Here are some items from church this morning:
A. The Sunday school class covered Romans 4. The teacher explained
three solas: Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, and Sola Fide. We are saved by
God’s grace alone, and the means that we receive it is faith alone.
Faith is given by the Holy Spirit through Scripture alone. Scripture, in
short, contains the content of the Christian’s faith: what the
Christian believes. The last one can inspire questions. Did not people
have faith prior to Scripture? In those cases, they accepted as true the
divine revelation that they had. Abraham trusted God’s promise to him
that he would have a son and God’s stated plan for the world. The
teacher and the youth pastor commented that Abraham’s faith must have
been a gift from God. Abraham not only lacked what Christians
have—-Scripture, the church, etc.—-but he lacked a monotheistic
religious background, as his parents worshiped idols.
B. God’s law points out our sin and our need for a savior, and God’s
righteousness has been revealed apart from the law: by God’s grace,
received by the Christian through faith. Quoting Genesis 15:6, Paul
observes that Abraham believed God, and God credited that to him as
righteousness. What does that mean? The teacher referred to analogies.
When our credits are greater than our debits, are we then righteous? The
youth pastor talked about credit cards: he takes them for granted until
they are declined. Similarly, many Christians take God’s grace for
granted, when they should keep somewhere in their mind that what they
deserve is God’s rejection. A student said that, when we give credit to
someone, we acknowledge what the person did; God, in this scenario,
acknowledges that Abraham’s faith is righteous. The teacher had problems
with these proposals. A credit card can be declined for insufficient
funds, whereas the Christian’s salvation cannot be declined because the
funds are unlimited, for they are based on what Christ, not the
Christian, has done. The view that God acknowledges Abraham’s faith as
righteous runs counter to the Christian idea that justification occurs
based on what God has done, not what the believer has done. Plus, Paul’s
view is that Abraham’s faith was how Abraham himself received
righteousness; God not only acknowledges Abraham’s faith as righteous
but imputes righteousness to Abraham himself, regarding Abraham as
righteous rather than wicked.
C. The teacher contrasted justification by works with justification
by grace through faith alone. Under justification by works, people have
reason to boast: they do good deeds, and God responds by accepting them.
God’s acceptance is a salary for the work that the person performs; God
obligates himself under the law to reward the person who does good.
And, under a model of justification by works, God holds sin against
people. A model of justification by grace through faith is different.
Righteousness is a gift from God, not something that a person earns; a
person is righteous and accepted by God, even though she has done
nothing to deserve it. God specifically justifies the wicked. And, based
on what Christ has done, sin is forgiven, covered, and never held
against the believer.
D. Does being credited with righteousness change the believer? James
affirms that faith without works is dead, so there is some change after
the crediting. Righteousness is broader than justification and includes
the Christian life. Yet, we need not do good works in order to be
credited. It is not the case that we are changed such that we are no
longer sinners, for God treats Christians as righteous, even though in
reality they are sinners.
E. The pastor’s sermon talked about how salvation is a free gift. The
pastor likened it to immigrants: those who come to the U.S. and declare
their allegiance to it receive the benefits that America offers,
whereas those merely passing through do not. This was ironic, since I
was reading old Phyllis Schlafly Reports about how many illegal
immigrants receive government benefits, even though their allegiance is
not towards the United States. In terms of the analogy, I do not think
that the pastor was sneaking works and obedience into his Gospel message
of free grace, for he treated allegiance to the old identity as relying
on one’s works, a desire to be rewarded. Still, salvation is belonging
to Christ, in a state of allegiance to Christ, and that should influence
what one values and how one lives.