The Story - Chapter 2 - Romans 4

Justification, Faith and Righteousness are concepts we, as Christians, struggle to understand.  As one who works for results, the idea of God’s love and forgiveness and grace being mine by simply believing, leaves me wide-eyed with amazement.  I don’t need a text book to tell me I am not worthy of the justification I am granted by my belief.

My worldly wisdom communicates to me I must earn vindication, and tells me there is something I can do to be exonerated from my sinful existence.  It is difficult for my human mind to grasp the spiritual concept of justification by faith.  We all sin, we know we do, and we know the extent of this sin, how it invades our lives and often controls our hearts and why we feel guilt at times.

I had this explained to me this way.  A man is on trial for a crime he may or may not have committed.  He is found innocent and set free.  Whether he is guilty or not, there is no longer any record of this incident.  He has been freed from all the consequences of his deeds.

“Blessed are they

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man

whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Romans 4:7-8)

I can face tomorrow knowing my sins from today are forgiven.  God forgave them before I even committed them, before I was even born. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  

We are made right by God who loves us more than we could ever dream or imagine.  His love covers us like a blanket of hope in a storm of despair.  We can wrap ourselves in this and snuggle up to a God whose only demand is that we believe.   “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1)

Read Romans 4 here

Listen to Romans 4 here