Bourland Family Blog

as 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. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He 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. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:17-22

This is a quote from Genesis 17:5. Here is some crazy awesome insight coming -> When Paul talks about giving live to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist, he is talking about justification again. God can declare believing sinners to be righteous even though they are not…by imputing His righteousness to them. Likewise, God made or declared Jesus to be “sin” and punished Him, even though He was not a sinner. Those whom He justifies, He will conform to the image of His Son (This again is a great way of stating these truths by the great John MacArthur).

Hope against hope is simply a reckoning of the human perspective that it seemed impossible to Abraham but he believed anyway. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation and this promise was given when Abraham was of great age (100 years old) and not only that, his wife Sarah was well beyond child bearing age as just 10 years younger than Abraham…meaning that Abraham believed what God had said even though it seemed impossible!

APPLICATION

Oh how I want the faith of Abraham! I can sometimes become weak…entertaining a doubt that erodes my confidence. BUT, through God’s power of sanctification, He has grown my faith in not only His presence but also in the promise He has given me that He is always working things out for His good, glory, and honor…when I believe that, then I also must believe that what God is doing is also for my good because I live IN His Son. When the pressures of life fall on me or the worldly culture and cursed earth sit present in front of me, I can rest in the faith that the Lord is in control. It does not mean He removes my suffering…not at all…in fact, it has been in that suffering that He grown my faith the most when I have leaned into Him for my strength that rests nestled in His promises. It is a freeing thing when you let go of the present and realize the good that God has planned beyond your suffering maybe something you don’t see in your lifetime.

The Promise Realized Through Faith
For 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. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
That 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, Romans 4:13-16

As we’ve been reading, God’s promise to Abraham was not based on the law, but on the righteousness that comes through faith. What does this mean? It means that all who believe—by being united with Christ—become heirs of that promise.

I love how John MacArthur explains it:

“If only those who perfectly keep the law—an impossible standard—could receive the promise, then faith would be worthless and the promise meaningless. A promise that depends on an unattainable condition is no promise at all.”

Justification is through faith alone! BUT the power of justification is God’s great grace, not a person’s faith. The promise rests entirely on this Grace!

APPLICATION

I received justification by my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but the justification itself is a gift of grace from God bestowed through my belief. What is belief? It is not just knowing and agreeing that Jesus lived, died, and rose again…no, it is a belied AND trust in Jesus to be Lord of my life because it is now His. That belief is more of a continuous action demonstrated in how I live my life IN BELIEF IN JESUS. This is born out in fruit I produce out of my life…that fruit is an indicator and evidence of my Salvation. Saying some words as an insurance policy and then not living it out, is not a genuine belief in God.

9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. Romans 4:9-12

This is such an awesome point that Paul is making here in Romans 4 and can be applied to our own lives today. I can call myself a Christian and even have the title of elder or even Follower of Jesus…but that does not make me righteous.

Abraham was declared righteous by faith before he was circumcised. This means his right standing with God wasn’t based on a physical act or religious identity. Circumcision was a sign, a seal of the righteousness he already had by faith. Therefore, Abraham is the spiritual father of:

• The uncircumcised who believe (Gentiles),
• And the circumcised who not only bear the sign but who also follow Abraham’s example of faith – faith in the Lord Jesus now that the He as the Messiah, has come to bear sin.

Faith, not ritual, title, or heritage, is the basis for being made right with God. This opens the door for everyone—Jew and Gentile alike—to be part of God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

APPLICATION

I need to be careful of the Pharisaical propensities that I might have as a serving follower of Jesus. I must preach the gospel to myself every morning and live a life that is not my own. I have been purchased at the highest price. I still live in this earthly carcass that is bent on responding to the world’s pleasures and enticement of sin. I am reminded of Hebrews 12:1&2a. “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud witnesses, let us through off everything that hinders, the sin that so easily entangles…let us run with perseverance, the race that has been set before us, looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” This is one of my memorized passages of scripture and one that is so wonderful to pray through to remind myself Who matters.

5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” Romans 4:5-8

Just as a someone has their monetary debts covered by a gift of mercy, Jesus bore our sin, and the Father does not count them against us! How crazy is that?!?

When Jesus secured our freedom from sin, God forgave our lawless deeds. God’s plan for us is so perfect. When we accept the truth of Jesus and His blood poured out for us, our sin is covered. We still did them, the old man in us did live, and our new man remembers what we have been saved from. It is this heart condition that David is talking about above from Psalm 31:1&2. This passage continues with “I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity!” I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

David was a man after God’s own heart yet as we know, David was no saint. He committed some of the most heinous sins, yet in his grief and shame, he humbled himself before the LORD of Hosts and cast all his sin at the foot of God. His faith produced a bestowing of righteousness and the moniker of a “man after God’s own heart”. David’s story, from his earliest years, was a man who knew God was real, saw the hand of God so deliberately in his own life, yet also fell in so many yucky ways. In the end it was his brokenness and contrite heart before the Lord that captured God’s favor on him.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Psalm 51:17 (NLT)

APPLICATION

Psalm 51:17 is such a beautiful capture of the type of heart God is looking for. He is not looking for the righteous pious servant, no, God is looking for a broken and contrite heart that stands before a mighty and holy God. A heart that recognizes the depravity it contains relative to pure and just God. This must be my state in all that I do – whether that is at work or serving as an elder at church. He is everything, I am nothing…if anything good comes from His life in me, it is only Him Who deserves all the glory. In short, my life IS HIS. It is He Who lives in me.

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, Romans 4:1-3

Today is the day our nation moves into a place that will be different moving forward. The absolute heartbreak and loss of Charlie Kirk will be remembered for many years to come as a turning point in the culture and civic discourse. It feels as though the country is split between those of faith, truth, morals, justice, and responsibility, and those who seek to destroy any perspective that does not meet their own. The Bible tells us about how bad it will get before Christ returns and even (right here in Romans 1) talks about the depravity that the Lord will turn people over to, who choose to reject Him. I pray for the return of our Savior and also pray that the Lord would use me to further His Kingdom until then.

Turning to today’s reading, I start chapter 4 of this wonderful book of the Bible. There isn’t a lot new here in the first few verse, but Paul does start to harken back to Abraham as support for what it means to embrace the gift of the gospel rather than feel like works alone can earn you a place in heaven. In Abraham’s example, it wasn’t Abraham’s works that moved God to place His Righteousness on Abraham, no, it was Abraham’s faith in God that moved the Lord in this way.

I love how Paul talks about the fact that the work that we do here on earth, when it is *not* birthed from faith, produces earnings right here on earth that do not translate into heavenly outcomes. So the boasting that one can do relative to the works they do here on earth, only benefit them here on earth. It is only when we place our trust, gratitude, and acknowledgment of God’s gift being the only reason we have a place in eternity, that our works based in that acknowledgment produce Heavenly fruit.

APPLICATION

Being obedient to God’s Word and understanding what He has done for me, is better than any sacrifice I can make. It is kind of the same thing as works being birthed by faith…sacrifice becomes pleasing to God when it is birthed from reliance, belief, and obedience to what God has called us to do. Don’t get me wrong; doing the secular work we do on earth is how God made us…Adam tended the garden. However, Adam tended the garden while he maintained a fellowship with God. My work is a mission field and my placement at work in this foreign land puts me in the garden God has chosen for me. My goal each day is to glorify and honor Him in all that I do, so that all that work is clothed in a heavenly state of mind, looking for every opportunity to increase the members of home my home country…Heaven.

…since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. Romans 3:30&31

My primary takeaway in this passage is the concept that “works” matter…but not as a means to justification but as a fruit of faith and repentance. Genuine faith results in a transformation of the heart that produces the fruit of good works. James 2:14-26 goes into this in depth.

• (James 2:14)”So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
• (James 2:17)”You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.”
• (James 2:22)”For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”
• (James 2:26)”What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”

The outcome of our Salvation and expectations regarding the relationship between faith and works ,are clear.

One other interesting observation of this passage is this – “God is one-will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith”.

Although the terms ‘by’ and ‘through’ are interchangeable and complimentary, I think the intent is important. The Jews had grown up knowing who God is and they had been set apart (Circumcised) as God’s chosen people. So the evaluation is of their acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah (Life, death, and resurrection) and commitment to their God by Faith. For the Gentiles (Uncircumcised), their path is through a Faith in the God of Israel and the gift of redemption of sins through the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection.

APPLICATION

For where the Lord has brought me in my sanctification, I am committed to Jesus and obedience to Him in the terms of works…but I will admit that the condition of my heart and expectations in the striving to do good works is not always on the up and up. I can find myself in an incorrect mindset where I need to either check my intentions or anticipated outcomes. I am convicted that this is wrong…my focus alone should be to honor and glorify God in my works, loving on people, and selflessly serving the God Who gave ‘everything’ for me. My life is not my own, my life has been purchased, and my heart should always be inclined to the benefit of the Kingdom.

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Romans 3:27&28

The work of the gospel has been completed.  When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He did the work that only He could do.  No amount of good works will satisfy/counter the penalty we have earned in our sin.  So, there is nothing we can boast about in our Salvation.  It is faith alone, not by any good works we can do, that we are imputed with the righteousness of Christ Jesus.

The recognition of this truth is necessary for every believer.  There is that realization that we are desperate for what only the Lord Jesus has to offer us.  This acknowledgment every morning we get up, sets our hearts in the place needed to see that we have no right to anything other than serving the One who secured our rescue from the pit.

It is also this realization that spurs us on to not only love others but to see them understand these truths so that they too accept, have faith, and live for King Jesus the rest of their life.  This time here on the earth is so short…our life really doesn’t begin until the Lord returns or calls us home.

APPLICATION

Just as I said above – I am driven to see that as many people as I can influence, understand the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It almost always starts with relationship and then capitalize on all openings I am given to share both my faith and what the Lord has done for me.  I can tell you how many times I have been asked things at work like -> “Why are you always so calm?”, “How is it that you don’t get all spun up when things get stressful?”, or “Why are you not concerned with potentially being laid off?”.  These openings are a gift from Lord as an opening and opportunity to share the impact He has had on my life.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and  are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Romans 3:21-24

Wow! I have been chewing on this one passage for multiple days. Reading it, reading the passage before it, and reading it again.

The first underlined piece above comes right after Paul talking about those who are judged ‘under the law’…all of us. We are sunk in our sin that is defined by the law of Moses. There is no way to escape it! Until…the “BUT NOW”. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law. Meaning, following under the rule of the law was impossible. We sin and then the law just helps us see that we have sinned. There is no way for the law to save us because it is impossible for us to stay obedient to the law. “But NOW” there is a new way to receive the righteousness that only ‘following the law perfectly’ could produce before.

through the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for ALL who believe

For those who believe AND have faith in Jesus Christ, EVEN THOUGH they have ALL SINNED and fallen short of the glory of God, ARE JUSTIFIED by His GRACE as a GIFT, through the redemption that IS IN Christ Jesus.

This propitiation by His blood is ONLY received by FAITH. It’s all here —It’s amazing to me that it could not be any more clear but so many are still confused.

Tomorrow we are going to see how it is that God had passed righteousness onto people in the Old Testament through something called ‘Forbearance’.

APPLICATION

Oh, how grateful I am to the Creator God of all that we know and see, to provide us a way to receive His gift of righteousness we could never earn. My sin, even if it is small, is enough to separate me from God for all eternity…but no, in His love He manifested another way other than the impossible way of perfectly adhering to the Law…through faith in His Son, the Truth, the Life, and the Way. Thank you, God, Almighty for the gift of your Son!!

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 3:19-20

It may look like Paul is singling someone out here….but he is not. Those under the law is -> every unredeemed human being. The children of Israel have the law through Moses and the Gentiles have the works of the law written on their hearts (Romans 1:20). So, every single person is held accountable to God.

“Every mouth stopped” — there is simply nothing anyone can say in their defense when God’s guilty verdict is pronounced on the whole human race. Finally in verse 20, Paul tells us that no human being can appropriately follow the law God requires. Every single one of us are plagued with the inability to follow it perfectly.

The law makes sin known to each person, but that knowledge can’t save us from the sin that has been revealed to us. This is the condition every person must come to fundamental understanding of; applied to their own lives, in order to see the amazing gift of the gospel.

APPLICATION

Even after coming to this place in my own life, seeing my own separation from God in sin that carries with it a deserving of the wrath of God, and laying all of my worthlessness at the feet of Jesus…I still need to preach this to myself every day. My justified spirit lives in this fallible carcass. My dependence on the Lord, His Word, and His Holy Spirit are His tools that give me the strength and discernment to see my sin and confess it before God and repent. I hope to get as close as I can to being like God’s Son before He returns or takes me home. That means that I must continue to throw off the old self and embrace the transformed heart that desires God, not this world or anything in it.