would provide Himself a sacrifice--not because he saw and believed in his own obedience. Abraham, our spiritual ancestor, is an example to us; (Romans 4:11) that if we have been taught of God (John 6:45), so we should approach our savior by obedience to his law. We find our righteousness and our comfort by not judging our eternal standing with God according to our obedience, but by judging well the faithfulness of Jesus.
The first three chapters of Romans confirms the constantly apparent guilt and depravity of mankind. The law declares the righteousness of God and reminds us how short we fall from the holy rule. Then Paul states the mechanism of our justification in the most direct way it can be stated. Romans 3:21-26 But now the righteousness of God, without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
God's righteousness is witnessed by the law, but it declares us guilty and informs us that death is the only just punishment for sin. But the great mystery: How can God be just in not punishing us with eternal death? But now, the apostle says, the righteousness of God is manifest without the law. God is just because Jesus is our propitiation, set forth (foreordained) by God, and declared openly the righteousness of God by suffering the just punishment of our sins. God forgave sins for thousands of years before Christ died because by His own oath He was made our surety. By God's faith in our Surety, Abraham and all the old testament saints were delivered from their sins (Heb 7:20-22). And now this righteousness is manifest to us by Christ making good on his eternal oath when He was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification. Christ's death was a seal of His faith unto and upon all them that believe, and his resurrection was the seal of our justification by the Father (Romans 4:25).
Even as God was not obligated to create us, He was not obligated to redeem us, and He is not obligated to reveal any of His mysteries to us. Yet in His infinite love He did all of those things. The third chapter is closed with a very extraordinary statement: Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea we establish the law. I believe the fourth chapter of Romans then presents us with the fundamental purpose of the law, which is for the human understanding of the righteousness of God. The law is established by faith and obedience is the answer of a good conscience toward God. As Abraham believed in God before he was circumcised, so all obedience is subsequent to and because of faith. Righteousness was reckoned to Abraham because he saw and believed the promise of God--that God would provide Himself a sacrifice--not because he saw and believed in his own obedience. Abraham, our spiritual ancestor, is an example to us; (Romans 4:11) that if we have been taught of God (John 6:45), so we should approach our savior by obedience to his law. We find our righteousness and our comfort by not judging our eternal standing with God according to our obedience, but by judging well the faithfulness of Jesus.
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