DAVID DECLARES IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS Devotion 8 of 28 "But to him that WORKETH NOT, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom 4:5). "But to the one who DOES NOT WORK, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness" (NASB). "However, to the man who DOES NOT WORK, but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness." (NIV) – Tomorrow:
"But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 'Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin." (Romans 4:5-8, NKJV)
There is no question about what the text says. Every version reads the same. For those with a penchant for Greek, it reads the same also. It simply is not possible to make this text say the blessing of being justified is upon the person who works. There is no possible way to make it say the person who works will be considered righteous by God. Not even the shrewd linguist can make it say that. Our first responsibility, therefore, is simply to acknowledge the Spirit has moved Paul to say what God wants said!
Whatever one may think about faith and works, they are CONTRASTED in this text, not joined! Working cannot be joined to believing in this text! Here, the Holy Spirit is speaking of a condition in which faith and works cannot mingle. In this passage, the person who believes is the one who DOES NOT work, not the one who does. Or, to put it another way, the one who DOES NOT WORK, is the one who believes. That is what the Spirit says to the churches.
The issue here is the ungodly being justified, or being made righteous. God does NOT justify the ungodly because they have worked, but because they have believed. There is no need to try and combine the statement with other Scriptural affirmations. If that is what the Spirit wanted to do, He would have done so. He is quite capable of speaking "expressly" (Ezek 1:3; 1 Tim 4:1). Sound doctrine is not a puzzle assembled by men, gathering texts from here and there to structure a palatable teaching. The Divine affirmation is straightforward, and is to be received and believed without reservation. "However, when someone, WITHOUT WORKING, puts faith in the one who justifies the godless, it is this faith that is reckoned as uprightness." (NJB)
Who is the person "who does not work?" It is the person who refuses to rely upon his own accomplishments. This is the one who needs forgiveness, and knows that he does. Such a one does not hold his achievements before God, but calls on the name of the Lord, seeking mercy. Rather than boasting of what he has done, he acknowledges he has sinned and comes short of the glory of God, just as God has said (Rom 3:23).
The phrase "does not work" is not the same as "does not do anything." It is not synonymous with being slothful or indolent. It does not mean faith is inactive. It DOES mean the individual does not present his works as a reason for justification. He does not rely on his own activity, but on the effective accomplishments of Christ Jesus. The truth of the matter is that no work of man can fulfill what is required to make God just in justifying the sinner. Who is the person who would dare to boast of such a thing?
No understanding person will affirm he deserves to be justified. When asked for a reason for the hope that is within him (1 Pet 3:15), the believer will always point heavenward. He will trace his salvation to God the Justifier. He will cite the death and resurrection of Christ as the basis and life-giving hope of salvation. The person who cannot confess such things is under the darkening shroud of spiritual ignorance and alienation from God. The Gospel must be powerfully presented to such individuals.
"Does not work" means we have not worked to come into Christ, but BECAUSE we have been placed in Him (1 Cor 1:30). It means God has not been motivated to justify us because of what we have done, but because of our faith in what His only begotten Son has accomplished. Yes, faith has made us active, but that is not the foundation upon which a spiritual life is built. The "work" of reference is foundational work, not godly activity. It is the work declared in First Corinthians 3:11. "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." You cannot build upon what you have done. That is not an acceptable foundation. You can only build upon the foundation put into place by God Himself – Jesus Christ. It is He that God has "set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood" (Rom 3:25). All of that is involved in "does not work."
We Need This declaration
What is more, faith needs declarations of this sort. Those who only put us in mind of our duty have taken the heart out of religion. Those who only set before us the danger of falling away enclose us with hopelessness. Faith must hear "what the Lord hath done" (Psa 126:2-3; Isa 41:20).
The great events of the day of Pentecost were set in motion by the powerful proclamation of "the wonderful works of God" (Acts 2:11), NOT the works of men. There is not apt to be much faith or obedience where this is not done. When we are emboldened to depend upon the Lord, our works will become more abundant, and will yield more fruit. When our trust in the Lord diminishes, our faith wanes, and our works become less numerous, and are eventually transformed into worthless garbage. A considerable amount of fruitlessness in the churches is directly owing to a lack of wholehearted trust in the Lord. That condition is directly traceable to the failure of men to either proclaim or believe the Gospel of Christ.
PRAYER POINT: Father, through Jesus Christ I see that my own works, which condemned me, can never be the basis of Your acceptance of me. I therefore throw them overboard as a foundation for righteousness, and cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart.