No. 19. >> I have a question along the same lines Nick was pursuing with his question. You mentioned earlier that in Romans 4 Paul brings forward arguments to prove his proposition. Please help me out here. How does Paul make his case that we are declared righteous on the basis of faith? >>PROFESSOR DAVID I. M. LEWIS: Thank you for that question, David. And this now allows me a chance to speak again about that six-part rhetorical outline that I mentioned earlier in this class. Again, I would argue that the introduction to Paul's epistle would be Romans 1:8 through Romans 1 Verse 17 where Paul establishes his reasons for writing the epistle to the Romans. He hopes to visit Rome. And his theme, which is the power of the Gospel as the means by which God saves and declares righteous. You might say the just man will live by faith. Then the ***narratio section would be Romans 1:18 through 3:20 where Paul narrates the history of human sin and makes the case that everybody is guilty before God. Then the proposition is Romans 3:21 through 31 that we've just read in a little closer detail where Paul establishes his basic propositional truths. And the main proposition is that a righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law. And this is a righteousness of God that is received through faith in Jesus Christ. And he also makes the point that it's -- this was testified to by the law and the prophets. By the Old Testament. And so now we expect Paul to prove that main proposition. And now the confirmation section of Romans would actually extend from Romans Chapter 4 through Chapter 11. However, as we look at these chapters, I would make the case that Paul really proves his point in Chapter 4. And then in Chapters 5 through 11 he'll refer back to that point but he kind of discusses the implications of what it means to be justified by faith. And so really Chapter 4 is the chapter you want to read, David, to see how Paul proves his proposition back in Chapter 3. And Paul makes four points. What he does here is he actually refers back to the torah, back to the Old Testament to make his case. And he goes specifically to Abraham, who was the forefather of the Jewish nation. And therefore you might say the way God works with Abraham would be the way that God should be working with Israel in general. And if Abraham is supposed to be the father of many nations and Paul will make the case now that those who believe in Jesus have Abraham as their father. The way God works with Abraham should be the way God works with anyone who he tries to save. And so the way God works with Abraham is the way God should be working in the right church now. Well, how does Paul prove his proposition by referring back to Abraham? Well, his first argument is that Abraham was declared righteous by God apart from works. And of course there's the proposition. A righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law. And so Paul refers back to Genesis 15 Verse 6. And this verse says: And he, Abraham, believed the Lord. And it was reckoned or credited to him as righteousness. Now, this verse is very pivotal in Paul's understanding of the Old Testament here in Romans and also in the book of Galatians. This is a text he cites for the way God worked with Abraham. God made a promise to Abraham. Abraham believed that promise. And on the basis of Abraham's faith and God's promise, God credited Abraham with righteousness. And Paul points out that if you're credited with righteousness, you haven't heard it, it's given as a gift. So this is evidence that Abraham was justified. He was considered righteous, declared righteous, imputed as righteous apart from what he did. And so this is the first argument that Paul makes that indeed Abraham was considered righteous apart from the law, apart from works. Now, interesting also in making this first argument, Paul not only refers to Abraham, but he also refers to David and quotes Psalm 31 where David talks about the forgiveness of sin which comes to the believer as a gift of God. So Paul is actually very clever here. He has taken two of the most prominent people of the Old Testament, both Abraham and David, and shows that both of them understood that forgiveness and righteousness came on the basis of faith and not works. And if we consider the Old Testament narrative that underlies those two men, we know that Abraham sinned against God. And we know that David sinned against God. And yet both were forgiven, both were considered righteous on the basis of faith. This proves that the way God worked in the Old Testament is indeed the way he still works today. That it's through faith, not works, that we get the blessings of salvation, forgiveness and righteousness. Now, a second point that Paul makes in Chapter 4 is that Abraham was considered righteous apart from circumcision. And this is the second argument in Romans 4 that Paul makes the case that when Abraham was credited as righteous back in Genesis 15 Verse 6, this took place before Abraham was circumcised. For the rite of circumcision wasn't instituted until Genesis 17. So in a sense when Abraham was considered righteous, it was when Abraham himself was an uncircumcised man. And so Paul sees this as evidence that even in the Old Testament, God justified, he considered righteous, the uncircumcised. Because it happened to Abraham when he was uncircumcised. Circumcision came later as kind of a sign of the covenant. But Paul uses this as an a argument that yes, indeed, both the circumcised and the uncircumcised can be saved, can be considered righteous on the basis of faith, because that's how God did it with Abraham back in Genesis 15. Now, the third argument that Paul makes is that Abraham was justified apart from the law. Because the law was not given when Abraham was given the promise. Abraham was promised that he would be the father of many nations. And Paul argues here that therefore Abraham's children should inherit the entire world. And that promise was received by Abraham in faith before the law was given. Now, this argument is actually drawn out even further in Galatians Chapter 3 where Paul points out there was actually a 430 year gap between Abraham being considered righteous and receiving the promise and until the law of Moses was given. 430 years. And he says this 430 years certainly can't nullify the promise that was given to Abraham. So we see kind of three things, Abraham was considered righteous apart from works, apart from circumcision, apart from the law. And that is the way God worked then. Therefore, it makes sense that this is the way God is working right now. And then finally one further point. Paul makes clear that Abraham, it was by faith that Abraham lived. And by faith that Abraham finally received the promise of his son, Isaac. And here again Paul I think is referencing the entire Genesis narrative about Abraham. Genesis 12 through 35. And when we read that narrative we can find evidence that Abraham was a sinful human being. That he didn't always faithfully trust the promise. We know for instance Abraham let Hagar conspire to try to bring about a son through her slave woman Hagar (sic) and that led to a very messed up situation. That wasn't the way God was going to do it. Abraham should have trusted that God would give him his son through Sara. But he and Sara faltered. Later they would both laugh when God promised they would have a son. Nevertheless when you consider Abraham's whole life: That he left his homeland and went to a strange land because God told him to do it. That he did wait 25 years for the promise of his son Isaac. And then when Isaac was born in Genesis 22 that Abraham went so far as to be willing to sacrifice his son that God promised to him upon the altar in Moriah. We see that Abraham really was an example and a man of faith. And Paul draws out the fact that Abraham lived by faith and the promise of God. And it took a long time for that promise to be realized. And then when it was realized, God actually asked Abraham to sacrifice that promise. And so Abraham shows that the way God works with people is that he makes a promise. And people are to receive that promise in faith and trust in that promise. And that's the way God did things with Abraham in the Old Testament. And so therefore, Paul makes the connection between Abraham's faith and then our faith. The way it worked with Abraham is the way it works with people today, Jew and Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, he works on the principle of faith. And so in the conclusion of Chapter 4 now that Paul has made his case that his proposition is true as illustrated in the life of Abraham, Paul concludes with these words: That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness. But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone. But ours, also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Here is the application of the proofs that Paul has made from Abraham's life. Is that as it was with Abraham, so it is with us today. That it will be counted to us as righteousness when we believe God who raised Jesus from the dead. And when we believe that Jesus was delivered over for our sins and trespasses and raised for our justification. Again, why is faith the means? Well, because it's not us who are acting. It is God who is acting. This calls us back to what Paul said in Romans Chapter 3. We're all answerable to God. We're all guilty. It doesn't take faith to know that. However, it does take faith to understand and to receive the wonderful declaration that inspite of our sins, God has done something else. That he has delivered Jesus over for our sins and he has raised Jesus from the dead so that on account of what God has done in Jesus, we can in faith receive the declaration righteous. Because you believe in my Son Jesus Christ. That's what God says. And now Paul has made the case that this is not anything new. As God did it with Abraham in Genesis, Abraham lived by faith apart from works, apart from circumcision, apart from the law, Abraham was considered righteous on the basis of his faith. And his whole life was lived in faith in God's promise. So it is today that apart from the law, apart from circumcision, apart from our works, trusting in what Jesus has done, we live by faith today. And so indeed, we do receive a righteousness that is apart from the law. A righteousness that is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.