Interplanner
Well-known member
I don't believe the debt in Romans is speaking of our sin debt...the wages of which would be death. There would be no "glorying" in what we did if that was the case. It's the debt we owe to our Creator for giving us our being.
Luke 17:7-10 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink. Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
There are a lot of people that claim their work is somehow a payment for their sins...or a partial payment. I think this verse in Romans 4 is showing that not only untrue, it not even in the same class.
Rom 4 is about justification (what shall we say our father Abraham found in this matter--of justification, ch 3?)
Sin of both a debt and a stain and the solution is to each is a bit different. Justification has to do with debt.
Debt has to be paid off with work done. Either we do it or someone donates it. When you have it taken care by someone else, you have not worked yourself, but have trusted someone else's work, and an announcement has come back accepting someone else's work for you.
The size of debt in the case of justification is far too great for any human. it is infinite. It must be discharged / settled by Christ.
This concept is so real to Paul that he refers to boasting in Christ, meaning that the necessity of work is still there before God but Christ has done the work for our justification.
It would not apply to personal transformation (sanctification).