Lessons # 119 and 120
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Blessedness of Faith Righteousness (Romans 4:4-8)
4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
In the introduction of the section of Romans 4:1-25 that is concerned with Abraham as an example of faith righteousness or someone who obtained God’s righteousness by faith and so he is considered the father of all those who attain righteousness by faith, we indicated that in our present subsection of Romans 4:4-8 the apostle argued that faith, and not works, is what is credited to anyone as righteousness. Although this is true, the subsection is equally concerned with blessedness of faith righteousness as part of the larger argument of the apostle that justification is by faith and not by work. In effect, the apostle tells us that it is not only that justification is by faith without works but that it is a great blessing of God to those who are the recipients of faith righteousness. There is a state of happiness or blessedness that belong to those who come to God by way of faith in Christ Jesus than those who are striving to work for acceptance by God. Such individuals would never know this blessedness or happiness since they would never attend what they are looking for because it is impossible for a human to know what level of good works that can be done to please God. Of course, those who try works as the way of gaining acceptance with God are ignorant or have ignored that the problem with humans is our sinfulness and resultant spiritual death. This cannot be changed by any good work, no matter how a person tries. Even if it is possible to cancel the effect of spiritual death by human works, the question remains as to what volume or amount of good works that would be needed to do so. Because of this reality, it is impossible for anyone that tries to be in good standing with God to enter a state of happiness or blessedness. That aside, the message of this section is: You are blessed by God if you are the recipient of faith righteous that includes proper handling of your sins.
Be that as it may, the apostle upon introducing Abraham as one who received faith righteousness digressed or made a transition from focus on Abraham to deal with the subject of blessedness of faith righteousness before continuing with focus on Abraham. There are two reasons we say that the apostle digressed or transitioned from a focus on Abraham to another thing. First, Abraham was not mentioned in the subsection that we are about to consider; instead, the apostle mentioned David under a different topic that is, no doubt, related to the subject of justification by faith. It was after the discourse of this subsection that he returned to Abraham in verse 9. Second, it is because of the Greek particle the apostle used in verse 4 that is translated “now” in the NIV that we made this assertion. The word “now” is translated from a Greek particle (de) that is routinely translated “but” in our English versions to reflect a contrast between clauses but when a simple connective is desired, without contrast being clearly implied, it may be translated “and” or “now” and in certain occurrences the particle may be left untranslated. It can also be used to link segments of a narrative with the translation “then, so” or to indicate transition to something new. Other times, the particle is used to provide explanation so may be translated “that is.” In our passage of Romans 4:4, it is used to indicate that the apostle was continuing with his teaching on justification by faith that Abraham is an example but that he was digressing or focusing on another topic that is related to the concept of justification by faith before returning to Abraham.
The apostle begins his discourse concerning the blessedness of faith righteousness with an important principle. This principle is that wages paid to a worker are not a favor to such an individual but something due to them for their work. It is this principle that is given in the clause of Romans 4:4 when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. Literally, the Greek reads to the (one) working the wage is not reckoned according to favor but according to debt. The literal translation is in part due to the fact that the word “works” in the NIV is translated from a participle of a Greek verb (ergazomai) that primarily means “to work.” The word can mean to “do” or “to accomplish something” or “to carry out something.” It is in this sense that the word is used in the exhortation that believers should do that which benefits others in Galatians 6:10:
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Work can refer to engagement in activity that involves effort as the apostle used our Greek word in describing how he worked for his own living so as not to be a burden to the Thessalonians, as we read in 2 Thessalonians 3:8:
nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
Then the apostle used the word in his instruction to the Thessalonians about working to have food in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, 12:
10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
In our passage of Romans 4:4, the word has the sense of “to work,” that is, “to exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity.”
The word “wages” in the sentence his wages are not credited to him as a gift is translated from a Greek noun (misthos) that may mean “wages,” that is, “pay for work done” as it is used in the charge against the wealthy for their failure to compensate properly those who work for them as we may gather from James 5:4:
Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
It is in this sense of “wages” that the word is used in the charge against Balaam for being attracted to wealth and so he turned from the truth, as stated in 2 Peter 2:15:
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
The word may refer to payment for something, not necessarily work, as it is used for the payment Judas Iscariot received for his betrayal of Jesus Christ as stated in Acts 1:18:
(With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.
Although the translators of the 1984 edition of the NIV and many of our English versions rendered our Greek word “reward” in this passage in Acts 1:18, it is better to translate it to reflect payment for betrayal instead of taking the word to mean “reward.” This is because “reward” will have the implication of something one receives due to a commendable act, but betrayal is not a commendable act. Consequently, it is better to translate the Greek word not with the word “reward” but a word that may reflect payment for something done other than work. In fact, the 2011 edition of the NIV precisely used the word “payment” in translating our Greek word here in Acts 1:18. Our Greek word may mean “recompense” in the sense of recognition, mostly by God for the moral quality of an action. Thus, it may mean “reward” in the sense of affirmation of praiseworthy conduct as it is used in Jesus’ warning about how we should give, in Matthew 6:1:
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
The word may mean either “punishment” or “reward” as the case may be, as in the declaration of the Lord in Revelation 22:12:
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
In our passage of Romans 4:4, the word is used in the sense of “wage,” that is “the compensation for work or services.”
The apostle indicates that wages paid for work should not be considered a favor to the worker since he stated in Romans 4:4 his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. The word “credited” is translated from a Greek verb (logizomai) that is a word used predominantly in the Greek NT by Apostle Paul in that of the forty occurrences of the word, he used it thirty-five times and nineteen of this usage is in Romans so we will encounter the Greek verb severally in our study of the book of Romans. So, I will periodically review the Greek word. This notwithstanding, the word may mean “to determine by mathematical process” and so may mean “to count, take into account” as the word is used by Apostle Paul in the sense of “to count something against someone” with respect to the believers who deserted him during his trial although the NIV used the word “held” to translate the word in 2 Timothy 4:16:
At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.
The expression May it not be held against them may more literally be translated may it not be counted against them as in the LEB. The word may mean “to hold a view about something,” that is, “to think, believe, be of the opinion” as the apostle used it to describe himself to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 11:5:
But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”
The word may mean “to give careful thought to a matter” and so may mean “to consider, to ponder, think about, let one’s mind dwell on something” as the apostle used it to caution those who are superficial in spiritual matters, to recognize that he and his apostolic team belong to Christ as we read in 2 Corinthians 10:7:
You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he.
In our passage of Romans 4:4, the word has the sense of “to be credited,” that is, “to be or become attributed or reckoned as an asset in someone’s (financial) account.” Thus, the wages paid to a worker should not be considered a favor as that is the sense in the sentence of Romans 4:4 his wages are not credited to him as a gift or literally the wage is not reckoned according to favor.
The word “gift” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (charis) that refers to God’s unmerited favor in some contexts but that is not a blanket meaning. For example, the Greek word is used in description of Jesus Christ in His early human development in Luke 2:40:
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
Clearly, since the recipient of God’s grace is the Lord Jesus Christ, grace in this passage of Luke could not possibly mean God’s underserved favor to sinners. So, here grace means “blessing” or God’s favor in a general sense of His beneficent disposition toward someone. It can also mean favored status indicating that Jesus enjoyed favored status with God. Thus, it should not be difficult to accept that it is the context that helps in understanding the Greek word translated “grace.”
Grace in the NT as a word used in connection with a person may refer to that which is attractive or appealing in someone that draws favorable reaction from others. It is this meaning that is used to indicate how appealing the teaching of our Lord Jesus was to the audience that heard His teaching, so our Greek word is translated “gracious” in Luke 4:22:
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
It is with this same meaning of grace that the Apostle Paul used our Greek word in his instruction regarding believer’s speech or communication as recorded in Colossians 4:6:
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
The instruction let your conversation be always full of grace means that believer’s conversation should always be pleasant. Thus, the word “grace” here means “charming, pleasant, attractive.” So, part of our consideration of the Greek word translated “grace” is to remind you be mindful of your speech.
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “grace” is that beneficent disposition toward someone, that is, favor, help or care, goodwill shown or received by another. Grace as a favor that one grants to another without any obligation on the part of the one who grants the favor is reflected in what is given to believers in Christ Jesus as stated in 2 Timothy 1:9:
who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
Grace in this verse is that special favor that God granted us in Christ Jesus.
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “grace” is exceptional effect produced by generosity. Thus, when God enabled the Macedonian believers to be generous towards their fellow believers, especially, those in Jerusalem, that enablement or action of God on them is described by Apostle Paul as His grace in 2 Corinthians 8:1:
And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
The same enablement or action of God that caused the Corinthians to be generous towards others is described as grace in 2 Corinthians 9:14:
And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.
So, in both passages grace refers to enablement or God’s action on believers that causes them to be generous towards others. Of course, it is in this sense of enablement that results in power that the word “grace” is used by the apostle to report what the Lord said to him in response to his prayer request for Him to remove the “thorn in his flesh” as reported in 2 Corinthians 12:9:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
The enablement that God gives that is also described as grace may in fact be understood as “gift.” It is in this sense of “gift” that the word grace is used in the exhortation of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Peter for believers to serve each other in keeping with their spiritual gifts in 1 Peter 4: 10:
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
The phrase God’s grace in its various forms may be read God’s gift in its various forms. Still another meaning of the Greek word translated “grace” is “thankfulness, gratitude” as a response to generosity or benevolence, as the word is used in describing what is expected of believers who are filled of the Spirit and the word of God in Colossians 3:16:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
The phrase with gratitude is literally in grace. In our passage of Romans 4:4, the word has the sense of “present,” that is, “an act of spontaneous favor where there is no evidence of any obligation on the part of the one that made the present.”
The point of the apostle is that once a person renders service to another and the recipient of the services pays the one that rendered the service, such payment could not be considered a present but a debt, that is, something owed to the one that rendered the given service as that is what is meant in the last phrase of Romans 4:4 but as an obligation or literally but according to debt. The word “obligation” is translated from a Greek noun (opheilēma) that appears only twice in the Greek NT with the basic meaning of “debt” that is used in two different ways in the two passages. It may mean “debt” as “obligation in a moral sense” so that it means “sin” as it is used in pattern prayer Jesus Christ taught to His disciples as recorded in Luke 11:4:
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
The clause for we also forgive everyone who sins against us is more literally for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us as in the LEB. The other sense of “debt” is “that which is owed in a financial sense” and it is in this sense that is used in our passage of Romans 4:4. Hence, as soon as a person renders a service, the recipient of the service becomes a debtor to the one that rendered the service. It is for the reason that God expects those who receive such services to pay without delay to the one that rendered the service. Failure to do so will draw God’s judgment as implied in what was communicated to Israel through Prophet Malachi as recorded in Malachi 3:5:
“So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.
The principle the apostle stated that we have considered is simply that wages paid to a worker are not a favor to such an individual but something due to them for their work. Misunderstanding this principle may lead to a terrible attitude on the part of a worker that is not conscious of the spiritual life. I mean a worker who does not consider whatever the work or service rendered as that done to the Lord may have the wrong attitude that could lead to rendering poor service to an employer. Because of this, I need to make a comment about work and compensation. Being employed is a favor done for an employee and the pay that is above normal pay for a given work is also a favor. This assertion is derived from the Parable of Workers in a Vineyard as narrated in Matthew 20:8–15:
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9 “The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ 13 “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
In this parable, it is the owner that went out and hired workers at different times. So, if the owner did not hire a person the individual would not have the opportunity to receive pay. This implies it is a favor for an employer to hire an employee. Furthermore, the owner paid the same amount for a day’s labor to those who worked less than those hired first. Such an act was certainly a favor shown to those who did not work the whole day. This is the reason that when those who worked full day complained, the owner in the parable says in verse 13 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ Those who worked less hours but received full pay for the day were partly compensated for their work and partly recipients of favor of the owner of the vineyard. Hence, if you are employed, you should consider that a favor, but when you are paid that is no longer a favor, but a debt owed by the employer unless you are compensated more than your job requires.
In any case, the apostle stated the principle we have considered because he wanted to convey that faith righteousness is indeed God’s favor to a sinner that believes in Christ. It is because what the apostle states next is contrary to the principle that he stated in Romans 4:4 that that he begins verse 5 with the word However according to the NIV. The word “however” is translated from a Greek particle (de) that we stated previously in verse 4 that it is routinely translated “but” in our English versions to reflect a contrast between clauses but when a simple connective is desired, without contrast being clearly implied, it may be translated “and” or “now” and in certain occurrences the particle may be left untranslated. In our passage of Romans 4:5, it is used as a marker of contrast between the principle stated in verse 4 and the truth stated in verse 5 and so may be translated “but” or its equivalent. In verse 4 the apostle stated that payment made to a worker after the individual had done some work is not to be credited as a favor but in verse 5, he described that something is to be credited to a person. The thing to be credited is faith that is really an act of favor from God.
The apostle wrote in Romans 4:5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. Literally, the Greek reads but to the (one) not working but believing on the (one) justifying the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. The apostle first described a kind of person that does not work in the sense of doing what is required by law. We say that the apostle is concerned with the kind of person that does not perform the deeds required by law because we have a Greek participle from the same Greek verb (ergazomai) we considered previously in verse 4 that in that verse we indicated has the sense of “to work,” that is, “to exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity.” In verse 5, it has the sense of carrying out the deeds required by the law. Of course, it is because the apostle used a present tense in the Greek participle with a definite article that we indicated he was concerned with the kind of person that does not work but trusts God.
The word “trusts” of the NIV is translated from a Greek verb (pisteuō) that its predominant meaning in the Greek NT is “to believe”, that is, “to think something to be true” as Apostle Paul used it to describe what he thought about the report of division in the church of Corinth that he received as we read in 1 Corinthians 11:18:
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.
The Greek word may also mean “to trust”, with the implication of total commitment to the one who is trusted, as it is used in Apostle Paul’s instruction through Titus regarding the conduct of those who have trusted God in Titus 3:8:
This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
The word may have the sense of “putting something to the care of another,” that is, “to entrust” as Apostle Paul used it to indicate that the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles is a task given to him, as we read in Galatians 2:7:
On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews.
In our passage of Romans 4:5, the word has the sense of “to believe or trust,” that is, “to have faith” or “to put one’s complete trust or confidence in someone.” Again, the apostle describes the kind of person who believes because of the Greek participle used.
The object of “believe” or “trust” is described in the clause of Romans 4:5 God who justifies the wicked. The word “God” does not appear in the Greek text since literally the Greek reads the (one) justifying the ungodly. This is because we have a participle of a Greek verb (dikaioō) that may mean to render a favorable verdict, that is, “to vindicate” as it is used by Apostle Paul to indicate that Jesus Christ was vindicated by the Holy Spirit as we read in 1 Timothy 3:16:
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
The word may mean “to be free” as it is used of believers in connection with sin as we read in Romans 6:7:
because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
The word may mean “to declare, pronounce, righteous and therefore acceptable” as it is used negatively in Romans 3:20:
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
In our passage of Romans 4:5, the word has the sense of “to justify,” that is, “to pronounce a verdict that someone is in full accordance with the requirements of the law (of God).” The Greek indicates that we can describe the object as “the justifier” and this refers only to God in this context that is why the translators of the NIV inserted the word “God.” This is indeed correct because the apostle had already stated that God is One that will justify Jews and Gentiles as stated in Romans 3:30:
since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
The Greek furthermore enables us to recognize that not only is God who is the justifier but that justifying is something He does consistently each time someone believes in Christ. There is a sense that the apostle wants us to recognize the fact that only God can justify and so justification cannot be attained any other way than specified in the Scripture.
Anyhow, it is God who only pronounces a verdict that someone is in full accordance with the requirements of the law and this action is directed to one described in the phrase of Romans 4:5 the wicked. The word “wicked” is translated from a Greek adjective (asebēs) that pertains to living without reverential awe towards God and so means “irreverent, impious, ungodly.” It is with the meaning of “ungodly” that the word is used in Peter’s assertion that what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah serve as example to what will happen to all that have no regard for God using the meaning “ungodly” in the NIV of 2 Peter 2:6:
if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.
In our passage of Romans 4:5, the word is used in the sense of “irreverent person,” that is, “a person lacking proper veneration and practice toward God” or “a transgressor.” Since every spiritually dead person is an enemy of God, we should recognize the word “wicked” as a description for all unbelievers. You see, it is our Greek word that is used to describe all the people who were destroyed during the flood judgement where only Noah and his family were saved. They are believers while all who perished are unbelievers. Thus, our Greek adjective is so used in the descriptions of those destroyed in the flood judgment of Noah’s time in 2 Peter 2:5:
if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others.
Our interpretation that the word “wicked” refers to all unbelievers is supported by the fact that if a person is not saved that individual is considered an unbeliever. Hence, all those who need being justified are unbelievers. The thing that makes a person a believer is in part due to the individual has been justified.
All the same, the apostle conveyed what happens to an unbeliever that trusts or believes in Christ in the clause of Romans 4:5 his faith is credited as righteousness. The word “faith” is translated from a Greek noun (pistis) although often translated “faith” has several other meanings. The Greek word may mean “faith” in the active sense of believing or trusting in someone; the kind of believing that brings salvation. Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is “true piety or genuine devotion or even firm commitment.” Stephen was described as one who had a genuine devotion or firm commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ in that he did not waver in what he believed but was fully devoted to the Lord. This is the sense of the word “faith” in Acts 6:5:
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
Stephen is described as “full of faith” in the sense of having genuine devotion or firm commitment to the Lord. Can that be said of you?
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is as an important virtue that Christians should have, or they have as a result of believing in Christ or as a result of the Holy Spirit operating in them. So, it is used to describe “faithfulness” that is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit given in Galatians 5:22:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
That faith refers to an important Christian virtue is evident in the fact that it is often associated with the virtue of love and so Apostle Paul used it in his epistle to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:13:
What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is a reference to a religious movement such as the Christian faith, which is essentially the same as “the Christian religion.”
Still another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is “body of teaching” or “doctrine.” It is in this way that the word “faith” is used to describe what will happen to some at a later time as we read in 1 Timothy 4:1:
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
It is possible that “faith” here can also be interpreted as the “Christian faith,” but it is more likely the apostle meant Christian doctrine especially because of the expression things taught by demons. It is the sense of doctrine or body of teaching of the Christian faith that “faith” is used in Jude 3:
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
In our passage of Romans 4:5, the Greek word has the sense of “trust in Jesus Christ as presented in the gospel message.” Hence, it is trust in Jesus Christ presented in the gospel message that is credited to a person as righteousness.
It is important we recognize that the faith or trust in Jesus Christ that one possesses is not of the individual’s own making. I mean that an unbeliever does not generate saving faith. Faith that leads to salvation is a gift from God. Faith is part of what God does for the believer for eternal salvation as we may gather from Ephesians 2:8:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
There is interpretation problem of the phrase this not from yourselves specifically what the demonstrative pronoun this refers to. In our exposition of this passage, we interpreted that the demonstrative pronoun this refers to the entire concept of a grace-by-faith salvation, that is, to the entire first clause of verse 8. This interpretation accounts for the fact that everything associated with salvation comes freely from God. Faith which is the means of salvation is a gift from God so is salvation itself a gift from God. An unbeliever is incapable of faith; therefore, it is after God does the work of regeneration that the gift of faith is given to an individual who then exercises that faith in Christ. What I have said implies that regeneration logically comes before faith although since the whole thing about salvation is God’s work it is probably the case that both regeneration and faith occur almost simultaneously but from our perspective, regeneration must come before faith. Some, of course, dispute this statement. However, there are two examples in the NT that bear out this truth. I will consider one of these in this present study. If you are interested to get the second example and review the information here or for some of you to learn it for the first time, I suggest you go to the website of Berean Bible Church in Bay Springs, Mississippi, and go to the studies on Ephesians, lessons numbers 47 and 48. That aside, the first illustration that supports my assertion is the case of the Holy Spirit coming on those who listened to the preaching of the gospel by Apostle Peter in Cornelius’ house, as we read in Acts 10:44:
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
This passage does not state that those who heard were regenerated or that they believed. But it is implied that they were regenerated, and they believed for otherwise we have the Holy Spirit come on unbelievers something that cannot be true in light of the declaration in Acts 5:32:
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
There is, of course, the case that the Holy Spirit did not immediately come on those who believed (that is, become saved, implying regeneration) in Samaria and so they had to wait for Peter and John to come and lay their hands on them, as recorded in Acts 8:14–16:
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Those in the house of Cornelius must have believed before they received the Holy Spirit but that is not all; they must also have been regenerated so they could believe. It seems that that is the correct order in salvation that a person must first be regenerated by the Holy Spirit so the person can be spiritually alive to believe. This truth is implied in the order we find regarding salvation in 2 Thessalonians 2:13:
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
The order the apostle followed here is that the sanctifying work of the Spirit comes before belief in the truth. The sanctifying work of the Spirit refers to God the Holy Spirit setting a person apart or dedicating someone to God. But that which is spiritually dead cannot be set apart for God. It does not make sense that someone who is worthless because of being spiritually dead should be dedicated to God. Therefore, the sanctifying work of the Spirit implies making a person alive first before the person is dedicated or consecrated to God. Hence, the order the Apostle followed in this passage of 2 Thessalonians implies that regeneration comes before faith. Anyhow, this faith or trust in Jesus Christ presented in the gospel message results in a person being credited with righteousness as in the sentence of Romans 4:5 his faith is credited as righteousness.
The word “righteousness” is translated from a Greek noun (dikaiosynē) that may mean “righteousness” in the sense of doing what God requires or doing what is right, as the word is used to describe those who are persecuted to whom belongs God’s kingdom in Matthew 5:10:
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
It is also in the sense of doing what God requires that our Greek word is used to attribute righteousness to Abraham when he believed Yahweh’s promise, as stated in Romans 4:3:
What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Righteousness here is a blessing conferred to Abraham in the sense that God considered him as doing what He wanted since he believed in Him. What God requires should not be thought only in terms of moral actions, but what is in accordance with His plan. This point is important since there is no morality involved in the use of our Greek word when it is used in the mouth of the Lord Jesus during His water baptism, but it is simply used in the sense of conforming to God’s plan, what He has decided, what is pleasing to Him in the Lord Jesus’ reply to John who was hesitant to baptize Him, as we read in Matthew 3:15:
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
Our Greek word may refer to the practices required by religion such as charitable giving so that it has the meaning of “religious observances,” as in Matthew 6:1:
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
The phrase acts of righteousness may be translated “religious observances.” Our Greek word may refer to the quality, state, or practice of judicial responsibility with focus on fairness hence means “justice, equitableness, fairness.” Thus, it is used to describe the manner of God’s future judgment in Acts 17:31:
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
It is in this sense of fairness or justice that our Greek word is used regarding the right practicing of judicial responsibility of believing rulers as it is used in Hebrews 11:33:
who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
The word may refer to quality or state of juridical correctness with focus on redemptive action and so means “righteousness.” It is used to describe the executive privilege that belongs to God in conferring a benefit. For example, the offering of Jesus Christ on the cross is described as a demonstration of righteousness on the part of God in Romans 3:25:
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
The 1984 edition of the NIV translated our Greek word with “justice” in this passage, but the 2011 edition used the meaning “righteousness” that is found in majority of our English versions. Each of these meanings could be justified in this passage, but it is probably the meaning of “righteousness” that is intended since the passage is concerned with how God puts persons right with Himself. Our Greek word may mean “being put in right relationship with God”, as that is the sense of the word in Romans 5:17:
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
The phrase the gift of righteousness may be understood either as the gift that comes from God because He is righteous or the gift of being put into a right relation with God. Though it is difficult to separate these two interpretations, but it is probably the second interpretation that is intended so that our Greek word is given the meaning of “being put into right relation with God.”
In our passage of Romans 4:5, the word has the sense of “righteousness,” that is, “a status of legal rectitude that satisfies the moral requirements of God’s character.” In other words, it is “the state acceptable to God which becomes a sinner’s possession through that faith by which the sinner embraces the grace of God offered to the individual in the expiatory death of Jesus Christ.” The point we want to stress is that God justifies a sinner purely based on His favor since the whole process from start to finish is from Him. He grants faith and He justifies. There is more to our study so we will continue that in our next study but let me close with a reminder of the message of this section: You are blessed by God if you are the recipient of faith righteous that includes proper handling of your sins
05/29/26