Romans 4:9-12
HOW RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OBTAINED
Intro: There is much confusion in the world surrounding
the matter of salvation and getting right with God. I find
this amazing since the Bible is crystal clear in this area.
However, there are groups that say baptism is a
requirement for salvation. Others tell us that we must
belong to their denomination or group if we hope to be
save. Still others claim that we must keep certain
sacraments, or holy ordinances, if we expect to get to
Heaven. If you listen to every voice out there, you
would be in a terrible fix and would never know where
you stood with God. All you would know is that no
matter what you did, it was never enough.
This seems to be the attitude Paul is attempting
combat in this chapter of Romans. He has just told the
Jews that getting right with God is simply a matter of
faith. He tells them that salvation does not rest in one's
obedience to the Law. Neither does it rely on one's
good works. He tells us that such blessings as
justification, righteousness, salvation, forgiveness, etc.,
are all given to us free and clear when we trust Christ
as our personal Savior. After telling the Jews that the
Law cannot save and that works won't work either, he
proceeds to tell them that circumcision also will not get
them to Heaven. Well, if the Law, our works and
circumcision won't help us to get right with God, then
what will? That is the question Paul answers in these
verses this evening. Let's look together at them as we
think together about How Righteousness Is Obtained.
I. V. 9 THE PLAN
FOR RECEIVING RIGHTEOUSNESS
A. The Confusion - Paul anticipated the objections
of his Jewish audience and begins to address the
issue of circumcision. Obviously, the Jewish
people attached far more significance to
circumcision than we do in our day and time. For
them, circumcision had come to be the mark of
salvation in a man's life! For us, it is merely a
medical procedure that is performed a few days
after a male child is born. We do it for hygiene.
The Jews, on the other hand, attached great
meaning to the rite of circumcision. For instance,
Rabbi Menachem wrote, "Our rabbis have said
that no circumcised man will ever see hell." A
certain Jewish book made the following claim,
"Abraham sits before the gate of Hell, and
does not allow that any circumcised Israelite
should enter there." In other words, they
attached their eternal security to the rite of
circumcision. Some Jews went so far as to teach
that even if a man committed idolatry, God would
have to supernaturally remove his circumcision in
order for that man to go to Hell. The whole point
here is that, for the Jews, circumcision was far
more that a rite, it was the point of entrance into
a living and true relationship with God. They
were sincere about it, but they were sincerely
wrong!
(Ill. Why did they attach such meaning to
circumcision? Perhaps it would help us this
evening to understand just what circumcision said
to the Jewish male. Circumcision told the Jewish
male three things. They are:
1. His body was permanently marked - Once
it was done, circumcision could not be
undone! This served as a permanent
reminder of his relationship with the Lord.
2. His body was privately marked - The Jewish
male might live anyway he pleased. He might
serve other gods and live life to the fullest by
indulging in gross sin and wickedness.
However, every time he undressed, he was
reminded that he belonged to the Lord God.
Other people might never see the sign, but the
circumcised man never got away from the fact
that he was a marked man.
3. His body was powerfully marked - If a Jew
were to commit adultery with a pagan woman,
he would be reminded of his relationship with
God. In the most intimate and personal
manner, the Jew would be reminded of his
standing with God several times per day.
(Ill. We see the same kind of mind set active in
our world today. It isn't about circumcision, but
people attach spiritual significance to rituals like
baptism, communion, good works, etc. The
bottom line is that people are confused about this
matter of salvation and how to obtain
righteousness.)
B. The Clarification - Now, Paul takes steps to set
the record straight. Paul tells us again, without
mincing any words that Abraham was saved by
faith alone! It was not works, it was not Law and
it was not the rite and ritual of circumcision. It
was pure faith. He believed God, and it was
counted to him for righteousness, Gen. 15:6.
(Ill. Nothing has changed in this arena. Salvation
is by faith for everyone who gets saved. It can
come about no other way, Eph. 2:8-9. Friends,
we need to be sure that we are trusting Jesus
Christ by faith and through faith alone! Anything
else is a recipe for disaster. Where is your faith
this evening?)
I. The Plan For Receiving Righteousness
II. V. 10 THE PATTERN FOR
RECEIVING RIGHTEOUSNESS
A. The Confusion - Now, there is another point of
confusion for the Jews. If righteousness was
reckoned to Abraham, did it come before or after
he was circumcised? This was matter that
needed to be addressed for the Jews. They were
pinning their hopes of heaven on a ritual of the
flesh. As a result, many Jews were going to die
and go to Hell.
(Ill. By the way, things haven't changed! People
are still looking to everything under that sun for
salvation! This world is confused about this
matter and needs to hear the truth from a
redeemed people, and they need to see the truth
lived out in the world by those who claim to know
Jesus. Paul had an answer for his generation, I
wonder whether we do or not!)
B. The Clarification - To answer this question, we
need to look no farther than the book of Genesis.
When we do, it becomes very clear that Abraham
was saved at the age of 85, Gen. 15:6. However,
he wasn't circumcised until he was 99 years of
age in Gen. 17:1-14. Even though the Jews
believed that circumcision was required for
salvation, the very man they revered so highly
was saved long before he was circumcised.
(Ill. This is a truth that needs to be drilled into the
heads of every child of God! Salvation never has
been about what we do, it has always been about
who's we are! If we belong to the Lord, then we
are saved, forgiven, adopted into the family of
God and declared righteous. If we have not
trusted the Lord by faith, then we are lost, no
matter what we do!)
(Ill. The whole point of this section is to tell men
that salvation cannot be found in the rabbi's knife,
the baptismal pool, the communion, church
membership, etc. Salvation can and will continue
to be found only in the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Men are still saved by trusting His shed
blood and His resurrection from the dead.
Nothing else will save, Acts 16:31. This point is
proven by taking a moment to look at two men in
the Bible.
1. The Thief On The Cross - Luke 23:39-43 -
This man trusted Jesus Christ for his salvation
and he was saved. Yet, he never went to
church, never sang in a choir. He never
witnessed, he never gave and he was never
baptized. This man did nothing but trust
Jesus for salvation and he was saved! All the
things he never got to do are things we should
all do, but not one of those things can save a
man's soul!
2. Judas Iscariot - John 6:66-71 - This man
lived and walked with Jesus for over 3 years.
He was active in our Lord's ministry, Matt. 5:5-10. Yet, Jesus Himself looked at Judas and
said that he was a lost sinner!
Friends, it isn't about the things you do, it is all
about Who you know. You need to know Jesus
Christ. He alone is the door to salvation!
I. The Plan For Receiving Righteousness
II. The Pattern For Receiving Righteousness
III. V. 11-12 THE PROOF OF
RECEIVING RIGHTEOUSNESS
(Ill. Now, Paul moves from defending his position on
salvation through faith to telling the Jews how one
demonstrates that he is a possessor of righteousness.
There are two points that Paul makes here that must be
noted.
1. Circumcision is a Sign - The ritual in the flesh was
to serve as a reminder to the Jews that they were in
a vital relationship with God and that they were to
demonstrate the truth of that relationship by walking
with him in faith, day by day! (Ill. If I am going to
Atlanta and I see a sign that says "Atlanta 100
miles", I know that the sign is not Atlanta, yet the
sign has value because it points the way to Atlanta.
The same is true of circumcision. It was not the
relationship, but it reminded the Jew that he
belonged to God!)
2. Circumcision is a Seal - A seal is something that is
usually placed on a document and tells everyone
who looks at it that it is the real deal. Basically,
circumcision was meant to serve as a reminder to
the Jew that he was supposed to walk in humble
submission with the Lord. It was to be an outward
symbol of an inward relationship. (Ill. It is much the
same as baptism.)
(Ill. Circumcision only had value as long as it was
accompanied by a heart walking in surrender and
obedience to the Lord! So it is with all the religious
stuff we do in this life. It only has value for us when
our hearts are already right with God through
salvation which comes by faith!)
(Ill. I think these truths are clearly illustrated by the
wedding ring I wear. This ring is a symbol of my
commitment to my wife. When people see it, they
know that I am married. They can see, without even
knowing a thing about me, that I am not a free man.
It is a public sign that I belong to another. Now, if I
slide this ring off, do I become single? No! I am just
as married whether I have the ring on my finger or
not. Then why wear it? I wear it because it is a
public symbol of my commitment to my wife. I wear
it because I am proud of her and want the world to
know that we are one!
Now, just for a moment, suppose some single
guy puts on my wedding band. Does that mean that
he is married to my wife? No! He would just be
wearing the symbol of a commitment that he had
never made.
If you can see what I am saying, then you can
see the comparison between this illustration and
someone who has never been saved, but has been
baptized and is an active church member. It just
doesn't work unless it is done the Lord's way!)
A. V. 11 It Is Proven By What We Believe - With all
that in mind, does the uncircumcised Gentile, have
a right to call Abraham "father"? Yes, but only if
he has the same kind of faith that Abraham had!
It all boils down to what you are trusting in for your
salvation! When the Lord Jesus stood before
Pilate, Pilate asked the assembled crowds this
question, "What shall I do then with Jesus
which is called Christ?", Matt. 27:22. The crowd
responded that day by telling Pilate to crucify
Jesus. What is your response to that question?
What have you done with Jesus?
B. V. 12 It Is Proven By How We Behave - What
about the Jew? Does he have the right to claim
Abraham as his spiritual father? Again, the
answer is "Yes", but only if he can demonstrate the
same kind of faith that Abraham lived out day by
day! The whole point here is that if you are really
walking in faith, then your life will show it! You will
prove that you are saved, not by what you say, but
rather by what you do, James 2:18.
(Ill. You see, it must have been a shock for the
Jews to hear that Abraham was made right with
God by faith before he was ever circumcised!
After all, he was just a dirty Gentile until he
received the rite of circumcision. What these Jews
failed to realize is that before Abraham was
circumcised in his flesh, God has already
circumcised his heart. And, that is the
circumcision that really matters, Ill. Rom. 2:28-29!)
Conc: Friends, I sure am glad I am a Baptist this
evening! I praise the Lord for the distinctives that set us
apart from the rest of the religious world. But, I am
even more glad that Jesus got me before the Baptists
did! You se, tonight, I know that I am saved, but not
because of the things I have done, am doing or will do
for the Lord. I am saved this evening because of Who
I am trusting for my salvation! What about you? Are
you looking for some kind of a religious thing to save
you? If so, it won't work! For us to get to heaven, we
need to hear the same massage the Jews heard. It's all
about faith! We can't earn our way to Heaven, but we
can believe our way there! Are you doing that tonight?
