Romans Series: Justified By Faith

Justified By Faith

Romans 4:13-25                                                                                                              FBCG – October 27, 2024 

Romans 4:13–25 (ESV)13For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21fully convinced that words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. 

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  

What are the promises that Paul is referring to? 

Genesis 12:2 (ESV)2And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 

Genesis 13:16 (ESV)16I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 

Genesis 15:18–21 (ESV)18On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” 

Genesis 22:17–18 (ESV)17I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 

Abraham’s Faith 

Genesis 15:6 (ESV)6And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 

Galatians 3:6–14 (ESV)6just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. 

What is faith? Why is faith so instrumental and important to the Lord? 

Romans 10:17 (ESV)17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 

1 John 5:4 (ESV)4For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 

2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)7for we walk by faith, not by sight. 

Hebrews 11:1–3 (ESV)1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible... 

Ephesians 6:16 - Faith is our Shield that snuffs out burning arrows from the evil one. 

Trails and test are used to strengthen our faith – James 1:2:1-2 

Faith without works…. Dead – James 2:14-17 

Romans 12:3 (ESV)3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 

Hebrews 10:19–23 (ESV)19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 

Isaiah 26:3–4 (ESV)3You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. 

Habakkuk 3:17–19 (ESV)17Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. 

Questions for Further Discussion: 

How are Christ followers the offspring, seed, heir, sons and daughters of Abraham? 

How would you explain faith to someone? 

If faith is given in measure, can we, and should we ask for more? 

Describe a time when your faith in God took a serious hit and was weakened. What was the outcome? 

Why do you think that Galatians 6:16 describes “faith” as a shield… to extinguish fiery arrows from the enemy? 

What comfort do you have in knowing that God is faithful? 

Read Habakkuk 3:17-19 – what can you learn about Habakkuk’s faith?