Romans Chapter 4

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It’s good to be back again after our break last week.  In chapter four, Paul turns a corner and begins explaining how it is we are saved from the sinfulness we learned about in the first three chapters.  I’ve mentioned several times about how hard it is to get lifelong Christians to realize their sinfulness, which is why Paul took 3 chapters to explain it.  However, the next challenge Paul lays out is giving up our illusions that we somehow earn our salvation. This concept is every bit, if not more, difficult than understanding how sinful we are (there’s a little ‘churchie’ (see picture for chapter two) living inside all of us.  We tend to think we’re not ‘real’ sinners, and even if we were, God will overlook it because we do so much for the church).

Paul uses Abraham as an illustration, pointing out that Abraham could not be saved by the law or because he was Jewish, because the law came many generations after Abraham, and he was not Jewish until God made him a Jew.  Rather, writes Paul, Abraham trusted in God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.

So what does this have to do with us- especially 7th and 8th graders?  We’ve been learning (8th graders especially) that we need perfect righteousness in order to get into heaven.  One way to do this by living a perfect life.  But Paul reminds us that not even Abraham could do this!  Instead, God counted Abraham perfectly righteous because of Christ, and guess what- God extends that same arrangement to us!  Paul tells us, “²³The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him [Abraham] alone, ²⁴but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

Yet this flies in the face of our culture.  We are taught from the earliest ages that if we work hard and follow God’s rules God will grant us success.  While there is some truth to this, it is not the way our salvation works at all!  Consider this bombshell of Paul: “⁵However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.”  That can’t be right- it just seems just plain un-American!

We don’t need to earn our salvation, because we can’t; trying to ‘obey’ our way to heaven will result in disaster, in fact, Paul writes the law will bring us wrath.  Salvation is not a test we need to pass or a result of the legacy we leave behind.  It is a sheer gift, which comes by grace alone.

The confusion for most Christians (our kids are no exception) comes from our failure to constantly remind ourselves that we are called to do good- to live according to God’s law - but only out of GRATITUDE for the salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone which God has given to us.

Sorry for the longer than usual update, but this issue is hugely important.  The idea that we can live righteously enough to earn salvation is spreading like a cancer through the church (as it was when Paul wrote Romans).  When I ask someone ‘why do you need to do good?’ I hear the answer ‘so I can go to heaven’ way too often.  Make sure you spend the time this week with your children and God’s word so that they can learn these vital doctrines of grace.

Also, the kids have been asking FANTASTIC questions in class.  Keep it up!  Here are some questions you should be discussing at home.  Feel free to answer or comment on these questions here.

- Who’s fault is it that there’s so much misery in the world?

- Why do we strive to follow God’s laws if doing so doesn’t earn salvation?

- Can being a lifelong Christian actually make us more guilty in God’s eyes?  How so?

- Why is it so important that Jesus was raised to life?  Wasn’t it his death that paid for our sins? (this question was asked by a student in class)