Romans 4:13-25
Read Romans 4:13-25
Helpful Background Information:
The Book of Romans was written by the Apostle Paul, most likely in 56 A.D. The context to which Paul was writing should not be ignored. Rome was the capital and the most important city of the vast Roman Empire (and perhaps even the entire world). Over 1 million people called the city home, a feat unmatched in ancient times. The church at Rome started interestingly not in Rome itself, but in Jerusalem at Pentecost, where people of Rome were present (Acts 2:10), and thus likely converted and brought Christianity back to their city.
Our passage falls within Romans 3:21–5:1, where Paul proclaims that God provides a righteousness received by faith alone. To prove this, he cites Abraham (Rom. 4:1), showing that he was justified by faith prior to circumcision, making him the spiritual father of all believers. Paul also appeals to David in Psalm 32, confirming this same gospel truth. The covenant promise to Abraham, that through his seed all nations would be blessed (Gen. 12:3), ultimately points to Christ (Gal. 3:8, 16). Thus, Paul underscores that salvation has always been by faith, not by the law, which only exposes our sin.
For our purposes, we must focus on Romans 4:16 where Paul writes, “This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace…” This verse helps us to understand what saving faith really is. Faith itself is not our righteousness, but is the means or the instrument through which we receive the righteousness of God in Christ. Paul never says that God justifies us because of faith, but by or through faith. Our faith is not a good work we produce for ourselves so that God can save us. On the contrary, faith always looks outside of itself for righteousness in another - namely, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. Justifying faith may be weak and full of imperfections, but it rests in the perfect righteousness of Christ. Said another way, faith is an open mouth or an empty vessel that receives Christ.
Looking back at the sermon passage, this truth is present in Mark 9:24, where the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief”. The father did not need to have a certain amount of faith that he needed to muster up for Christ to do the healing. His small and imperfect faith was genuine because he trusted in the sufficiency of Christ to do the miracle. No matter how imperfect our faith is, we are saved because of the object of our faith - the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we are called to shake off the remains of unfaithfulness and pray to God to make our faith stronger. But remember, our salvation - our hope of one day being in glory - is dependent not on anything we can do, but entirely on what Christ has done for us.
Reflection Questions:
In what ways have you sometimes looked to your own faith or works for assurance, rather than to Christ Himself? How can you actively remind yourself that your security in Christ does not depend on the strength of your faith, but on His finished work? How does this comfort you?
Are there areas in your life where, like the father in Mark 9:24, you need to cry out, “I believe; help my unbelief”? What specific step can you take to “shake off the remains of unfaithfulness” and grow in your dependence on Jesus?