Why did God decide to justify us through faith? He could have chosen any number of ways to save us. This passage tells us that God decided to justify us through faith for four different reasons: 1) So that it would be by grace; 2) so that it would be guaranteed; 3) so that it would be global; and 4) so that it would give God all the glory.
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Why Did God Decide To Justify Sinners Through Faith?
Romans 4:16-21
The apostle Paul, like a great prosecuting attorney, has brought one portion of men, and then another before the judgment tribunal of God. First he brought the Heathen in 1:18-32, and said that they were without excuse, because even though they knew God existed, they didn’t honor or thank Him, but instead they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for idols. Therefore, God gave them over to their own depravity, so that they chased after sin unrestrained, bringing shame, and suffering, and disease into their paths. How has God responded to the Heathen who suppress the truth about Him in unrighteousness? His wrath is revealed from heaven upon them!
Then Paul turns to the Hebrews, the Jews, in chapter 2. He tells them that they are without excuse, because they self-righteously judge others, but practice the same things themselves. How does God respond to them? 2:5 says that because of their stubbornness and unrepentant heart they are storing up wrath for themselves in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. The fact that they possessed the Law or had been circumcised doesn’t matter. What matters is if they have been circumcised in the heart, so that they obey God out of love. Only then do they qualify as true Jews.
Then Paul turns to all men, Jew and Gentile in chapter 3. He quotes from the Old Testament to prove that all men, Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. There is none righteous, none who understands, none who does good, none who seeks for God. They rebel against God with every part of their being: their throat, tongue, lips, mouth, and feet. Paul ends his accusations against all men by saying that the works of the Law will never justify anyone, because the Law closes every mouth, makes all men guilty, and reveals sin. That’s it! The Law can’t save.
Well, by the time we get to Romans 3:20, everything is hopeless. All men are doomed and there is nothing they can do to change it! Paul has proven that God’s wrath is upon all men for their sin and depravity. But in verse 21, everything changes! “But now…!!!” Paul has proven that no one has a righteousness by which they can approach God. And it is impossible for man to be accepted by God without a perfect righteousness. But Paul says, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.” That just may be the most powerful paragraph in all the Bible! There is the answer to every person’s greatest problem. His problem is that he has no righteousness, and is under God’s wrath. God, by His grace, solves the problem! He gives man the gift of His righteousness – justification. And He also turns away His wrath – propitiation.
By the way, Paul gives us an excellent example of how to share the gospel with others. Everyone has their own approach. How did Paul do it? He started with all men under sin, without excuse, under wrath. Then, when all human hope was gone, He showed them God’s solution. Christ! Jesus lived, died and rose so that God could take His righteousness and credit it to sinners who believe! Christ bore the awful wrath of God, so that He could turn it away from sinners. We must start with the Bad News, or the Good News will not land with any power or force.
By the end of chapter 3, Paul has clearly taught us that God justifies sinners through faith apart from works of the Law. Well, in chapter 4, Paul takes up Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, and uses him as an illustration. Paul’s readers might have wondered if Paul was teaching some kind of newfangled hairbrained heretical doctrine. So Paul says, “No, this teaching goes all the way back to Genesis, to the founder of the Jewish nation. Let me show you how Abraham was justified.” And so he does. He shows us in 4:1-8 that Abraham was justified apart from works, in 4:9-12 Abraham is justified apart from circumcision, and in 4:13-15 Abraham is justified apart from the Law.
When we arrive at 4:16-21 Paul’s concern is to answer another question. Why?! Why did God decide to justify sinners through faith, and not through works, ritual, or the law? How do we know that is the question Paul is answering here? Look at verse 16, “For this reason it is by faith, in order that…” It is obvious that Paul is telling us why God justifies by faith. And he is going to give us four reasons. Why did God decide to justify sinners by faith?
1. So That It Would Be By Grace
It is by faith. What is Paul referring to? What is the “it” that is by faith? Well, let’s go back to verse 13, “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.” What is that promise? That Abraham and his descendants would be heirs of the world. But how would they receive that awesome promise? Paul says it is through the righteousness of faith. He doesn’t say “by faith”, but rather “through the righteousness of faith.” Let’s not forget that this whole chapter is about justification by faith. In other words, for a person to receive this promise, they must be declared righteous by God through faith. They must be justified, just like Abraham was, through faith. They must have a righteousness which is not their own, but one that is credited to them by faith apart from works. So now let’s answer the question. What is the “it” of verse 16 that is by faith? It is the righteousness of God that obtains the promise of inheriting the world.
For this reason. What reason is Paul thinking about? Well, let’s go back to verse 14-15, “For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified. For the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.” For this reason, because the promise to be heirs of the world will be nullified if it is according to Law, God decided that the promise would be by faith instead. Why would the promise be nullified if it was by the Law? Verse 15 says that the Law brings wrath. If you try to use the Law to become righteous before God, you will fail and only receive wrath. That’s why it must be by faith.
In order that it may be in accordance with grace. Why is faith so essential in our justification? Paul’s answer is that it is in accordance with grace. Faith is the only condition of the heart that accords with grace. Faith is a depending grace. It does not offer anything, but receives everything. It is the hand of the starving man that reaches out to receive the food being offered. Grace is God giving. Faith is man receiving. The basic definition of grace is “God’s undeserved favor.” The word “favor” is applied to Jesus in Luke 2:52 where it says that He “grew in favor with God and men.” Obviously when this word “favor” or “grace” is used of Jesus it can’t mean undeserved favor, because Jesus, being perfectly righteous, deserved any blessing that came to Him. But, when “grace” is used of sinners, it means that the favor is undeserved.
So, the first reason that God has decided to justify us by faith, is because He wants this justification to come to us by His grace. If justification came to us any other way than faith, then it would not be by grace. We have already seen in Romans 3:19-20, that justification is impossible by the works of the Law. Therefore, God had to establish justification on the basis of His grace. If we are ever to be made right with God, it must be because of His undeserved lavish kindness and blessing! And, that’s exactly what Paul has told us in Romans 3:24, “being justified as a gift by His grace.”
2. So That It Would Be Guaranteed
So that the promise will guaranteed. Now, listen in very carefully, because this is absolutely crucial. God decided to justify people by faith, because only then would the promise be guaranteed. God decided that justification would be by faith. Why? Because it accords with grace. But why is that so important to God? Because God’s grace is what gives the guarantee. The KJV says “so that the promise will be sure.” The NLT uses the word certain. My friends, this point is very practical to your life. Think and meditate on this verse this morning. What is it, at the very bottom, that guarantees that you will be an heir to the promise that you will inherit the world? God’s grace! Your faith is crucial, but the reason it is crucial is because it is the condition of the heart that accords with God’s grace. And God’s grace is the deepest foundation of our guarantee.
My friends, the only way that your eternal future can be guaranteed is if it rests on God’s grace. Do you want to know that eternal glory, inheriting the world is guaranteed to you? The only way you can know that is by knowing that you are under grace. What do I mean by that? Well, lets look at a few other passages in the book of Romans that help us understand what grace is.
Romans 5:20-21, “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Now, consider the words Paul uses here. He speaks of sin reigning in death, and grace reigning to eternal life. What kind of a person reigns? A King of course! Paul is saying that both sin and grace are like kings. They both reign. If sin is reigning over you, you will inherit death. If grace is reigning over you through righteousness, you will inherit eternal life. Sin, like a King, has the authority and power to kill all those under its reign. Grace, like a King, has the authority and power to bring to eternal life all those under its reign.
Now, take a look at Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” The reason sin shall not be master over the Christian, is because he is under grace. What does Paul mean by being under grace? Well, remember how he put it in Romans 3:9? “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.” Then Paul goes on to show how all people are under sin. They are the slaves of sin. Sin has power over them. Here is the truth. All people are under sin, and can’t do anything of themselves to break free from its power. The only way a person can be free from sin’s power to damn and destroy them is for God to put them under grace’s power. That’s right. Grace is a power. It is the power of a king to rule and reign. And grace takes a slave of sin and justifies him, sanctifies him, and then glorifies him. Grace makes him an heir of the world, and grants him everlasting glory. Grace is God’s power to bring a sinner every step of the way from utter bondage to utter glory. Folks, the power of grace is stronger than the power of sin! The promise is guaranteed by grace, because grace can’t fail!
My friend, you can know that eternal life is guaranteed to you this morning? How? You must know that you are under the power of grace. Has grace justified you? Is it sanctifying you? Is it empowering you to serve the Lord? Then you have every reason to believe that it will lead you all the way to a glorious eternal future. You can say like Paul does in Philippians 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Now, if at some time in the future you leave Christ and go back to living under the power of sin, that will only mean that you were deluded into thinking that you were under grace. Grace is not temporary. When God’s grace reigns over a person, it reigns over them all the way to eternal life.
Notice the end of verse 17, “God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” In order for Abraham to have a guarantee that he would inherit God’s promise, God had to bring life from death and bring something into existence that did not exist before. And, the power that does that is God’s grace – His sovereign, free, omnipotent grace! What does grace do? It gives life to that which was dead, and it brings non-existence into existence. Man can’t do this. Man can’t raise the dead or create something out of nothing. Sarah’s womb was dead, and Abraham’s descendant did not exist, but God’s grace made it happen. Without the birth of Isaac, the promise to Abraham would have failed. But Isaac does not exist, and humanly can’t exist. His Father is ninety-nine years old. His mother is ninety and has been barren her whole life. Human works and resources have been tried: a concubine named Hagar and a son named Ishmael. But God says, No. The promise will be fulfilled and guaranteed not by my cooperation with your human resources, but by my sovereign grace to do the humanly impossible.
And God’s grace is causing the dead to rise, and calling into being things that did not exist today. What do I mean? I mean that I was dead in my transgressions, until God’s grace made me alive together with Christ. I mean that I once had no saving faith in Christ, until God called it into being. You say, “Brian, do you have any Scripture that would support those ideas?” I’m glad you asked! Look at Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). Did you notice that right after Paul says that even when we were dead in our transgressions, God made us alive together with Christ, he says “by grace you have been saved.” Meaning your spiritual resurrection came about by the power of God’s grace! Later he writes in verse 8, “For by grace you have been saved through; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” We were saved through faith, but at one point we had no faith. How did we get it? It is the gift of God. So, brothers and sisters, ask yourself, “has God called faith into being in my life, which once did not exist?” “Has God raised me from spiritual death to newness of life?” If so, I can know that the promise is guaranteed to me! Praise God!
3. So That It Would Be Global
To all the descendants… a father of many nations have I made you. Here we are told to whom the promise of the world is guaranteed to. All the descendants. Now, Paul is not talking about physical descendants. He’s talking about spiritual descendants. How do I know?
Because he has already told us that in verses 11 and 12, “so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.” Abraham’s descendants are all those who follow his example of faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles, circumcised or uncircumcised.
Why did God decide that justification would be by faith? Because He had predetermined before time began, that salvation was going to go global. We talk about facebook posts going viral. Well, God wanted His salvation to go global. In the Old Testament it was by and large restricted to the Jewish people. However, after Christ died and rose again, His disciples went out into all the world preaching the gospel to all creation, and God brought into His kingdom men and women and children from everywhere around the known world, Jews and Gentiles. Now, if justification were by the Law, it would not be possible for it to be global. Only those people who possessed the Law could receive the promise, and all the rest would be doomed. But since salvation is by grace through faith, anyone in any part of the world who believes is justified and is guaranteed eternal glory!
Aren’t you glad that God’s salvation is global? If it weren’t, we would all be headed for Hell this morning. But instead, we will inherit the world and be joint heirs with Christ!
4. So That It Would Give God All The Glory
But grew strong in faith, giving glory to God. Verses 19-21 say, “Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.”
Faith gives glory to God. And great faith gives more glory to God. Why is this? It’s because when we trust God, we are glorifying His trustworthiness. We are exalting His power. We are depending on His faithfulness. By trusting God, we are putting His perfections on display for others to see. Giving glory to God doesn’t mean adding glory to God, for that is impossible. It means calling attention to His glory. His glory is the greatness of his beauty and the shining of all his excellencies, and the radiance of his perfections. When we trust God we put His beautiful perfections on display. It looks away from itself to God as the source of blessing.
So, what is it about faith that calls attention to God’s glory? Look at verse 21, “being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” Faith is the assurance that God is able and willing to make good on His promises.
I’m going to borrow an illustration that John Piper used in one of his sermons. Let’s say that your child is three years old and can’t swim, and that he is standing on the side of the pool. You are in the pool, and you hold out your arms and say, “Suzy, jump. I’ll catch you. I promise.” Now, how does Suzy make her Daddy look good at that moment? Trust him and jump. Her jumping shows that her Daddy is strong, and able, and good. But, if she runs away from the side of the pool and refuses to jump, it shows that maybe her Daddy isn’t strong, or able or good. That looks like Suzy is really thinking, “He can’t catch me” or “He won’t catch me.”
And not only does faith glorify God, but the harder it seems for Him to fulfill His promise, the more glory you give to Him when you trust Him. Let’s say Suzy is at the deep end of the pool by the diving board, when a big mean dog crawls under the fence and growls and starts to come toward her. Suzy gets up on the diving board and starts walking to the end to get away from that mean dog. But the dog follows her and starts walking toward her on the diving board. Daddy sees what is happening and shouts, “Suzy, jump. I’ll catch you!” But Daddy is a long ways away from the diving board and Suzy is afraid. She has never jumped from 3 feet high before, and her Daddy is not underneath her and the water is very deep. How does little Suzy make her Daddy look good at that moment? She jumps! And almost as soon as she hits the water she feels Daddy’s arms underneath her bringing her back up to the surface and over to the side of the pool, while a bystander chases the dog out of the pool area. Faith glorifies God!
Friends, the reason why this is so important is because the reason God does everything He does is for His glory. If that is not your passion and desire, you are living at cross-purposes with God. The very best thing we can do, is to work together with God. Help others see how good and great and powerful and faithful God is, by trusting Him.
Conclusion
Why did God decide to justify us by faith? So that our salvation would be by grace, so that it would be guaranteed, so that it would be global, and that it would give Him all the glory.
So, this morning, let’s extol the grace of God which made us alive when we were dead in transgressions and called our faith into existence.
Let’s rejoice in the fact that Christ has guaranteed our eternal glory, because it comes to us under the reign of grace, and not of our works.
Let’s recommit ourselves to reaching all peoples with the gospel, because His salvation is global. Let’s give generously to missions, and let’s witness to all the different people groups that are around us.
Let’s trust God, with our family, our work, our finances, and our future so that we can bring Him much glory!
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