Romans 4:1-3 (KJV) What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

A Quick Review To This Point

As God talks to us about genuine salvation, we have learned in Romans so far that:

Chapter 1: God is LOVE, but God is also WRATH. God offers us His love through the “Gospel of Jesus Christ”. But if we reject His love, and instead focus on satisfying ourselves through the flesh or “vile passions”, God will let us burn ourselves out. If God calls us, but we reject His Gospel, He will leave us to our own destructive ways.

Chapter 2: We are all sinners. God gave us an external diagnostic tool called “The Law” to show us how broken we are. The Mosaic Law declares that we need to repent, and come surrendered to God in faith. We need God to write HIS LAW in our hearts so that we might want to serve Him and not our flesh. In the end, God will judge the fruit of our lives. If that fruit was God honoring, we will be rewarded. If that fruit is flesh honoring, we will be damned (Revelation 20:11-14).

Chapter 3: God determined to send His Messiah and His Gospel to this world through a chosen nation called “Israel”. Though God used and will use Israel (for Israel shall be saved, Romans 11:26), a Jew is not automatically saved because they are ethnically from Israel. The Bible establishes that “there is NONE righteous, NO NOT ONE. ALL are UNDER SIN” (Romans 3:10-18). God has a purpose for Israel, and this purpose will not be fulfilled until the Messiah sits on the Throne of David in Jerusalem during the Millennial Reign. The Jew, just like the Gentile, is saved by “the Law of Faith” (Romans 3:27-28). Once a person is saved by faith in Christ, God writes His Law in that person’s heart. As we are told in the last verse of this Chapter:

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void {katargeō, render useless or abolish} the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish {histēmi, abide or uphold} the law.

When a person comes to God by faith, heeding His call, He causes that person to be “born again of the Spirit” (John 3:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:23). As God prophesied of the New Covenant in the Old Testament, “I will make a NEW COVENANT … writing My Law on their heart” (Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 8:8). Salvation is a supernatural event that is enjoyed when we surrender by faith to God.

So now we come to Chapter 4. And as we enter Chapter 4, God wants to give us an example of what He’s discussed in the first three Chapters.

The Example Of Saving Faith Is Abraham

Romans 4:1 (KJV) What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

There are a lot of great characters in the Bible: Enoch who walked with God until God took him to Heaven (Genesis 5:22-24), or Noah who built the Ark and saved humanity when he was 500 years old (Genesis 5:32; 6:8-9). There are many others who were great believers. But God chooses to explain salvation by introducing us to Abraham. Why Abraham? Because Abraham is distinct in that he shares a title with Adam:

Adam is our FLESHLY father, the head of the human race. But Abraham is our SPIRITUAL father, the prototype of faith.

In verse 1 he is called “Abraham OUR FATHER”. How did Abraham get this distinction? Abraham was a broken man from a broken background. Broken people are in a perfect place to need Jesus!

Abraham’s daddy was named Terah, the son of Nahor (Genesis 11:24). The name Terah means “to breathe”, and that pretty much summed up Terah’s life. He just lived, and he died. Terah had no more influence on the world than a hand dipped in the Atlantic would change to ocean. Terah and his wife are like so many people today. They’re born, they grow up, they meet, they mate, they have children, they work, and they die. Terah and his wife have three children: Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Abram was his firstborn, and Terah hoped that Abram would bring blessing to his life. The name Abram means “High Father”. Terah had high hopes for Abram, but Abram married a barren woman named Sarai (meaning Princess).

The “High Father” was laughable. He had no children, and wasn’t likely to have any children. Terah did not know God. The Lord tells us in:

Joshua 24:2 … Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.

Terah is like so many today. Their lives are empty. Rather than turn to the God of the Universe, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, they “serve other gods”. People today serve the flesh, rejecting the Spirit of God. They try to fix themselves with doctors, designers, and devilish idols. Terah and his family lived in Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 11:28) until his youngest son Haran died, then Terah moved to Canaan. Terah had experienced so much heart ache and disappointment that perhaps a move would do him good.

Yet Terah’s heart was focused on the flesh, on false gods.

Illustrate: You’ve all seen elevators. I used one just the other day at the hospital when I went to visit a Church member. We get on the elevator, punch a button, and then get off on the floor we want. I was on the elevator one day with another lady, and we were both heading toward the fifth floor. As is often the case, the elevator stopped on another floor, and the doors opened. No one was there. Perhaps they pushed the button, and got tired of waiting. Anyway, this lady that was with me stepped off the elevator and I called out “Ma’am, this is the fourth floor – you said you wanted the fifth.” Red faced, she got back on the elevator. We’ve all done that.

Terah had a broken life, and sought to fix his life through his children. When his children didn’t bless him, he changed his location. He was pushing different buttons on the elevator of life – using everything humanly possible to make things better. But you’re not going to find blessing and peace until you get off on the right floor.

You need Jesus.

Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

What did Abraham discover about human ability and human blessing? What did he discover “as pertaining to the flesh”? God the Son – Jesus Christ our Lord – came to Abraham in Genesis 12. How do I know that this was Jesus Who spoke to Abraham? Because Jesus told the Pharisees in:

John 8:56 (NKJV) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.

Jesus came to Abraham as “The Great I AM” (John 8:58). He spoke to Abraham, just as He speaks to hearts today. Jesus told Abraham:

Genesis 12:1 (NKJV) Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.

Abraham is the Father of faith – and here is the saving pattern of faith. Jesus told Abraham “Leave the false gods. Leave every tie that holds you down. Leave every empowerment of the flesh, and go WHERE I SHOW YOU TO GO”. There is a technical term for this. It is called:

“REPENT and BELIEVE”

That was the Gospel Jesus came proclaiming. Jesus said,

Mark 1:15 (KJV) The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Abraham, life has dealt you nothing but misery. Do you want blessing? Acknowledge what Terah would not acknowledge. You can’t fix yourself. Leave the false gods and goddesses. Leave the false spirituality. Leave the self help nonsense that does no good. Follow Jesus. Go where He says, and do what He says. Why? Because that’s where the blessing is. Jesus told Abraham:

Genesis 12:2 (NKJV) I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.

When you surrender the direction of your life to God, He blesses you in your brokenness. Jesus told Abraham “I will make you a great nation”. You had no children before, but if you follow Me, I will create a NATION out of you. Further Jesus said, “I will bless you And make your name great”. Born “Abram” or “High Father”, Abram was unknown, as useless as Terah was. But following Jesus Abram will become Abraham, the Father of All believing. But Jesus didn’t stop here. He told Abraham:

Genesis 12:3 (NKJV) I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

God told Abraham “I will protect you if you follow Me. And through you, ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED”. What did Abraham do?

He followed Jesus!

Abraham believed the call of God, responded to that call, and was saved. Abraham had highs and lows in his life, but whether up or down he kept looking UP. He kept his eyes on the Lord Who loved Him and Who gave Himself for Him. The Bible calls Abraham the father of faith and the father of us all:

Romans 4:16-20 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God

God chose Abraham to be the father of faith, for Abraham was both sexually dead as well as spiritually dead. God said “believe Me, and I will give you life”. Abraham believed the promise of God and, stepping forth in faith, the righteousness of God was credited to his life. God will not save any person on the basis of their works.

We must, like Abraham, cast ourselves fully upon God’s Grace, believing that He will keep His promise and save us. The Lord must empty us of self and pride before He can do any great work in us.

The first emptying of pride comes at the point of salvation. Are you willing to admit that you are a sinner, lost and undone, as the Scripture has said (Romans 3:23)? Are you willing to rest on God’s promise that He has provided the perfect and only Way of Salvation in the Person of Jesus Christ (John 14:6)? Are you willing – like the Publican in Jesus’ parable (Luke 18:13) to admit your defeat in righteous, to cry out to God in the Name of Jesus “God be merciful to me a sinner”? Are you willing to put down all your gods and goddesses and turn to the Only True God, trust in Him and Him alone for salvation? If so, dear one, you have the key to Heaven, the Gospel. You are prepared to see Him face to face one day in that sweet and beautiful place called Heaven.

Terah Is The Flesh, Abraham Is The Christ

The way of Terah leads only to disappointment and judgment. The way of Abraham is the Way of Faith. May God draw you to Him with His Word and His Spirit. Saving Faith Believes In The Person of God, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The difference between Terah and Abraham was that one “believed in a god” whereas the latter “believed in Jesus Christ”. Many people believe in God. If you ask most of the people in any given city today you will find that most believe in God. Yet the Scripture says:

James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

To say “I believe in God” is fine. Thou doest well. But the devils, the fallen angels who rebelled against God, they believe and tremble for they know the person of God. God is immense – awesome – everywhere – and able to do that which He has promised.

Belief surrenders to God. To work for salvation is not surrender, but faith in self.

Romans 4:2-3 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

What “work” did Abraham do to be saved? He believed in Jesus. Under the Old Covenant God gave the Law on “Tables of Stone”:

Exodus 32:16 … the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

The Law that God gave us could not save us, but it established a standard of living. It diagnosed us as sinners, but could not fix us. Abraham was saved prior to the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. There were no tablets of stone. There was no Moses. Abraham was prior to that giving of the Law. And yet “Abraham believed God, and God counted it for righteousness”. Abraham believed on Jesus. Someone asked Jesus one day:

John 6:28 (NKJV) … What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?

How can WE work our way to Heaven? How can WE please God with our lives? Jesus responded:

John 6:29 (NKJV) … This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.

What “work” did Abraham do to be saved? It was not the work of the Law, for the Law was not given. It was not circumcision, for Abraham was counted righteous before he was told to submit to circumcision. It was belief in Jesus Christ, the One Whom God hath sent. When Jesus said “Believe in Me”, the Pharisees refused to do so, wanting to see Jesus do another miracle to prove Himself the Messiah. But Jesus reminded the Pharisees:

John 6:32-33 (NKJV) … Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

Jesus Christ is God’s Manna, God’s Bread of Life. It is He we must believe in, He we must follow – or we have no life!

Abraham did not earn righteousness by doing anything. He HEARD the call of Christ, then FOLLOWED Him where He said. We are told:

Romans 4:4-5 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

If I get a job working for, say, “Smith Construction”, once every week or so I expect a check for my labor. If I work for a company, that company owes me what they said they would pay me upon hiring me. We are in a contract. If I don’t do my job, Smith’s is justified in firing me. Abraham was given not a job but GRACE. Abraham came to God broken. He was sexually broken, and spiritually broken. Jesus told him, “Follow Me”, and Abraham followed Him. Did Abraham do so perfectly? No. He made numerous errors in judgment. But Abraham heard the Word of the Gospel:

Matthew 16:24 (NKJV) If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

If you want the blessing of God, DENY YOURSELF. Put away the flesh. DENY YOURSELF, let no earthly treasure come between you and following Jesus (Matthew 19:21). DENY YOURSELF and become like a “little child” (Luke 18:17).

Once you have denied yourself, “TAKE UP HIS CROSS”. Make HIS Cross YOUR Cross. Believe that Jesus did the work of salvation for you on the Cross of Calvary. Let the Cross be YOUR CROSS. Jesus died for Me. And third “FOLLOW ME”. Jesus is not dead and gone, but resurrected. He is the GREAT I AM Who appeared to and called Abraham, and the GREAT I AM Who rose from the grave and sits on the right hand of the Father.

Before Or After The Law, Salvation Has Always Been By Faith In Jesus

Romans 4:6-8 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

The greatest blessing in life is not money, fame, power, health, status, or anything that is tied to the flesh. The greatest blessing is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ offers. God covers our sins, and receives us into His Family when we – broken as Abraham – heed the call of Christ.

Are you broken? We all are. Will you repent, turn from chasing the flesh, and turn fully to Jesus? Will you believe in Him as Abraham believed in Him. Will you turn your back on whatever gods and goddesses you are following, and decided to follow Christ?

There is no other way to blessing. There is no other way to salvation. May God draw you to His side through Jesus Christ this very day. Amen