DAVID DECLARES IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS Devotion 18 of 28 ILLUSTRATED IN ABRAHAM Faith depends wholly upon the Lord. It is Abraham knowing he is going to have a son through Sarah, solely because of the Lord. From the standpoint of being a progenitor, Abraham himself cannot produce a son, for "his own body is now dead" (Rom 4:19a). Sarah cannot bring forth a child because of "the deadness" of her womb – she is barren (Rom 4:19b). Yet, because he had faith, Abraham "staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief" (Rom 4:20). He believed God, even though His promise could not be substantiated from any earthly point of view. There was no historical incident that could confirm the promise of God. The "laws of nature" denied the possibility of its fulfillment. Personal experience stood with its hand over its mouth, unable to testify to the truth of what God pledged. WHAT ABOUT WORKS? What will "works" do? When "works" hear of a man whose body is "as good as dead" begetting children through a woman whose womb is "barren," they sit down and give up. "Work" knows it might as well try and fill five thousand hungry men, besides women and children, with five loaves and two fishes, as for a hundred year old impotent man to have a son through a ninety year old barren woman. "Work" knows it would be easier to command water to erupt as a mighty river out of a granite rock than to do such a thing. MAN'S CONDITION Ponder the condition of man as he stands before God. Through the Law, God acquainted men with a requirement scarcely known to professed Christians: "none shall appear before Me empty" (Ex 23:15). Again it is stated, "And none shall appear before me empty" (Ex 34:20). And again, "and they shall not appear before the LORD empty" (Deut 16:16). This principle is also declared in two of Christ's parables: the talents and the pounds. In both, there was one man who had nothing to offer the master. Both were called "wicked" servants, and were thrust from the presence of their Lord (Matt 25:26; Lk 19:22). – 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)
" . . . his faith is COUNTED for righteousness" (4:5c)
Other versions read, "his faith is ACCOUNTED for righteousness," (NKJV), "his faith is RECKONED as righteousness," (NASB), "his faith is CREDITED as righteousness" (NIV), " his faith is PUT TO HIS ACCOUNT as righteousness" (BBE).
What a marvelous statement! Faith, then, is the reason for men being made righteous. Their works are deficient, and therefore cannot be the basis for them being called righteous. Thus, they become righteous because they, like Abraham, believe God. There is not an unbeliever in all the world whom God considers righteous. Nor, indeed, is there a person who believes the record God has given of His Son (1 John 5:10-11) that He does not consider righteous. Simplistically stated, God spells "faith," r-i-g-h-t-e-o-u-s-n-e-s-s. That is how He records "faith" in the books of heaven. He credits "faith" to the individual as the "righteousness" for which his works did not qualify him.
No earthly "expert" could encourage Abraham to hope in the promise of God. The historian, based upon past history, would have to deny its possibility. The statistician would mock the promise as a vain and contemptible word. The physician would only laugh, saying the human constitution of both Abraham and Sarah made the word impossible. The motivational expert could only say it was like getting blood out of a turnip – the requirement exceeded human capabilities.
But what will faith do? It will take hold of the Word of God. It will see the One who made the promise as fully capable of bringing it to pass. Faith knows the Creator is greater than the created, and that streams can break forth in a desert. Faith reasons upon the fact of God, not human capacities.
The trouble with those who insist men are made righteous by works, is that they do not realize what is required for them to become righteous. The guilt of their past sins must be removed as far them as the East is from the West (Psa 103:12). A transaction must take place that moves God to remember their sins "no more" (Heb 8:12; 10:17). Their nature must be changed (2 Cor 3:18), they must be converted and become as a little child (Matt 18:2-3), be born again (John 3:3-5), and become a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). Who is the person who can "work" those things into existence? Such realities simply cannot be achieved "by works." Any valid activity of men must be based upon a firm persuasion that God Himself will produce the results He requires.
God has also defined the very best we do apart from Him – the very best, not the worst. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our RIGHTEOUSNESSES are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away" (Isa 64:6). Just as it was true of Israel, so it is with every man: "I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for THEY SHALL NOT PROFIT THEE" (Isa 57:12). When Joshua the high priest stood before God, his priestly vestments were nothing more than "filthy garments" (Zech 3:3). It is no wonder that Paul determined to be "found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law" (Phil 3:9).
It is in our interest to ponder how we will appear, and what we will possess, when we stand before the Lord of glory. It is true, "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom 14:10-12). At that time, God will look for righteousness – a righteousness that He can receive.
Right here our text obtains a beauty that is excelled only by that of the Lord Himself. Admittedly, we will have no works of our own to present to God. We know this is the case, for, on their own, "there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Rom 3:12). Without Jesus in the equation of life, there is no such thing as good. Even with Him in the equation, good is defined by His presence, not by our independent effort. His influence makes work "good."
Imagine standing before the Lord NOW – for how He views us in this world will determine how He views us in the world to come. Everything is "naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb 4:13). Not only does He see what we possess, He also sees what we do NOT possess – and both are critical factors. To stand before Him having sin is not acceptable. To stand before Him without righteousness is also unacceptable.
We have an index to what the Lord is looking for in one of our Lord's sayings. In His parable of the importunate widow, Jesus revealed the necessity of persistence in prayer. At the conclusion of that parable He said, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really FIND FAITH on the earth?" (Lk 18:8, NKJV). That is the preeminent possession for which the Lord looks – FAITH. Where it is found, God always acknowledges and honors it. It is unquestionable evidence of the reception of His grace, which is packed full of both faith and love (1 Tim 1:14). The great men and women of this world, as confirmed by the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, were always distinguished by the faith.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the grace that enabled me to believe, and for the righteousness that is accounted to me because I believe.