Lawrence Taylor Ministry

Guest (Male): Hello and welcome to Teaching the Word with Dr. Lawrence Taylor. Each and every week, Dr. Taylor will be sharing a relevant message from the scriptures designed to inform and instruct us in the ways of our God. Dr. Taylor has been the pastor of Kenilworth Baptist Church in the Midwood section of Brooklyn for the past 22 years. He brings a wealth of experience to each broadcast, having been a New York City public school teacher and a theology professor. Stay tuned to the end of the broadcast to find out how to stream today's message. Now, here's Dr.

Taylor.

Dr. Lawrence Taylor: Welcome everyone to Teaching the Word with Dr. Lawrence Taylor. This program is designed for just Bible study. I do not sing, play music, or engage in political diatribe. The only thing you will get from this program is expository teaching of the word of God. This teaching is book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. This may not be everyone's preference, and I do not begrudge you for that. However, my team and I are convinced that there are many people out there who want this kind of teaching. So, I like to ask you a favor.

If you've been blessed by the teaching on this program, could you please let us know by going to my website lawrencetaylorministry.com or .org. Now, it's not ministries, but ministry. It's lawrencetaylorministry.com or .org. And by the way, Lawrence is l a w r e n c e Taylor t a y l o r. And click on message. Type in your comments and let us know what you think. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter. Today, we will look at Romans chapter 4 verses 1 through 12. Chapter 3 ended with the question in verse 31 quote, do we then nullify the law through faith?

Paul's answer is may it never be. On the contrary, we establish the law. The Greek word for nullify and I'll spell that for you. That's k a t a r g e o is used in Romans 6 verse 6 and is translated in the New American Standard Bible as done away with. The verb means to make inoperative. The intent of the question that the interlocutor raises with Paul is is the Mosaic law necessary anymore with this doctrine of justification by faith? So, Paul answers that question in chapter 4. He looks at two Old Testament personalities, Abraham and David.

Abraham lived before the giving of the law and David during the period of the law. In both cases, they were justified by faith. Abraham was the embodiment of Judaism. He was the first Jew and is considered the father of Judaism. Let us note that in verse 1 it reads, what then shall we say that Abraham our forefather according to the flesh has found? A major tenet of ancient Judaism was the claim that Abraham was the father of the Jews. In the Gospel of John, Jesus engages in a dialogue with some of his Jewish followers. In John 8:33 it reads, they answered him, we are Abraham's descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone.

John 8:39 reads, they answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. It was a badge of national honor for Jews to be identified as the children of Abraham. The apostle in verse 2 picks up the motif of boasting that he expanded on in chapter 3 verse 27 where he wrote, where then is boasting? In Romans 4 verse 2 Paul wrote, if Abraham were justified by works, he have something to boast about. It is clear from the very beginning of this chapter that the apostle wants us to understand that Abraham was not justified by human merit.

Paul's citation of Genesis 15:6 is the crux of his argument. Quote, then he believed in the Lord and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. It is an irrefutable fact for Paul that Abraham received right standing with God by means of faith. He uses Genesis 15:6 as his proof text. It was not unusual for Jews to cite Genesis 15:6 to lord the faith of Abraham. What is unique is Paul's use of it. Paul is the only one whom scholars know who used this verse to establish the doctrine of justification by faith. This doctrine was unknown to Jews in the first century.

In 1 Maccabees chapter 2 verse 52 this is a book found in the Apocrypha. It reads, was not Abraham found faithful in his trial and righteousness was reckoned to him? Well, this of course is a citation from Genesis 15:6 also. However, the trial that the writer is referring to is the one that's recorded in Genesis 22 where Abraham is tested by God and told to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. The author of 1 Maccabees conflates the Genesis 15 account with Genesis 22 to construct the idea that Abraham's good deeds was the grounds for his justification.

You see the same confluence bringing together of Genesis 15 and 22 in James chapter 2 verses 21 and 23 where it reads, was Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? And the scripture was fulfilled which says, and Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness and he was called the friend of God. James was not interested in proving a doctrine of justification by works as the writer was in 1 Maccabees. But he wanted to offer proof that real faith results in good works. Nevertheless, Paul is the first Jew to articulate a doctrine of justification by faith.

Paul wrote in Romans chapter 4 verse 3 quote, for what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. The apostle quotes directly from the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. The Greek word translated reckoned is the word logizomai. I'll spell that for you. That's l o g i z o m a i, logizomai. Logizomai is used also in this chapter in verses 4 5 6 10 11 22 23 and 24. According to Gerhard Kittel, editor of the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, the verb logizomai has a commercial meaning.

In the Septuagint version of Leviticus 25 verses 27 and 50 the verb means to calculate. In a number of references throughout the Greek Old Testament, the word means to ascribe to one's account. In Romans Paul uses the word logizomai in that same sense to credit to one's account. Righteousness was accredited to Abraham because he believed in the promise of God. Another word that we can use instead of reckoned is the word impute. The apostle expounds on the idea of justification by faith by illustrating his point. Quote, now to the one who works his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.

But to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. When a wage earner is given his wages at the end of the week before his or her labor it is not a gift. The employer is contractually obligated to pay the worker what he owes him. The employer is not acting graciously when he gives his worker his pay. The point of course in this case is that if you receive right standing with God because of your good works, then that is not an act of grace.

In fact, the expression in this passage what is due is from a Greek word and that word means obligatory, something that you are obliged to do. Well, in verse 5 note what Paul says, the one who justifies the ungodly. This is the very antithesis of the one who earns his salvation. God does not only justify people, but he justifies the ungodly. The the ungodly implies that people are unable to merit good standing before God based on their deeds. One time a Jehovah's Witness attempted to convince me that one receives salvation by doing good deeds. I asked him to turn his Bible to this passage in Romans.

After this Jehovah's Witness elder read it he froze, stared at the passage for a while, scratched his head, mumbled to himself, no works at all, and was at a loss for words. He told me that we would have to adjourn the meeting and that he would meet me next week and have an answer. However, next week came, but he didn't come. He refused to meet with me anymore. Well, if we note in verses 6 through 8 Paul now cites Psalm 32 verses 1 and 2. This Psalm was written by David. So, now he brings David into the picture.

And note what he says, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man whom God credits righteousness apart from works. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been removed and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man who sin the Lord will not take into account. Let us note the three ways in which forgiveness of sins is expressed in this Psalm. 1 sin is removed or in some translations forgiven. And that word means literally it is dismissed. 2 sins are covered. And we know that our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus.

And 3 sins are not imputed. That's our word logizomai again. It is not laid to our credit or account. You know, someone in the Bible study asked me, is it possible for me to forgive, but not forget? And therefore when a person hurts me, I will tell that person, I forgive you, but I will never forget what you did. Well, that's not forgiveness. The model for forgiveness is God. God does not tell us, hey, I will forgive you, but I won't forget what you did. It says that our sins are dismissed. Our sins are covered and he does not impute them to our account.

This is an incredible picture of the magnitude of God's forgiving grace. By referring to Abraham and David, Paul shows us that the boat of salvation has always been the same. He refers to three periods in his presentation. The first period is during the time of the patriarchs before the law, during the time of Abraham. The second is during the time of the Israelite monarchy when David reigned. And the third, which we find in verses 24 and 25 is the present time. In each case he establishes that the mode of salvation has always been by faith alone.

There was never a time when God did not justify the sinner who sought him by faith. The apostle Paul now moves to another point in his discourse on the mode of salvation beginning in verse 9. Quote, is this blessing then on the circumcised or the uncircumcised also? For we say faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it credited? While he was circumcised or uncircumcised, not while circumcised, but uncircumcised. Paul's chronological argument is significant. Abraham was justified in Genesis 15 verse 6. God established the covenant of circumcision with Abraham in Genesis 17 verses 10 through 14.

The point that the apostle makes is that Abraham was justified while uncircumcised. In other words, while he was still a Gentile. Remember Abraham was the first Jew, but he became a Jew when he received the covenant of circumcision in chapter 17 of Genesis. So, that means that he was justified while he was still a Gentile. Let us recall the history of Abraham. He was, remember, a Chaldean or a Sumerian, not a Sumerian, but a Sumerian, later known as a Babylonian. Joshua 24 verses 1 through 3 reads, then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers.

And they presented themselves before God. Joshua said to all the people, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, from ancient times your fathers lived beyond the river. Namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor. And they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the river and led him through all the land of Canaan and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. That's the end of quote. Abraham was a worshiper of many gods before the one true God called him. The crux of the argument that Paul presents is that Abraham was a Gentile before he became a Jew.

Paul contends that Abraham did not become a Jew until cha until Genesis 17 when God gave him the covenant of circumcision. Since this is the case, Abraham was justified while he was still a Gentile. Genesis 15 verse 6. Paul wrote in chapter 4 of Romans verses 11 and 12 quote, and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had while uncircumcised so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised. That righteousness might be credited and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but also who follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.

It is clear that the covenant of circumcision was a sign given to Abraham for his faithfulness or faith in God. It was not given to him so he could obtain right standing with God. The point of this whole chronology is clear. Gentiles who accept Christ as savior are also children of Abraham since Abraham was justified while he was still a Gentile. Paul's employment of the argument of universality proves the point that was made earlier by the apostle in chapter 3 verse 29 quote, or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not of the Gentiles also?

Yes, of the Gentiles also. Some Jews saw Paul's argument as anti-nomistic, in other words, against the Torah. However, Paul use of the story of Abraham dismisses this charge because the story of Abraham is taken from the Torah. So, what Paul does is prove from the Torah that Abraham was justified by faith. Abraham being justified by faith was of monumental importance. Paul proves that the Torah upholds the doctrine of justification by faith. In other words, the doctrine of justification by faith was not a new revelation with Paul. Remember he wrote in chapter 3 verse 21, but now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets.

Well, what was always true was the fact that God only justified the sinner by faith. But this doctrine Paul says was in darkness, but now has come to the light. That's why he uses the word manifested instead of the word revelation. Paul has shown how this system of conferred righteousness is evident in the Old Testament. In Galatians chapter 3 verses 6 through 8 it reads, even so Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, all the nations will be blessed in you.

The expression in Galatians chapter 3 which is translated preached the gospel beforehand is just one word in Greek. And that word actually means to announce the good news ahead of time. Well, here's what Paul is really saying that Gentiles as well as Jews who believe in Jesus are children of Abraham. So, Paul tells the story of Abraham's justification as a foreshadow of our own justification. The inclusion of Gentiles into the work of salvation illustrates the grace of God. Gentiles were not part of the Commonwealth of Israel. They were excluded from the promises in the Old Testament.

However, the inclusion of Gentiles in the eternal plan for salvation was not an afterthought with God because God does not have afterthought. The omniscience of God eliminates the possibility of any afterthought. It is impossible for humans who are finite to comprehend the infinite mind of God. His grace is so incomprehensible that it is unfathomable for the human psychic. What the gospel reveals is my lowest state and the riches of his grace. This unmerited favor is limitless in its scope and its treasures are inexhaustible. God's immeasurable grace has been offered to both Jew and Gentile, black and white, brown and yellow.

There are no words in the human language that can expound on its nature because it's indecipherable. There are no powers in the universe that can destroy it because it's impenetrable. There is no act that the believer can commit to cancel it because it is irrevocable. There are no scholarly dissertations that can convey its tenets because it's inscrutable. The canopies of heaven cannot outreach its expanse because of its immensity. Both patriarch and scoundrel alike who come by faith have been able to bathe in its soothing balm. Broken souls on the precipice of hopelessness have been rescued by its outreached arms.

Grace unspeakable has met me in the quagmire of my own desperation and has elevated me to a higher plane. I have been lifted up into the arms of Jesus and I am safe and secure. A flood of infinite kindness has been poured out on me from heaven's throne because my savior was nailed to the cross and those same scarred, nailed hands has reached out to me and wrapped me in his loving arms.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to today's program. This broadcast is an extension of the ministry of Dr. Lawrence Taylor and the Kenilworth Baptist Church. To stream today's message, please go to lawrencetaylorministry.com and click on lawrencetaylorministry.com/message. Please join us again next week at the same time for Teaching the Word with Dr. Lawrence Taylor.