For the last few weeks we have been studying the great doctrine of justification by faith. In the first three chapters of Romans, the apostle Paul, as a prosecutor might do in a court room, goes to great lengths to establish that the entire human race stands guilty before God because of sin. Having presented his absolutely watertight case, he now awaits the Judge’s verdict.

To everyone’s surprise that verdict turns out to be “not guilty.” How can God be just and yet do such a thing? Because Jesus, who was innocent, took on His people’s guilt and paid for all their sins by His death on the cross. But God has not only acquitted believers, declaring them ”not guilty,” but He has also declared them to be positively righteous in His sight! All this is implied in justification by faith alone.

To help his readers understand this mystery, Paul mentions the example of Abraham to show that justification by faith, apart from works, was not a new doctrine but it was known and experienced by Old Testament saints from earliest times. How was Abraham justified and when? In the first 8 verses of chapter 4 the apostle Paul begins to answer his own question by proving that Abraham was justified by faith, not works, because his greatest works came after God had declared him righteous in His sight. In fact, not only was Abraham justified prior to good works; he was also justified while he was ungodly. In other words, God did not require Abraham to clean up his act before he could be justified—God took him just as he was.

Friends, that goes for you, too. You don’t have to quit all your bad habits, you don’t have to stop drinking and using bad language and cheating on your income tax, looking at other women--in order to be saved. But once you are saved you must expect that the Holy Spirit will begin to do some thorough house cleaning. He will insist that you change your sinful ways and persuade you to follow Christ. But He will also give you both the power and the desire to make all these changes. That is what sanctification is all about. Justification is by faith, not works.

Beginning in verse 9, the apostle shows us that Abraham also illustrates that justification is by faith, and not by rituals. The most important religious rite in Israel was, of course, circumcision. But if you check out the chronology of Abraham’s life, you find that he was justified 14 years before he was circumcised. Therefore, that religious rite was in no way the cause of his salvation. And neither is your baptism, or church membership, or participation in the Lord’s Supper, or generous offerings.

Now, thirdly, and here we come to our text passage, justification is by faith, and not by law. Here we have The Gospel Method of Salvation
1. explained carefully;
2. illustrated strikingly;
3. recommended heartily.