ROMANS 4 (NOTES OF A READING)
[p. 462] ROMANS 4 (NOTES OF A READING)
CAC Would you say that the difference between this chapter and the one we read last week is mainly that in the third chapter we have the righteousness of God, and in this the righteousness of faith?
Rem I was thinking that chapter 3 seems to bring forward the righteousness of God, while this shows how we come practically into the good of it. Is that in line with what you are saying?
CAC Yes, I think so. I suppose “righteousness of God” came in because man has none.
Ques Is the one the resource and the other the way we come into the good of it?
CAC Yes; chapter 3 makes it plain God is the resource, it is “righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ”; but here God accounts the faith of the believer righteousness. It is that the believer becomes possessed of the righteousness which is of faith. It is what the believer gets.
What we find in these two chapters is what comes in in contrast to the whole state of sin in which man is found. It is not only that he has done wrong things, but God has moved to bring things into adjustment. If God justifies a man there is a moral adjustment.
Ques Is faith the first element of righteousness in a man?
CAC Surely, it is the first right movement Godward.
Rem Scripture does not say Abraham obtained righteousness on account of his faith, but it says faith is reckoned to him as righteousness.
CAC Well, it is in virtue of having faith that he has righteousness reckoned to him.
[p. 463] Rem Speaking of adjustment, faith gives God His right place in a man’s soul.
CAC And it enables God to count the one righteous who has it.
Rem “Righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ towards all, and upon all those who believe”. Could you sum it up in another word other than righteousness? It is not that faith is the righteousness, but the righteousness is there by faith. “Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who has been made to us ... righteousness” (1 Corinthians 1: 30).
CAC That gives the completeness of it, that Christ is made unto us righteousness. That must be a righteousness entirely of God, but brought in for man, but particularly for faith.
Ques Why is this chapter worked out in relation to Abraham?
CAC It is one of the most striking things in the Old Testament. In Genesis 15 it came out that righteousness was reckoned to him without works and without law; that is, apart from them altogether. It was the outstanding example.
Ques Does it involve our thoughts being set aside and our coming into God’s thoughts?
Rem The thought of promise seems connected with the righteousness in verse 13.
CAC Yes, so that righteousness is the necessary basis of the introduction of all God has in His mind for man. How could He bring in any of His great thoughts for man apart from righteousness? It is essential that man should have a righteousness that is of faith and therefore altogether of God.
Rem There could be no righteousness of faith if no basis had been laid in the death of Christ.
Rem It is the way God can meet the question of sin, but we come in simply, by faith, blessing God.
CAC And that glorifies God.
Ques In James 2: 23, 24 it says, “Abraham believed [p. 464] God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”, and “a man is justified on the principle of works, and not on the principle of faith only”. How does that fit in?
CAC Well, it indicates that if I am righteous on the principle of faith, it is bound to work out in a practical way. The reason why Christians are so slack in their walk and ways is that they have not apprehended the grace of God as setting them up in righteousness before Him. I should be very careful not to let a spot come, contrary to the righteousness with which I am invested. All this is in view of putting us right practically. But the first thing is I have a righteousness that cannot be improved upon to all eternity; so that I do not let a spot come in where God has removed them all. So I suppose that while the seal of Abraham’s faith was circumcision, which is a distinct refusal of the flesh, the seal for us is the Holy Spirit as the power to set the flesh aside completely. I believe that anyone who understood how God had set him up in righteousness would be most prayerful and careful, most particular not to have a spot or stain. I think it is wonderful to see that if God accounts faith as righteousness, it is a righteousness that meets the whole question of sin and meets it perfectly. Well, if I am set up with that, I am a wonderful person, and I must keep myself without a stain. The Spirit is the seal of the righteousness of faith for us.
Ques Am I justified because God has reckoned righteousness to me?
CAC Yes. Righteousness reckoned is only found in Paul’s writings; it is part of Paul’s doctrine, and it clears the ground for all God has for us to come into connected with Christ as Head.
There is a little difference between forgiveness and justification. Forgiveness of sins is presented in the gospel for men to be encouraged to turn to God. When Christ was here, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their offences” (2 Corinthians 5: 19). God was in that attitude, He was not raising any questions that would [p. 465] keep them at a distance, but came near to them. His approach to men in Christ was that they might turn to Him. God is in the attitude of forgiveness towards His guilty creatures; so that they should turn to Him and learn Paul’s doctrine of righteousness.
Rem Psalm 32 refers to both points.
CAC It is very wonderful there is a testimony to it that God would take this ground of not reckoning sin, but reckoning righteousness, and the one who has received the forgiveness of sins is also justified. There is no repentance without faith. Faith comes first, or more accurately new birth comes first, then the activity of faith. Repentance and remission of sins are preached to all nations to encourage men to turn to God.
Rem “Through this man remission of sins is preached to you, ... in him every one that believes is justified” (Acts 13: 38, 39).
CAC Yes, and where there is this faith, God justifies.
Rem What I find a practical difficulty among many is that forgiveness is known by them, but not justification.
CAC It is your business to make them know it!
Ques. How do you do that?
CAC Tell them God is the Justifier.
Rem They do not understand it.
CAC That is for the preacher to look after.
Rem Justification means you stand up as cleared as a man who has never sinned.
CAC God has not only forgiveness with Him that He may be feared, but God is the Justifier. If a man is exercised about his state he is born anew, and has some sense in his soul that all good and blessing must come in from God. He may turn to Him without much intelligence; many of us know how unintelligently we do turn to Him.
Rem I wondered if Naaman the Syrian would illustrate the justified person. He did not come out of the Jordan a leper, he came out cleared [p. 466] of leprosy.
CAC Yes, he came up in an entirely new state, his flesh was as a little child’s.
Rem In Acts 2 they said, “What shall we do, brethren?” Peter did not tell them to believe.
CAC Because they had believed Peter’s word, and say, “What shall we do?” They had crucified the Messiah; all the promises were gone.
Ques Does repentance come before faith?
CAC You would have repentance without faith then.
Rem No, No.
CAC Some light from God must come into give a man any movement of repentance. Light coming in makes him feel what a wretched, sinful creature he is, and he must look to God for help to come in. And behind all is new birth. Man naturally is dead in offences and sins; it is not possible that there is any movement Godward from the natural man. With conviction there is always attraction; a man who feels himself a sinner turns to God, he knows there is no help anywhere else. Like Peter who said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord”, and yet he goes and falls at His knees.
Rem Faith comes by hearing.
CAC There would be no faith apart from some communication from God; it is God’s word in every case that originates faith.
Rem People labour to work up faith in persons, or in themselves; it does not come that way.
CAC We have to tell them what there is to believe. Sometimes you hear a preaching full of exhortations to believe; it is much better to tell people what to believe.
Rem It has been said that faith is light in the soul.
Ques Why is righteousness brought in in connection with Abraham being heir of the world?
CAC It suggests what is in the mind of God, that Abraham should be heir of the world, and all nations blessed in him on the faith principle. He was heir of the world on the principle of having the righteousness of faith. The fact [p. 467] that it is a matter of promise shows it is altogether on God’s side. A whole system of things is brought in in connection with the headship of Christ and all that is before the mind of God for man; but it can only be brought in on the principle of the righteousness of faith. It was “of faith, that it might be according to grace”.. It would do us good to sit down and think, What are the thoughts of God in relation to me? What has He in mind, what kind of righteousness? It is something wrought by the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. It is called “the free gift of righteousness”. It is a free gift. If a king bestows a gift, what a great thing it is, but if God bestows a gift, what a magnificent thing it must be! It is something worthy of Himself.
Ques Is that where the blessedness comes in?
CAC Yes, it is a most blessed thing. Blessedness is that which is in relation to God. How precious to know He has set us up before Him in a way that is perfectly satisfactory to Himself, it cannot be improved. The youngest and feeblest believer has it as much as the apostle Paul.
As to the matter of righteousness the believer is divinely adjusted. The only link with it is faith; so God is before the believer, and Christ is before him, and the righteousness reckoned to him is absolutely perfect. And it works out morally in great exercise that we should not let anything come in contrary to the righteousness with which we are invested. The knowledge of it is a very sanctifying thing. We may get away from this blessedness, but that does not alter God’s mind.
Rem I suppose it first comes in when God says, I am going to bring Christ in. So that for God He is everything and for us He is everything.
CAC And we find at the end of this chapter justification is connected with resurrection. “Who ... has been raised for our justification”. That gives a wonderful thought of the righteousness that is reckoned to us; it is Christ risen, so really we are justified in a risen Christ. God has raised [p. 468] from among the dead Jesus our Lord for our justification; so that makes it quite clear we are not justified for this world, but for God’s world. If the righteousness of faith is according to Christ risen, how perfect it is; there is a Man completely outside the region of sin and death, having borne the judgment of it. He is out of the whole state connected with the state of sin, and as justified in Him, we are as clear as He is.
Rem “In order to the promise being sure to all the seed” (verse 16) is important.
CAC The heavenly seed has now come into view, and they are all righteous. Abraham saw the stars.
Rem The God in whom he believed “calls the things which be not as being”; that is important.
CAC It shows God is acting in a scene of death and where there is nothing; death is upon all men. There is nothing for God until He brings something in. That is the scene He is operating in; it requires His quickening power, and requires Him to speak of things and to propose things that have no existence.
Ques Why is Abraham “heir of the world”?
CAC I suppose because God having introduced the principle of faith, that is brought in as the ground on which the world could be held for God. It had in view all that God will bring in actually for the world, and for us all that God has in mind to bring us under the headship of Christ, the whole realm from peace with God right up to eternal life. The ground is cleared, and there is nothing left to hinder us coming into all the wealth connected with Christ as Head, all the wealth that is in Him as Head.