Catholics and other holiness religions hate Romans 4:5. Ungodly sinners love it.
"But to him that does NO WORKS, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" Romans 4:5.
The word "Justify" is the key to understanding this scripture.
JUSTIFY: 1. To show to be just, right, or reasonable; vindicate. 2. To declare guiltless; absolve.
Paul wrote, "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 5:1.
The reason that we have peace with God is because this is how God wants us to be saved. Faith not works or obedience is what justifies the ungodly and gives us peace with God. Not works, not obedience, not religion, faith and faith alone, gives us peace with God. Does God give us faith to believe? We are all born with the human attribute of faith. As children we have faith in our parents, this same faith is activated when we hear and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and become born again.
Peter wrote, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed (Adam) but of incorruptible (Christ), by the word of God (the Gospel) which lives and abides forever" 1 Peter 1:23.
Jesus is the justifier, Jesus is the one that makes us right with God and justifies us. A justifier is one that acts on behalf of another. "To declare, I say, at this time HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: that he might be just and the JUSTIFIER of him that believes in Jesus" Romans 3:26. Jesus as our substitute and representative, fulfills all of the demands of God's holy law. He does this in our name and on our behalf for our justification.
That was not enough, something must be done about our sins and the sins of the whole world. The resounding message of the New Testament is that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord because he has victoriously defeated sin, death and the Devil, Colossians 2:15. Proof of this is that God accepted Jesus back into heaven and has made him both Lord and Christ, Acts 2:36. When God accepted Jesus back into heaven we were accepted in him, perfect and complete in Christ, Colossians 2:10.
The law has been fulfilled. Sin has been atoned for. Its over, its finished. Jesus has justified the ungodly by doing for them that which they cannot do for themselves, because they are sinners. Because of the doing and dying of Jesus we can now stand before God's holy court as justified.
"But to him that does NO WORKS, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" Romans 4:5.
The word "Justify" is the key to understanding this scripture.
JUSTIFY: 1. To show to be just, right, or reasonable; vindicate. 2. To declare guiltless; absolve.
Paul wrote, "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 5:1.
The reason that we have peace with God is because this is how God wants us to be saved. Faith not works or obedience is what justifies the ungodly and gives us peace with God. Not works, not obedience, not religion, faith and faith alone, gives us peace with God. Does God give us faith to believe? We are all born with the human attribute of faith. As children we have faith in our parents, this same faith is activated when we hear and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and become born again.
Peter wrote, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed (Adam) but of incorruptible (Christ), by the word of God (the Gospel) which lives and abides forever" 1 Peter 1:23.
Jesus is the justifier, Jesus is the one that makes us right with God and justifies us. A justifier is one that acts on behalf of another. "To declare, I say, at this time HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: that he might be just and the JUSTIFIER of him that believes in Jesus" Romans 3:26. Jesus as our substitute and representative, fulfills all of the demands of God's holy law. He does this in our name and on our behalf for our justification.
That was not enough, something must be done about our sins and the sins of the whole world. The resounding message of the New Testament is that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord because he has victoriously defeated sin, death and the Devil, Colossians 2:15. Proof of this is that God accepted Jesus back into heaven and has made him both Lord and Christ, Acts 2:36. When God accepted Jesus back into heaven we were accepted in him, perfect and complete in Christ, Colossians 2:10.
The law has been fulfilled. Sin has been atoned for. Its over, its finished. Jesus has justified the ungodly by doing for them that which they cannot do for themselves, because they are sinners. Because of the doing and dying of Jesus we can now stand before God's holy court as justified.
