"SALVATION" 

                 RECEIVED BY FAITH;   DEMONSTRATED BY WORKS;

                                            FOREVER GRACE!

                                          ROMANS 4:1 - 8

INTRODUCTION:

          SALVATION IS DEFINED AS; PRESERVATION OR DELIVERANCE FROM DESTRUCTION, DIFFICULTY, OR EVIL.  DELIVERANCE FROM THE POWER OR PENALTY OF SIN; REDEMPTION

           SALVATION FINDS ITS DEEPEST MEANING IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM OF LIFE.  MAN'S UNIVERSAL NEED FOR SALVATION IS ONE OF THE CLEAREST TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE.

          THE NEED FOR SALVATION GOES BACK TO MAN'S REMOVAL FROM THE GARDEN OF EDEN, GENESIS 3,  AFTER THE FALL, MAN'S LIFE WAS MARKED BY MURDER, STRIFE AND DIFFICULTY, INCREASINGLY CORRUPTION AND VIOLENCE DOMINATED HIS WORLD, GENESIS 6:11-13.

          THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION REACHED ITS FULFILLMENT IN THE DEATH OF JESUS ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY ON MAN'S BEHALF.

          JESUS' MISSION WAS TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM SIN AND THE WRATH OF GOD,

MATTHEW 1:21; JOHN 12:47; ROMANS 5:9.  NOW, MANS SALVATION IS BASED ON JESUS' DEATH AND RESURRECTION, MARK 10:25.

          LISTEN TO THESE TWO VERSES AND THINK TO YOURSELF WHETHER OR NOT THEY CONTRADICT EACH OTHER:

ROMANS 4:5 "BUT TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

JAMES 2:17 "EVEN SO FAITH, IF IT HATH NOT WORKS, IS DEAD, BEING ALONE."

          SO ARE WE SAVED BY FAITH OR BY WORKS?

          1.  SALVATION IS RECEIVED BY FAITH: ROMANS 4:1-5

VERSE 1 "WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN THAT ABRAHAM OUR FATHER, AS PERTAINING TO THE FLESH, HATH FOUND?"

VERSE 2 "FOR IF ABRAHAM WERE JUSTIFIED BY WORKS, HE HATH WHEREOF TO GLORY; BUT NOT BEFORE GOD."

VERSE 3 "FOR WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURE? ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS COUNTED UNTO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

VERSE 4 "NOW TO HIM THAT WORKETH IS THE REWARD NOT RECKONED OF GRACE, BUT OF DEBT."

VERSE 5 "BUT TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

          THE QUESTION IS, WAS ABRAHAM SAVED BY HIS ACTS OF GOOD WORK AND OBEDIENCE OR WAS HE SAVED BY THE FAITH OF WHICH PAUL SPOKE OF?

          WHENEVER WE ARE ASKED FOR A MORAL, ETHICAL, OR ETERNAL ANSWER, WE SHOULD ALWAYS ASK OURSELVES.  "WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES SAY?"

          WHAT DO WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY THAT FAITH WAS COUNTED UNTO ABRAHAM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS?

          ABRAHAM WAS NOT RIGHTEOUS.  JUSTIFICATION NEVER MEANS TO MAKE A MAN RIGHTEOUS. IT ONLY MEANS THAT GOD RECKONS AND TREATS A MAN AS IF HE WERE RIGHTEOUS.

          PAUL REASONS THAT JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS RESTS ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT MEN MAY EARN THEIR SALVATION BY DOING GOOD.

          IF THIS PRINCIPLE WERE TRUE, GOOD MEN WOULD BE SAVED BY THEIR GOOD WORKS AND SALVATION WOULD NOT BE A GIFT AT ALL.

          JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH RESTS ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT GOD IMPUTES RIGHTEOUSNESS TO THE UNGODLY AS A FREE GIFT.  SALVATION IS NOT, THEREFORE, EARNED BY THE SINNER BUT IS FREELY GIVEN TO HIM WHEN HE PUTS HIS FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST.

          THE REASON WHY GOD PLACED RIGHTEOUSNESS ON ABRAHAM'S ACCOUNT WAS ABRAHAM'S RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE HIM.

          FOR GOD TO PLACE RIGHTEOUSNESS ON A PERSON'S ACCOUNT IS JUSTIFICATION.

JUSTIFICATION IS THE ACT OF GOD WHEREBY HE ACQUITS A BELIEVER OF THE VERDICT OF CONDEMNATION AND DECLARES HIM TO BE RIGHTEOUS.

          WHY DID GOD DECLARE ABRAHAM TO BE RIGHTEOUS?  PAUL SAYS IT WAS NOT THE RESULT OF ABRAHAM'S WORKS.

          ABRAHAM WAS SAVED WHEN HE BELIEVED GOD!  HE WAS SAVED BY FAITH!

          2.  SALVATION IS DEMONSTRATED BY WORKS: JAMES 2:14-26

VERSE 14 "WHAT DOTH IT PROFIT, MY BRETHREN, THOUGH A MAN SAY HE HATH FAITH, AND HAVE NOT WORKS?  CAN FAITH SAVE HIM?

          IF ONE REGARDS THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE.  THE DISCUSSION WILL BE LESS DIFFICULT TO INTERPRET.  THE DIFFERENCE IN EXPRESSION BETWEEN PAUL AND JAMES ARISES FROM THEIR DISTINCT PURPOSES.

          PAUL WRITES TO EXPLAIN THE GOSPEL; JAMES HAD IN VIEW ITS PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS AND WITH CAREFUL ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATES PERFECT HARMONY BETWEEN THE TWO INSPIRED WRITERS.

          MANY MISUNDERSTAND VERSE 14 BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO OBSERVE TWO SIGNIFICANT FACTS.

     1. JAMES DOES NOT STATE THAT THE HYPOTHETICAL PERSON "HAS" FAITH, BUT MERELY SAYS THAT HE HATH FAITH.

          THIS IS PROFESSING FAITH.  IT IS PHONY AND COUNTERFEIT!   PAUL REFERS TO THE SAME IDEA IN 1ST CORINTHIANS 15:2.

     2. THE QUESTION, "CAN FAITH SAVE HIM?" IS SOME WHAT MISLEADING BECAUSE IT GIVES THE WRONG IMPRESSION.

          JAMES IS NOT ASKING ABOUT FAITH IN GENERAL, BUT THAT TYPE WHICH ONE HAS WHO MAKES CLAIMS WITHOUT PROVIDING EVIDENCE WITH HIS LIFE TO SHOW THIS FAITH.

          JAMES IS SAYING, COULD THAT SORT OF FAITH SAVE ANYONE'S SOUL?

          A. WHAT REAL FAITH IS NOT; VERSES 15-19

VERSE 15 "IF A BROTHER OT SISTER BE NAKED, AND DESTITUTE OF DAILY FOOD."

VERSE 16 "AND ONE OF YOU SAY INTO THEM, DEPART IN PEACE, BE YE WARMED AND FILLED, NOT WITHSTANDING YE GIVE THEM NOT THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE NEEDFUL TO THE BODY; WHAT DOTH IT PROFIT?"

VERSE 17 "EVEN SO FAITH, IF IT HATH NOT WORKS, IS DEAD, BEING ALONE."

VERSE 18 "YEA, A MAN MAY SAY, THOU HAST FAITH, AND I HAVE WORKS: SHEW ME THY FAITH WITHOUT THY WORKS."

VERSE 19 "THOU BELIEVEST THAT THERE IS ONE GOD; THOU DOEST WELL: THE DEVILS ALSO BELIEVE, AND TREMBLE."

          WHEN BELIEVERS SAY EMPTY WORDS WITHOUT ACTUALLY HELPING THOSE IN PHYSICAL NEED, "WHAT DOTH IT PROFIT?"

          REAL FAITH IS NOT EMPTY WORDS, VERSE 15-18. PIOUS CLICHES AND CHRISTIAN TALK ARE NOT THE  EVIDENCE OF SAVING FAITH.

          THERE MUST BE A VOCATION TO GO ALONG WITH THE VOCABULARY!

          PIOUS EXPRESSIONS MAY SEEM TO BE RELIGIOUS , JAMES 1:26, BUT ACTIONS ARE WHAT PEOPLE HEAR.

          B. EXAMPLES OF REAL FAITH: VERSES 21-26

VERSE 21 "WAS NOT ABRAHAM OUR FATHER JUSTIFIED BY WORKS, WHEN HE HAD OFFERED ISAAC HIS SON UPON THE ALTAR?"

VERSE 22 "SEEST THOU HOW FAITH WROUGHT WITH HIS WORKS, AND HOW BY WORKS WAS FAITH MADE PERFECT?"

VERSE 23 "AND THE SCRIPTURE WAS FULFILLED WHICH SAITH, ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS IMPUTED UNTO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS: AND HE WAS CALLED THE FRIEND OF GOD."

VERSE 24 "YE SEE THEN HOW THAT BY WORKS A MAN IS JUSTIFIED, AND NOT BY FAITH ONLY."

VERSE 25 "LIKEWISE ALSO WAS NOT RAHAB THE HARLOT JUSTIFIED BY WORKS, WHEN SHE HAD RECEIVED THE MESSENGERS, AND HAD SENT THEM OUT ANOTHER WAY?"

VERSE 26 "FOR AS THE BODY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT IS DEAD, SO FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD ALSO."

         1.  THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM.

          WAS ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BY FAITH OR BY WORKS?  PAUL AND JAMES BOTH USES THIS EXAMPLE, BUT DOES JAMES CONTRADICT PAUL IN VERSE 21?

          A KEY TO MAKING SENSE OF THIS CAN BE FOUND IF WE LOOK AT PAUL'S REFERENCES TO GOD IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS: "IN HIS SIGHT" 3:20, PLUS "BEFORE GOD" 4:2.  IN ROMANS, PAUL DEALS WITH MAN BEFORE GOD.

          GOD KNOWS WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE TRULY SAVED BECAUSE HE KNOWS OUR HEART.  MAN, HOWEVER, DOES NOT HAVE THAT ABILITY.  WE SOMETIMES, IN FACT MOST OF THE TIME, CAN BE FOOLED BY A PERSON'S CLAIM OF FAITH.

          THAT IS WHY JAMES PUTS AN EMPHASIS ON WORKS.  JAMES DEALS WITH MAN BEFORE OTHERS.  THE BEST EVIDENCE WE CAN GIVE TO OTHERS TO PROVE THAT WE ARE SAVED IS OUR WORKS.

          A LIFE OF FAITH WILL BE DEMONSTRATED WITH A LIFE OF WORKS!

          WITH THIS IN MIND, ABRAHAM'S JUSTIFICATION IN ROMANS 4:3 WAS GOD'S VERDICT; WHILE HIS JUSTIFICATION IN JAMES 2:21 CONSISTED OF MAN'S VERDICT.

          2. THE EXAMPLE OF REHAB; VERSE 25

          JAMES WRITES THAT RAHAB WAS JUSTIFIED BY WORKS WHEN SHE RECEIVED THE ISRAELITE  SPIES AND SENT THEM OUT ANOTHER WAY.

          WHEN WAS RAHAB SAVED? THE ANSWER MAY BE RECORDED IN JOSHUA 2:10-11.

RAHAB'S WORDS TO THE SPIES, BEFORE SHE HELPED THEM ESCAPE INDICATES SHE HAD EXPERIENCED A CHANGE IN HEART.

          IT WOULD SEEM FROM THE WAY SHE TALKED ABOUT GOD THAT SHE HAD ALREADY PUT HER FAITH IN HIM.

          SO WE SEE THAT HER JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS.  HER ACTIONS DEMONSTRATED HER INNER FAITH.

          RAHAB'S WORKS WERE DONE BY FAITH, HEBREWS 11:31, BUT ACTIONS WERE NECESSARY TO AFFIRM HER INNER CHANGE.  HAD SHE REMAINED IN SIN WHILE ACCLAIMING FAITH, SHE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN "DECLARED RIGHTEOUS"

(JUSTIFIED).

          LOOK AT VERSE 26.  THE WORD "SPIRIT" MAY ALSO BE TRANSLATED AS "BREATH".

AS A BREATHLESS BODY SHOWS NO INDICATION OF LIFE, SO FAITH WITHOUT WORKS EXHIBITS NOTHING MORE THAN HYPOCRISY.

          WE ARE NOT SAVED BY THE COOPERATION OF FAITH AND WORKS, BUT FAITH FINDS ITS CHANNEL OF EXPRESSION IN WORKS.

          3. SALVATION IS FOREVER BY GRACE; ROMANS 4:6-8

VERSE 6 "EVEN AS DAVID ALSO DESCRIBETH THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE MAN, UNTO WHOM GOD IMPUTETH RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT WORKS."

VERSE 7 "SAYING, BLESSED ARE THEY WHOSE INIQUITIES ARE FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS ARE COVERED."

VERSE 8 "BLESSED IS THE MAN TO WHOM THE LORD WILL NOT IMPUTE SIN."

          ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE, GOD DEALS FAVORABLY WITH PEOPLE IN A WAY THEY DO NOT DESERVE.  GOD SAVES PEOPLE BY HIS GRACE, EPHESIANS 2:8-9.

          THE REASON THE BELIEVER'S SINS ARE NOT RECKONED TO HIM IS THAT HEY HAVE BEEN IMPUTED TO CHRIST JESUS, 1ST PETER 2:24-25.

          THE ONLY OTHER PRINCIPLE BY WHICH GOD HAS DEALT WITH PEOPLE IS LAW.  THIS PRINCIPLE REQUIRES GOD TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE IN A WAY THEY DESERVE.  SINCE SINNERS DESERVE DEATH AND HELL, THEY CANNOT BE DELIVERED FROM THIS PENALTY BY THIS PRINCIPLE, GALATIANS 2:16.

          THE SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS IS EVIDENT IN THAT ALL THEIR RELIGIONS TEACH PEOPLE ARE SAVED BY THEIR WORKS (RULES, RITUALS, ETC). THE VERY PRINCIPLE WHICH BARS THEM FROM ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD.

          NO ONE CAN BE SAVED FROM HIS OR HER SINS APART FROM GOD'S GRACE.

          THE WORKS OF THE LAW DO NOT SAVE.

          THE WORKS OF FAITH ALSO DO NOT SAVE, BUT THEY DEMONSTRATE THE REALITY OF OUR FAITH.

          IF GOD DEALT WITH US IN A WAY IN WHICH WE DESERVED, NO ONE WOULD BE SAVED, BUT GOD DEALS WITH US BY GRACE IF WE COME TO HIM BY FAITH.

          IT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE THAT GUARANTEES THE ETERNAL SECURITY OF OUR SALVATION.

          MOST BELIEVERS AGREE THAT WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH -- THAT SALVATION IS A GIFT FROM GOD THAT WE DO NOT DESERVE.

          BUT FOR SOME REASON, SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT THIS CHANGES FOLLOWING SALVATION -- THAT WE CAN LOSE OUR SALVATION BECAUSE OF OUR SIN.

          IF THIS WERE TRUE, GOD WOULD STOP DEALING WITH US BY GRACE AND START DEALING WITH US BY LAW.  THAT WOULD MEAN THAT NO ONE COULD KEEP THEIR SALVATION, BECAUSE NONE OF US DESERVE TO KEEP IT -- WE ALL SIN.

          WHAT MOST PEOPLE FAIL TO REALIZE IS THAT SALVATION IS BY GRACE FROM START TO FINISH.  WE DID NOT EARN IT TO RECEIVE IT, AND WE DO NOT EARN THE RIGHT TO KEEP IT. IT IS ALWAYS SOMETHING WE DO NOT DESERVE.

     SOME PEOPLE MAKE THE ARGUMENT"IF A BELIEVER WILL KEEP HIS /HER SALVATION NO MATTER WHAT, THEN THAT IS AN EXCUSE TO SIN."

          PAUL CONFRONTED THIS THINKING IN ROMANS 6:1-2.

          CONCLUSION:

          WE CAN MAKE THREE CONCLUSIONS BASED ON ROMANS 4:1-8 AND JAMES 2:14-16:

          1. SALVATION IS RECEIVED BY FAITH!

          2. SALVATION IS DEMONSTRATED BY WORKS!

          3. SALVATION IS FOREVER BY GRACE!

          FROM THESE THREE CONCLUSIONS WE CAN MAKE THREE APPLICATIONS:

          1. IF YOU ARE TRUSTING IN YOUR GOOD WORKS TO SAVE YOU, YOU CAN'T BE SAVED.

          2. IF YOU SAY YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED, THEN LIVE LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED.

          3. IF YOU ARE LIVING IN FEAR, WONDERING IF YOU ARE SAVED OR NOT, STOP.

     AGAIN TODAY, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SETTLE THE DOUBTS AND FEARS.

     YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN ONE MORE CHANCE TO BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST.

     ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS YOU LORD AND SAVIOR TODAY.

     SETTLE IT ALL BY PLACING YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST NOW.

     AMEN!