Why Faith? (Romans 4:9-25)
Why Faith? (Romans 4:9-25)
Last time, we saw that God chose faith as the criterion for salvation. He did not choose works of the law, for fear that man would boast about his accomplishments instead of seeing the enormity of God’s grace. When we look back at the Old Testament, we see that it has always depended on faith. Abraham was told that his faith was credited to him as righteousness. David was forgiven without having done anything to atone for his sin. He simply believed that God would forgive him for his evil deeds.
Today, we will explore why faith, not works, unlocks God’s promise of salvation, using Abraham as our guide.
The Abraham Case Study
Have you ever faced a situation so impossible that only God could fix it? That’s where Abraham stood. Abraham is one of the most important figures in all of history. The relationship God chose to have with him has shifted all the nations of the earth in significant ways. So, Paul wants us to focus on Abraham and understand a few things.
1. Faith First (9-12)
The first thing he wants to do is explain circumcision. For years, circumcision was held as an identifier for God’s people. Paul tells us that circumcision was not what drew God to Abraham.
Romans 4:9–12 (ESV) — 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
God promised Abraham a son and a legacy when he was 75, and he believed. A decade later, at 86, God visited Abraham, who was still childless, and promised him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and he believed again. Another decade later, at 99, circumcision came as a seal—a visible sign of the faith he already had, just before Isaac was born. Like a wedding ring symbolizes a marriage vow, circumcision marked Abraham’s trust in God. This order was intentional: God wanted Abraham to be the father of all who believe, whether circumcised or not. For that to happen, faith, not outward marks, must be what makes us children of Abraham.
What does this tell us? God wants to do something overwhelmingly generous for Abraham because Abraham believes God can, and that He is good enough to do it. God’s decision to be generous toward Abraham did not start with his acceptance of circumcision. God was able to look at Abraham’s belief and say, “Here is a man I want to bless.” How does that shift your attitude toward God? Do you see God’s promises to you and believe, or are you trying to rely on some kind of payment system?
2. Faith’s Guarantee (13-16)
The second thing Paul wants us to consider about faith is how it opens the door to grace on a grander scale. Before, the law was constantly keeping score and requiring a sacrifice for every mistake. That’s very unstable ground to walk on. Now, faith opens the door to the steadfast lovingkindness we need, like being welcomed into a family.
Romans 4:13–16 (ESV) — 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
Paul wants to be clear about how different the law and faith truly are. We cannot mix the two or pollute faith with the law because the law always brings wrath when we transgress it. We don’t want righteousness to have anything to do with law-keeping. But faith causes the promise to “rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring.” Faith makes it possible for grace to come to all mankind without the wrath we learned about in Chapters 1-3.
This means that faith is the key to everything. Those who hear the gospel and confess their faith in it have put their trust in God to be gracious toward them when they deserve wrath. They have set down their own righteousness and surrendered to God’s righteousness and the way of faithfulness demonstrated by His Son. This grace is described as a guarantee. I know that seems too good to be true, but take that in. God wants His children to rest assured in His promises and in His love for them. He wants us all to believe that He is good and desires to forgive us of every trespass through the sacrifice of Christ. Isn’t that amazing?
He will later reveal that we cannot go on sinning that grace may abound, but don’t let that notion distract you. Just take in this wonderful promise of grace being guaranteed for all who have chosen to faithfully surrender to His promises.
3. Faith’s Power (17-25)
In the final section of our text, I want to ask you a question: Do you see your faith as similar to the faith of Abraham? This text teaches us that our belief is very similar to Abraham’s. As Abraham believed God could do the impossible, so do we.
Romans 4:17–25 (ESV) — 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Abraham believed that God could give him a son at 86 years old. He considered the deadness of his body and the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No life should ever come from them at this point in their lives. But Abraham heard God’s words and became fully convinced that God was able to create new life instead of believing that it was impossible.
Now, I said that our faith is very similar to Abraham’s. How is that? Abraham believed God could bring life from a barren womb; we believe God brought life from a tomb. Like Abraham, God counts our faith in God doing the impossible as righteousness. He equates the deadness of Abraham’s and Sarah’s reproductive systems producing life to the deadness of Jesus rising from a crucified death. Both are unbelievable. Then, He connects that to our spiritual deadness. If we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, we also believe that He can raise us from spiritual death. That belief makes us like Abraham, and we are similarly counted as righteous.
The hopelessness has turned to hope. The depression has turned to joy. When we were dead in our trespasses, unable to save ourselves, God made us alive with Christ, canceling our debt through His cross and raising us to walk in newness of life. This faith isn’t just intellectual agreement—it’s a conviction that God’s power overcomes the impossible, transforming us from death to life. Believe that God is willing and able to do the impossible for you.
Faith’s Value
Looking at Abraham reveals that our faith has tremendous value in the sight of God. When we believe that He can do the impossible, verse 20 says, we are giving God glory. When we trust God to do the impossible—forgiving our sins through Christ’s resurrection—we become righteous in His sight. God’s not asking you to blindly accept this. He wanted Abraham to consider how unlikely it all was. But, at the end of the day, with all evidence considered, Abraham chose to trust God, and he received the blessing. The dead lived.
What about you? If you’ve never confessed faith in Jesus, will you trust Him today and let us guide you to baptism? If you’ve believed but haven’t been baptized, take that step to seal your faith. Be raised from spiritual death and walk in new life, sealed by the Holy Spirit into Christ. And if you’re walking with Christ, share your faith this week to point others to His glory. Let’s live as children of Abraham, trusting God’s promises and resting in His guaranteed grace. Will you take that step today?