Unashamed Reading Plan – W4D1
Check out all the previous Unashamed readings here.
Unashamed Reading Plan | Week 4 | Day 1
Prayer
As you come to spend time with Jesus, calm your mind and body until you feel fully present. Ask Him to teach you more about Himself today.
Bible Reading: Romans 4:1-12
Read these verses three times slowly.
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Reflection & Questions
In our weekend messages we are not able to cover all the chapters of Romans – this is where the Bible Reading plan comes in very helpful, like today and tomorrow, where we can dig into Romans 4.
In Romans 4, Paul addresses head-on a problem that the Jews, in particular, would have had with the gospel. They would have said, “Can it really be by faith? Why did God change up the way of salvation from works (law) to faith?” But in these verses, Paul shows that it has always been by faith. And he pulls on two of the giants of the Jewish heritage to make his argument: Abraham and David.
Was Abraham saved by his faith or by his obedience to God? As Paul quotes right out of Genesis: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” This righteousness was not given to him on the basis of his works (like following God’s law in circumcision), but clearly based on his faith. In fact, as Paul argues, circumcision only came after Abraham had believed and was saved. Similarly, with King David. He wrote: “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven.” It is not a forgiveness that is earned, but given – a blessing.
You see, salvation has always been by faith. Never has anyone earned their way to heaven. No one has contributed anything to their salvation but their sin. When our heart wanders, and we think this news is too incredible to be true – when we think we have to do better to be saved – remember Abraham and David. Remember that it has always been by faith, never works. We receive salvation as a gift!
- What difference does it make for you that salvation has always been by faith (there’s never been another way)?
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Bible Reading: Romans 4:1-8
Read these verses three times slowly.
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”
Reflection & Questions
In Romans 4, Paul talks to the Roman Jews about a problem that they would have had with the gospels that teach about salvation by faith. See, they believed that in the old testament, the way people were saved was by works, or by obeying the laws. This way they could earn their way into heaven. But, as we already know, none of us is perfect so none of us can earn our salvation. It is by faith and believing in Jesus that we are saved from sin.
Paul uses Abraham and King David as examples from the old testament where both men showed faith because they could not earn their salvation through obedience to the laws. He even quotes a verse from the Bible that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” That shows right there that it was his BELIEF that gained him righteousness, not the work or doing all the right things. And King David himself wrote in the old testament: “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven.” (Transgressions is another name for sins.) Even by King David’s own words, he shows that forgiveness is not something that can be earned but it is a gift that is given – a blessing!
Salvation has always been by faith. No one has ever earned their way into heaven, not even the old testament greats like Abraham and King David! It might seem too good to be true, but it’s not – salvation is a gift!
- When you think of Abraham and King David, you think of pretty great men, right? Even as great as they were, could they earn their salvation? Why not?
Pray
Thank God for the gift of salvation that He gave to Abraham and King David and to you as well!
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
