“Live Faith, Not Law”

Scripture: Romans 4:1-8, 13-17


Today, we continue in our Lenten series on living for Jesus by claiming the good things he brings to our lives, and letting other things, those things that aren’t of him, go. Today, we claim faith in Christ, and release the hold that legalism has on us.

There are so many people in this world who still believe that their “good works” will bring them the reward of heaven. In fact, every major religion in the world, with the exception of Christianity, offers this hope – that living the good and right life is all that we need to strive for. Help other people in their needs, love them right where they are in life, support charities which are active in meeting cultural necessities, be nice to others, and celebrating other such opportunities. Israel had those same types of laws for their nation, presumably because Jehovah God demanded it.

But the truth is that the Lord only gave them a few laws – the 10 commandments in Exodus 20:1-17, the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-8, and possibly a couple more, but the countless laws that Israel would receive over the centuries were actually interpretations that the Hebrew leadership developed to define what was required if God’s word was to be obeyed. It was all by human intention, not divine inspiration.

So to correct these misconceptions, Jesus came to earth, to reestablish Godly will and word in our lives. But the world had endured the law for so many years, and through so many different understandings, that it had become “truth”, and Jesus’ words were seen as blasphemy. But even though he was condemned as a heretic, it in no way proves that his life was a lie.

But how do we know? What does God’s word in scripture say about the life we are to live?

Read Romans 4:1-3

The problem with the law is described in the previous chapter – Romans 3:22-24 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Perfect adherence to the law would proclaim the glory, but unfortunately, we are totally incapable of perfection, unless the law is watered down to the point that anyone could live it. But if that were the case, the law itself would become impotent and worthless to God.

But when God made his covenant with Abram, there was no law, and while this meant that there was no violation, it also meant there was no standard for perfection. So why would the Lord choose this man to have a relationship with, instead of with others? In Genesis 17:1-7, we discover that the Lord told the man that if he walked before him “faithfully and blameless”, the divine promise that Abram would be the father of many nations would be upon him, that his name would become Abraham, and that the covenant would extend to all of his descendants.

But how would Abraham walk faithfully and blameless if there was no law to guide him? It would have to be by following God’s commands when they were given! And faith, his trust in the word that God gave him, would be the source of his “justification”, not the blameless life he lived. Blamelessness, our obedience to the Lord’s word, comes not by our efforts, but by faith. It’s that old mantra – “Which came first …?” With the Lord, the first thing must always be faith.

Read Romans 4:4-8

In his passage, Paul’s reference to work and wages has nothing to do with the compensation that we receive for our daily jobs – but it has everything to do with our good works and any reward that we might expect for those efforts. And we read that the reward for our good deeds is not God’s gift to us, but rather we receive whatever we deserve, whatever we have earned through our works. And since our efforts always fall short of what God would have us do, our reward for our own goodness will never, can never, be his gift of eternal life.

Forgiveness, worthiness, grace, wisdom, victory, righteousness – these all come to those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, and none of them will ever come to those who depend on their own good works! It’s what God has, will, and can do for us, not what we decide to do for God. For Israel, even though God had told them that he simply wanted their trust and obedience, they had never lived like this before. The Law of Moses was all about the things they did – the vast number of sacrifices that were required for every indiscretion or blessing, the law that defined how to observe Sabbath, the who and what and how to love, who they should pray for, and who to offer blessings to, and on and on and on. The Law was supposed to lead the people into Jehovah God’s will and way, but all that they did was to make faith totally impossible.

To Abraham’s credit and benefit, he had no law to follow – he only had faith and trust as a means to show honor to his God, he believed that God knew best and that he never made a mistake, he had confidence that God would always work to his benefit and blessing, and the truth is that this was all that the Lord ever wanted in the first place!

But legalism still reigns in the lives of many, even many who are in the Church. But the problem is that God’s definition of “Goodness” is doing those things that he calls each one of us to do, instead of the good works that are solely by our own means, by our own way, by our own description.

Read Romans 4:13-15

The Jewish attempt at living a Godly life through their own efforts, by doing the “right” things, by working to gain the Lord’s blessing, by earning righteousness, was a total failure. This is why Paul writes that “For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath.” Why does the law bring wrath? Because the law is impossible to keep, and is based in judgment and condemnation, while faith is God’s to give to all who will accept it, and is based in love, trust and forgiveness – none of which exist in the law.

Unfortunately, there are far too many people today who see God as vindictive, hateful, punitive, angry, and never come to the realization that they are loved infinitely and eternally by the very same God who they see as condemning! That’s what living by the law does for us – it tears us away from our Lord.

When obedience takes first place in our lives, faith never has a chance to flourish. But when faith in Christ becomes our focus, love of God will thrive through the life and presence of Jesus, and obedience to his teaching becomes a desirable aspect of this life.

Read Romans 4:16-17

Think back to the Garden of Eden. The “first couple” had it made. A beautiful garden for their home, a bounty to sustain them, God’s friendship, the perfect existence without any need of labor of their own, and a life unlike anything that they could have created for themselves. Until, that is, they decided that they could make life even better through their own decision! And what happened? They lost it all (Genesis 3).

The Lord’ covenant, his promise of righteousness, his gift of life through him, comes to us by faith in Jesus Christ. And faith is the only way to know the goodness of God. Remember Jesus’ words in John 15:6 – “If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

Life comes to us only through faith in Jesus; death only exists outside of him. And there is no middle ground. Choose Jesus and live!