Justification by Faith

Justification by Faith When Jesus died at Calvary, He suffered the wrath of God that all of mankind deserves. Every sinner, Old Testament or New, Jew or Gentile, is justified by faith in Jesus as their sin bearer. In His death Jesus Christ satisfied God's righteous anger. He also offered justified sinners a righteousness which men could never merit or earn by their works in following the law.

Given the condemnation of all men, Jew and Gentile alike, and the fact that justification is based upon faith in Christ's work and not our own works, man has no reason to boast on his own accomplishments or his standings. In chapter 4, Paul uses Abraham as an example to show that even Abraham was justified by faith and not by his own works. If Abraham could not boast, then how could any man boast that he was a descendant of Abraham?[1]

Salvation is offered to all men, whether Jew or Gentile, and salvation is always based on faith.[2] There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile in justification, just as there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile in condemnation. All men shall believe and have faith in Christ or all men shall perish.

In Romans 4:9-17, Paul uses Abraham to prove that even in the Old Testament, God did not save only His chosen people[3]. Abraham lived before the Law had been given to Moses. He was also declared righteous on the basis of his faith and not for his works. Furthermore, Abraham was not even circumcised at the time he was reckoned as righteous in the sight of God. It could be said that he was saved as a Gentile. With that knowledge, it becomes known that the uncircumcised can be justified by faith, as well as the circumcised. Abraham was uncircumcised, and he was justified by faith.

Paul boasts in the Lord and in that which He has accomplished. In Romans 2 Paul turned to those Jews who prided themselves because of what they viewed as their privileged position and chided them for boasting because they have the name “Jew”[4] , and in the Law. After showing all men to be sinners, under divine condemnation, judged or justified without partiality, Paul challenges man's boasting by asking who could dare to boast[5]. Men have nothing to boast in, at least before God.

Some Jews boasted in their physical descent from Abraham. In the Gospels we find them boasting in their identity as “the sons of Abraham”.[6] In Romans chapter 4, Paul turns to Abraham. He begins by raising the question as to whether Abraham could boast in his works. If so, then justification by faith would be of no need or value but if it can be proven that even Abraham could not boast in his righteousness, then none of his descendants could boast in Abraham either. Abraham was not the only case to demonstrate that boasting of one's work was unacceptable. In Psalm 32, written by David, ...