GRACE UNVEILED, #13, See Jesus in His Grace | Jim Hammond
Recap
Pastor Jim gave his 13th installment of his series “Grace Unveiled.” Still in Romans chapter 4, Pastor Jim says if you don’t understand the message of this chapter, you will not be able to understand the rest of Romans. Chapter four makes the case that you are made righteous by His grace, not by your good works or by your good deeds. It is through faith in His grace. One must understand that His righteousness is a gift. It can’t be earned. Pastor Jim went through the chapter and carefully laid out the understanding of each verse.
Dive Deeper
Romans chapter 4 is a key chapter. Romans 4:5, “But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly.” If you fully believe, your faith is credited to you as if you were righteous. Righteous means you stand acceptable to God. New Testament righteousness is a gift. It’s not something that you earn.
The definition of New Testament righteousness is “the ability to stand before God without a sense of guilt or inferiority and have mastery over the devil.”
You are not made righteous by your good works… not by your bad works… not by your good deeds… not by your bad deeds.
The phrase, “one who is not working,” is saying your faith is not into the things you’re doing. Notice it says, “by the law, your faith.” He’s saying your faith is not in the things that you do. That is not the basis of your faith.
It goes on to say “you believe fully that God justifies not the godly, the ungodly.” Justified means “not guilty,” that God tells the guilty, they’re not guilty. If you believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this is for you.
Pastor Jim said most of the church doesn’t believe this, doesn’t understand this, doesn’t know this. Why? Because they’re not taught this.
If you believe God justifies the ungodly, your faith is credited to you as righteousness. Your faith is credited as if it’s put into an account.
Your belief is in the fact that God declares the godly as justified… that’s what you have to believe.
The Apostle Paul takes it even further. Look at Romans 4:6: “Thus David congratulates the man and pronounces a blessing on him to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does: Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried.”
Rom. 4:8, “Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him.” He’s not taking account. He’s not reckoning it against you. This is what this verse says. It’s like a little path: You’re blessed if you have faith in these things, if you know these things, you have to know these things.
The ability to stand before Him without any guilt He gives you credit. He credits you as not guilty apart from the things that you do.
This verse says you’re actually to be envied if you believe the iniquities that you have committed and your sins are forgiven, covered, completely buried. You’re happy and blessed if you believe the Lord doesn’t count your sin against you.
You’re blessed if you believe God justifies the ungodly.
You’re blessed if you understand God credits the fact that you’re not guilty to your account and the ability to stand before God without guilt.
You’re blessed when you understand you’ve been forgiven, your sins completely covered.
You’re blessed when you understand the Bible.
You’re blessed when you are part of a church that actually preaches this.
You’re blessed because of Him dying on the cross and being a sacrifice for your sins. He paid the penalty for those sins so the Lord doesn’t account those sins against you.
You have to believe that He justifies the ungodly.
You have to believe that He credits you with New Testament righteousness.
You have to believe that your iniquities are forgiven.
You have to believe He doesn’t take account or credit you with your sin.
You have to believe that.
Romans 4:16 Therefore, [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all.
It is of faith you’re believing for something… His promises. Whether it be healing, provision, peace, rest, a sound mind… these are scriptural promises. So you’re believing for something good, right? We’re not believing for something bad. But we just read it’s of faith that it’s coming by grace. Your faith is in the fact that it’s coming by grace and so that something good is coming to you to get you the healing, to get you the provision. Looking at this verse, it’s not just your faith that brings in the healing. It’s what your faith is in. It’s the object of your faith.
Read About It
Rom. 4:5, “But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly.”
Rom. 4:6–7, “Thus David congratulates the man and pronounces a blessing on him to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does: Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried.”
Rom. 4:8, “Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him.”
Rom. 4:16, “Therefore, [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all.”
Discussion Questions
If you fully believe, your faith is credited to you as if you were righteous. What does it mean to be righteous?
“You are not made righteous by your good works… not by your bad works… not by your good deeds… not by your bad deeds.” Explain why you are not made righteous by good words and good deeds.
Pastor Jim said, “This verse says you’re actually to be envied if you believe the iniquities that you have committed and your sins are forgiven, covered, completely buried.” Explain why that is a true statement.