Romans 4:9-12

Main Idea

Abraham was justified by faith before he was circumcised, demonstrating that God's promise of righteousness comes through faith alone, not through works or covenant signs. Therefore, all who believe in Christ—Jew and Gentile alike—are children of Abraham.

Key Points

• The central question: Who are Abraham's true children?

  • Paul answers that they are those who share Abraham's faith, not merely his physical lineage.

• Justification is by faith alone.

  • Abraham was declared righteous because he believed God's promise (Genesis 15:6).

  • His righteousness was credited to him apart from works.

• The timeline matters.

  • Abraham believed before he was circumcised.

  • Circumcision came years later as a sign and seal of the righteousness he already possessed by faith.

• Signs do not save.

  • Circumcision did not make Abraham righteous.

  • It pointed to an inward reality already accomplished by God's grace through faith.

• Abraham is the father of all believers.

  • Jewish believers share Abraham's faith.

  • Gentile believers are also included through the same faith in God's promises fulfilled in Christ.

• Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers.

  • We have no righteousness of our own.

  • Jesus lived the perfectly righteous life we could never live.

  • His righteousness is credited to all who trust Him.

• The Christian life continues by faith.

  • Believers still struggle with sin, just as Abraham did.

  • Our assurance rests not in our performance but in Christ's finished work.

Applications

• Examine what you are trusting for your acceptance before God.

• Rest in Christ's righteousness rather than your own efforts.

• Remember that baptism or church membership does not save; saving faith unites us to Christ.

• Walk daily in the footsteps of Abraham by trusting God's promises.

• Find assurance in God's grace when you struggle with ongoing sin.

Abraham Justified by Faith

Primary Passage

Romans 4:9–12

Supporting Passages

• Genesis 15:1–6

• Genesis 17:1–14

• Genesis 16

• Galatians 3:6–9, 26–29

• Ephesians 2:11–22

• Philippians 3:8–9

• Hebrews 11:8–12

Background

Paul writes to a church made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers. One of the major questions facing the early church was whether Gentiles had to become Jews (especially through circumcision) in order to belong to God's covenant people.

Paul answers by pointing to Abraham himself.

Abraham was declared righteous in Genesis 15, but circumcision was not instituted until Genesis 17. This proves that justification has always been by faith and never by religious ceremony or works.

Major Themes

1. Justification by Faith Alone

God declares sinners righteous solely through faith in Christ.

Faith is not a work that earns salvation but the means by which believers receive Christ's righteousness.

2. Imputed Righteousness

Our sins are counted against Christ.

Christ's perfect obedience is credited to believers.

This is the great exchange of the gospel.

3. Covenant Signs

Circumcision pointed to God's covenant promises.

The sign did not create faith but confirmed God's promise to believers.

4. The Unity of God's People

There is one covenant people of God.

Jew and Gentile alike become Abraham's children through faith.

The dividing wall has been removed in Christ.

Historical Context

First-century Jewish believers often viewed circumcision as the defining mark of belonging to God's covenant community.

Paul demonstrates from Israel's own Scriptures that Abraham belonged to God before receiving circumcision. This overturned any idea that outward ceremonies could produce salvation.

Westminster Standards

Westminster Confession of Faith

• Chapter 11 – Of Justification

  • Justification is an act of God's free grace.

  • It is received through faith alone.

  • Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers.

• Chapter 14 – Of Saving Faith

  • Saving faith receives and rests upon Christ alone for salvation.

• Chapter 27 – Of the Sacraments

  • Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace.

  • They do not save apart from faith.

Westminster Larger Catechism

• Questions 70–73

  • Explain justification, faith, and the imputation of Christ's righteousness.

• Questions 161–167

  • Teach the purpose of the sacraments as signs and seals rather than saving ordinances.

Westminster Shorter Catechism

• Q.33

  • "Justification is an act of God's free grace..."

• Q.86

  • Saving faith is receiving and resting upon Christ alone for salvation.

• Q.94

  • Baptism is a sign and seal of the covenant of grace.

Good to see you all here. It's good to see extended families. It's a good time to rejoice in the Lord together. I know extended families are here because I got a little sniffle and that happens, but it's a real joyous time to have family together to enjoy and love.

Before we begin our time of worship, I just have a few announcements this morning. Trail Life will meet this week on the 9th. Also, there will be a men's breakfast. We didn't do it on the first Saturday, but we'll do it on the second Saturday. So please come and enjoy a time of fellowship with the men on the 11th. Also, not in your, well, kind of in your bulletin, there is Sabbath school class today. So please note that there is Sabbath school class today. And we'll have our fellowship lunch at the beginning of the month, a large fellowship lunch.

If you didn't bring anything, please stay. There's plenty of food for everyone, so please stay for that. There will be no chalk and talk, so you can have an extended time of fellowship with one another. Also, there's a sign-up sheet on the back table. Camp is coming up, family camp up at Crooked Creek. And so there's a sign-up sheet for donations of food. So if you have some food, just look down the list, see if there's something you could do and donate food for the camp. Please look on the back table for that sign-up sheet. Other announcements this morning. Let's turn to our Westminster Shorter Catechism question and answer that's found in the bulletin.

We have just completed looking at Commandment 6, thou shalt not kill, and we're going to start a new commandment. So we'll read the question and the answer together. What is the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment is, thou shalt not commit adultery.

Let's quiet our hearts and prepare to worship this morning, our triune God. No. I don't know. Praise to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God calls us together to worship Him this morning from 2 Samuel chapter 22. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, the God of my strength and whom I will trust. My shield and my horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies." Brothers and sisters, He is our shield, our strength, our Savior, and worthy to be praised. Let's stand together as we sing Psalm 18, Selection G. Psalm 18, Selection G. La, la, la, la, la. of the Lord who lives.

My Savior God, exalted be. For God brought vengeance on my foes, subduing nations under me. Subduing nations under me. You save me from my enemies, exalting me above my foes. You rescue me from violent men, from rebels who against me rose, from rebels who against me rose. And so, among the nations, Lord, my thankfulness I will proclaim before the peoples of the world.

I will sing praises to I will sing praises to your name. His love on David he will pour upon his own anointed one. Let's pray. God, what a blessing it is to praise you. Lord, we thank you for giving us this hour to put away the concerns and the cares that would so easily ensnare and entangle our minds and our hearts, and to have our eyes lifted up to heaven. And remember that you are the one who is eternal and worthy of all praise. For you are good, and you are righteous, and you care for us every day. Father, we pray that this morning we may be able to, by your spirit, worship you in spirit and in truth. We pray, Lord, that your spirit might be working in our hearts, that we might rejoice in who you are, learn of who you are, and bring you the praise that's due to your holy name. Lord, please pour out your spirit upon us.

We need you in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. Our Old Testament reading will come from Genesis. Genesis chapter 16. In the sermon series right now we're working through Abraham. So we're reading through the life of Abraham, and this morning we get to Genesis chapter 16. If you're in your pew Bibles, you will find that on page 14. Hear now God's word.

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid servant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, See now, O Lord, The Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please go into my handmaid. Perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar, her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. After Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, So he went into Hagar, and she conceived.

And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. Then Sarai said to Abram, My wrong be upon you. I gave my maid into your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judged between you and me. So Abram said to Sarai, Indeed your maid is in your hand, do to her as you please.

And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence. Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going? She said, I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarah.

And the angel of the Lord said to her, return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hand. Then the angel of the Lord said to her, I will multiply your descendants exceedingly so that they shall not be counted for a multitude. And the angel of the Lord said to her, with child, and you shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man. His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.' Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, who sees. For she said, Have I also here seen him who sees me? Therefore the well was called Ber-lehi-roi. Observe, it is between Kedesh and Bered. So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram named his son whom Hagar bore Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old, when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Blessings, this portion of the reading of God's word. We're gonna spend a time of prayer together now. It was Jesus himself when he rebuked people who were busy in the worship in my house or my father's house shall be called a house of prayer. So it's our blessing, it's our privilege to pray, but it is also a discipline. You're like me, you might want to nod off or let your mind stray. The missionary prayer requests are in the bulletin, we'll work through those. So if that helps you pay attention and engage in prayer, please do so. Let's pray now.

God, you really are good. You are the one who showers us with kindness and goodness every single day. Lord, we thank you this morning that you gave us breakfast. We thank you, Lord, we sit in a room with chilled air. We have electricity that is reliable. We have cars that brought us here safely. You made the sun rise today.

Lord, you have given the plants their chlorophyll and paint the trees and the fields in green. Lord, you are the one who is starting to tassel the corn. You are the one who brings seed time and harvest time. You are the one who gives us family. You are the one who provides us with grandparents and great-grandparents and parents that we have gotten to learn from and who have cared for us. And you have given us children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren to rejoice in and to disciple.

Lord, we thank you for your many good gifts that you pour out upon us every single day. Lord, we thank you for brothers and sisters, for friends, for community. We thank you for the blessing of having an assembly. Lord, we also want to stop on a day following the 250th anniversary of the birth of this nation, not because our God or our ultimate trust, but Lord we do live in a peculiar nation and we thank you for the many freedoms that you have blessed us with and joined. Lord we do thank you even for the blessing of getting to worship you without fear of somebody breaking in the door. Lord we thank you that we can come to you and not be afraid. Lord we thank you. for preserving our nations.

We know that we are not a perfect country, far from it, Lord. But we do thank you for placing us in a land of freedom. And we pray that we might steward that blessing well. Father, please, help us to know how to exercise our freedoms for your glory and for the good of our neighbors.

Lord, we do pray that you would forgive us for our sins. We cannot come before you acting as if we do not have sin because we would be deceiving ourselves. Lord, you see and judge even the secret things of our hearts. But Father, we confess to you openly, willingly, that we are those who have sinned this week. Lord, there are good things that we ought to have done charitable things towards our neighbors that we should have done or said, we didn't. We held back, whether selfishness or fear.

Lord, please forgive us for not loving others as we would want to be loved. Lord, I pray that you would forgive us for the things that we have explicitly done this week. Lord, there are sins that we committed in speaking harshly, Words that did not impart grace. Lord, we pray that you would forgive us for how often we get angry and we do sin. Lord, we pray that you would forgive us for our thoughtlessness.

And even, Lord, when we have thought to try to love and care for those around us, we know often that our, Lord, we don't hit the mark. So God, we pray that you would forgive us even for things that we may not know were sinful or hurtful, even to people we love most dearly. Lord, we pray that you would forgive us for both our complacency before you, as well as possibly not stewarding our time as wisely as we should have. Father, you know we could stand before you for hours, examining ourselves in light of your law and saying that there's not a commandment we have not broken.

Lord, we are sinful at the core, through and through. Father, please remember us in your mercy. Father, please wash us the blood of Christ, remember us in your kindness. Lord, we thank you that in Jesus we know that our sins are covered, that our transgressions have been cleared.

Lord, we pray that you might rejoice our hearts because of your kindness and mercy to us and that from that Lord, we do pray for the Longmont Congregation in Colorado, the Salt and Light Church there. We pray that they would be a salt and light in their community. We pray for them as they think about a new building renovation and expansion. We thank you that there was once a time where there weren't very many children in that congregation and now the sanctuary has swelled so much they have to expand. Lord, we pray that as they work with the city of Boulder, that they would be able to get the right permits and be allowed to do this construction work.

But most of all, Lord, we pray that you would please let them be, again, that salt and light that the members of that church in their community might be a light of the gospel, that they might be ready to share the hope that they have in Jesus with great joy and gentleness to all who might ask of them. and that as they live their lives full of reverence and humility and love, Lord, that they might be a good testimony to those around them.

We do pray for the students under care of our presbytery. We pray for them as they go, and whether they're studying at home, online, or at the seminary in Pittsburgh, Father, we pray for each one of them, each one of these men, Lord, that they might have their mind and their hearts seized and rooted in your word that they might not stray from you. But Lord, as they read your word and as they study your word and as they take Greek and Hebrew and systematics and church history and all sorts of other classes, Lord, we pray that they might not just be correct in what doctrine they believe, but Father, we pray that it might be conforming their lives to Jesus. that they might be sanctified, that they might be men who would love their wives well, training up their children in the fear of the Lord, and that they might be valuable members of the church. Lord, we pray that they might just not have orthodoxy and orthopraxy, knowing the right things, living the right way, but Lord, we also pray for orthopathy.

Lord, we pray that they might have the right affections, desire, and love. Lord, we pray that we might have pastors in our denomination who would stand firm for the faith because they love you and they love your sheep. Lord, we pray that you would please raise up these men to be true shepherds, true laborers in your field. We pray for Central Asia. Lord, we pray for the missionaries there, especially as they have just had this month-long, language-intensive time of rest and peace. We pray, Lord, as they continue to work in a very hard nation, that they might be better communicators. Father, we pray that they would be able to speak to their neighbors in their own heart language.

Lord, we pray that you would please protect them. Protect them physically, but also Lord, we pray that you would protect them from the attacks of the evil one. We pray that you might not lead them into temptation, but deliver them from evil. And we pray, Lord, that you would guard their marriage, care for them as they seek to love husband, wife, wife, husband, and parents of children. Lord, we pray for their spiritual protection around their children as well. Lord, these children did not choose to go to a foreign land, to people that they don't know the language. Lord, we pray that you might even watch over their little hearts. Give them a peace that surpasses understanding. We pray for South Asia, Lord.

We pray as this country is going through quite a bit of economic turmoil and there's been a lot of layoffs and cutting of time and reduction of work. And this congregation that we pray for is in a mega city. And even right now it takes at times two hours to get from one side of the city to another. And work demands can be hard. Lord, we pray that you would provide the income and the work that these people need in that church, but that they might also have employers who might not demand slave labor of them, or demand that work would be all that they do in life. Lord, we pray for the work that's going on in Pakistan. We pray for Elder Indi, who's a student under care, seeking to be a pastor, and is he church planting?

Lord, we pray that you would please lift up his spirit as he's been going through a season of depression. Lord, his family has been going through difficult times, and Lord, we pray that you might renew his joy. Father, we pray that you would please comfort him and remind him of the grace that you have shown him and the love that you have for him shown in Christ Jesus. Lord, I pray that you would give him wisdom as he thinks about his family members and how he needs to navigate complicated family relationships and tensions.

Lord, I just pray for your help to know that These elders and these pastors and these missionaries are just people in extremely difficult circumstances, and so Lord, we pray for your help upon them. Lord, we do pray for the short-term missions teams all around the globe, whether they're in Cyprus or Scotland or Northern Ireland or elsewhere. Lord, we pray that you would please not just let these missions trips, these short-term trips be glorified vacations, but Lord, we thank you that there is gospel work that they are doing and we pray that you might utilize these short-term workers as shock teams, as support helps, that they might spur on the churches there towards love and good deeds. Lord, we pray that you would please keep them safe and let these trips go well. Father, we pray for us in this congregation. Lord, we pray that you would supply for our needs.

We pray for our elders, that each one of your elders might have our hearts rooted and anchored in Christ Jesus, and that we would not stray from your scriptures. And Lord, we know that even the elders here often fail. Each one of us elders know how sinful we can be. Lord, we pray that you would please help us, despite our failures and frailness, to love your people well.

We pray for the deacons that you would give them continued wisdom as they care for the congregation and mercy and administration. Lord, we pray for each one of these, of your servants, that they would be faithful in the work you've given them and in their lives. Lord, we pray for our families, that we might be places where true gospel living happens, where we can submit one to another, confessing our sins and loving each other, where children might have the fertile soil to grow in safety, We might learn from early ages the love of Jesus. Our wives might know that their husbands love them well because we treat them with gentleness, with respect, kindness, and love. And our husbands know that you are the one who has given them these responsibilities and these privileges Father, we pray that you would please help us.

We pray for the singles in the congregation. Lord, we pray that you might please bless them with the gospel work that you have given them to do in their lives. Whether they are not yet married or will stay unmarried, or we do not know who has that gift, Father, we pray that you would please bless them and care for them. Pray for the widows and the widowers of the congregation, that you might draw near to them and they'll come to you.

Lord, we lift all these prayers to you in the name of Jesus. Amen. Let's continue to worship the Lord. We'll stand and sing Psalm 105, Selection B. Please stand if you're able. We'll sing Psalm 105, Selection B as in Boy. God's pavilion stays forever secure. He brings it to life, so shall it endure. His word to a thousand descendants shall stand. of generations, so did he command. The covenant he with Abraham made, his oath he in turn ♪ To Isaac relayed ♪ ♪ To Jacob confirmed in a certain decree ♪ ♪ To Israel a covenant permanently ♪ Though they were yet few, Behold Cain and Slam, I give unto you. ♪ To be your inheritance where you may dwell ♪ ♪ Said while they were few and were strangers as well ♪ ♪ As they wandered from one realm to the next ♪ You may be seated.

Will you please turn in your Bibles with me to the book of Romans, Romans chapter 4. If you're using the New King James Red Pew Bibles provided for you, you'll find that on page 1002. Romans chapter 4, and today we'll be reading verses 1 through 15 for context, but the sermon will be specifically coming from verses 9 through 12. Brothers and sisters, hear now God's perfect word. Romans chapter 4, 1 through 15.

What then shall we say? That Abraham, our father, was found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace, but as debt. 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. Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only or upon the uncircumcised also?

For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised or uncircumcised? while he was not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also. and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith, which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath. For where there is no law, there is no transgression."

In the reading of God's word there, let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word. It is a rich woven tapestry. Father, we pray that we might see the threads and the big picture, the main pattern. Lord, we pray that Your Spirit might take these words on a page and make them living in our hearts. Turn us to You, God. Make us alive. Conform us to Your image. Give us hope. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Who are Abraham's children? Who are Abraham's children? Are you one of Abraham's children?

How do you know? How do you know? Well, that's what Paul is answering for us here in Romans chapter 4. What does it mean to be one of God's covenant people? What does it mean to be a recipient of God's blessing? And for some of you, you're walking in here for the first time, you're visiting, I'm sorry, you're at a debt, because we've already gone through Romans 1, 2, and 3, and in the first quarter of 4, and so you're stuck with going to have to read some of that beforehand.

But Paul's thesis statement in the book of Romans is Romans chapter 1 verse 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel. That's the good news. I am not ashamed of the good news of God. I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

And in Romans chapter 1, he talked about all these sins of the Gentile people. And God's wrath that's made manifest, giving them over to these passions and sinfulness. And in Romans chapter 2 and in Romans chapter 3, there was a lot about Jewish people. People who had the law, and yet still sinned. And then you get the summary of all this in Romans chapter 3.

There is none righteous, no, not one. Whether you're Jew or you're Greek, all are under sin and the condemnation of sin. So what's the only answer? If the wages of sin are death, thanks be to God for Jesus Christ. It's Jesus who redeems us. It's Jesus who saves us. It's Jesus who is righteous.

And so we do not We do not find ourselves right with God by the deeds of the law. Right? Romans chapter 3 verse 20. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. So how did God's righteousness come? This is what Paul's whole point is. What I'm going to say about your righteousness found, isn't something new.

He says let's go look all the way back at Abraham. And so as Paul does this in Romans chapter 4, he wants to look at Abraham as this prototype of the faith. So he says Abraham was not justified according to the works, that's Romans chapter 4 verse 2. Because then he'd be able to boast about it, he'd be able to brag about it. But that's not how Abraham was justified.

Actually, if you were paying attention to Genesis chapter 16, you might have gotten a little bit squeamish there. God promises Abraham that he's going to have a child, and Sarai's old, Abraham's 86. How's that going to happen? Well, here, why don't you sleep with my maid? Yeah, that's a good righteous plan. No, it's not.

Abraham wasn't righteous. He tried to accomplish the promises of God by works. And it failed with Hagar and Ishmael. Paul's actually going to pick that up in the book of Galatians and say, if you want to go by works, that's the slavery of Hagar and Ishmael. Doesn't ever work out. So how was Abraham righteous then?

That's what we're getting at in verses 9 through 12. Abraham is justified by his faith. That's what happened in Genesis 15. God makes promises to Abraham. I am your shield and your very great reward. And Abraham believes and God accounts it to him for righteousness. He didn't have enough perfect good works to be righteous in and of himself. God justifies him freely as a gift. And so he's blessed. He's blessed.

And so the question is in verse nine, does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only or upon the uncircumcised also, right? Here's Paul's question. Okay, so if Abraham was justified by his faith, if he was declared righteous by his faith, Is that only for his physical descendants? Only for those who are also circumcised? Again, the echoes of Romans chapter 2 should be in our ears. He says, no. Paul's answer to that is, no. For we say, verse 9, the second half, for we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then, second question, so question one was about is the blessedness only upon the circumcised or also upon the uncircumcised? His answer is no, it's by faith accounted to Abraham. But it still kind of leaves it fuzzy there. So the next question he has is in verse 10.

How then was it accounted? How was the righteousness accounted? So you have question two. How was that righteousness accounted? How is it, by the way, this is, the accounted is literally accounting language. It's legal bookkeeping language. Maybe you've seen a double ledger before, on one side you have all this red writing, it's all your debts, it's all the stuff you owe, and on the other side is the black, all the receipts, all the money that comes in. How was Abraham given the black? How was he given righteousness when his ledger was full of red? full of debts. How was this righteousness accounted to him? He leaves that one hanging for a second to ask another question. Look at verse 10, there's a second question. This accounting, when did the accounting happen? Did the accounting happen while Abraham was circumcised or uncircumcised? Right, well this is the issue. We have to know the chronology of Abraham's life.

Abraham's a pagan. He's on the other side of the river. Joshua 24 tells us that. Worshipping other gods. God calls him, brings him out of the land of the Chaldeans. Brings him into the promised land. And God makes promises to Abraham and he believes. And it's accounted to him for righteousness. And it's not for another two chapters, Genesis 17, years later, that Abraham is circumcised. So do you see, Genesis chapter 15, Abraham's probably like 85 years old or something. He believes and God accounts it to him for righteousness.

And then years later, years and years and years and years and years later, When he's almost a hundred, he's circumcised. What happened first? He believed and was justified, and then years later he's circumcised. This is important for the chronology here, for the timeline here, and Paul's questioning, because he says in the second half of verse 10, not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.

That's just stating a historical fact. Okay, you got the timeline of Abraham in your brain here? God calls him out of a pagan land? Alright, got that. God makes promises to him. Promises aren't fulfilled for a while. God redoubles down on those promises. Abraham believes and is justified, declared righteous. God accounts it to him for righteousness. Abraham is not perfectly righteous in his life. We're gonna still see blunders in Abraham's life. But God counts it to him for righteousness.

Years later, he's circumcised. Now, why that matters, verse 11. And he received the sign of circumcision. What was that sign of circumcision? It was a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised. Abraham was not circumcised so that we could say, oh, well, you're circumcised so thus you are perfectly righteous with God. No. No. Circumcision is an outward sign of faith.

But faith is an inward thing. It's something deep down in the heart. Now, later on next week at Chalk and Talk, I'm going to get into how this directly goes into our confession and catechisms with baptism and things like that. So if you want to stick around next Lord's Day afternoon, we can talk about why we think this ties into baptism. But I'll leave that hanging there. Abraham receives this sign of circumcision. And it is a seal. This is pointing to an inward reality of the work of the Holy Spirit in his heart. A seal of the righteousness of the faith.

What was Abraham's faith? Abraham's faith was not that he was perfect. Abraham's faith was not that he was good enough. Abraham's faith was not in himself. Abraham's faith was not in him being able to boast about stuff. His only boast was in the Lord. His only hope was in his God. That was Abraham's faith.

A faith that even though he could not see how he would ever possibly become a father of many nations, yet he still believed the impossible. That God would do it. And God gave him this blessing of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had even while he was still uncircumcised. Do you see? He believed even before the seal happened. But why did God do that?

Well, that's the second part of verse 11. Look at me there, second part of verse 11. that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised. How do you know if you're a child of Abraham and who are the children of Abraham?

Not those who are circumcised. Yes, there are many of those who were circumcised who believed they were the children. But this is exactly why Paul in Romans chapter 2 said, circumcision means nothing if you don't have faith. You might have the seal, you might have the sign, you might think that somehow it's placed upon you and so okay, I'm good. Right, if you were a Jewish person you might think, I got this.

That's exactly what Jesus confronted the Pharisees about. When they said, well we have Abraham as our father and Jesus said, guys get it together. God can raise up stones to worship him. Don't say, we have Abraham as our father, Abraham as our father.

No, that wasn't ever the point. The point was, are you children of faith? Did they believe in the person and work that Jesus himself was doing in front of them? So my question for you is, What are you resting in to think that you are a child of Abram?

He's the one through whom the blessings come, through the covenant comes. So how do you get into being part of that blessing? It's by believing in the seed that would come in Jesus himself. It's that same faith that Abraham had. This is why this last part of verse 11 matters. That he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also.

How Do you become righteous before a judge who will not stand unrighteousness before him? God is going to judge the living and the dead. He judges the secret things of the heart. He knows the sinful things that you've thought and the hurtful words that you've said. Even the idle small ones that were just passing and you didn't even think about it. He knows the good things that you should have done and didn't do them, and He knows the transgressions where you've crossed over the line and violated His law, and areas where you've just missed the mark. So when you stand before a holy and righteous God, why in the world would He allow you to be in His presence?

As a judge of all the earth, what are you going to brag about? What are you going to boast in? What confidence do you have? We don't have a boast. Each one of us is just like Abram and Sarai. We're sinful people. We don't have perfect religion and we definitely don't have perfect actions. We have faith. We believe. And God gives us a righteousness, accounts to us a righteousness that's not ours. He gives us the righteousness of Jesus.

See, because Jesus, who was a person, a human, see, there was a reason why Jesus had to be born to truly be a full human being. Yes, he was the God-man, but make no doubt about it. Jesus was hungry and he got tired. He really was tempted in the wilderness. And yet, though he was tempted in every way just as we are, yet he did not sin. Jesus had what theologians call a perfect active righteousness. And by the same type of faith, the same faith Abraham had, and it was accounted to him as righteous. When we believe in God's promises, when we believe in His Son, and as we're joined to His Son by faith, we also are accounted righteous. That is how Abraham is made the father of all those who believe, though we may be those who are uncircumcised See, it's not the question of, well, is Abraham the father of the circumcised or is Abraham the father of the uncircumcised?

The answer is both. Both, right? Physically, Abraham is the father of those who are born of his own blood, who are born of his own lineage. who received that sign of the covenant, and every time a Jewish person receives a sign of that covenant, it is pointing them to that same faith that Abraham had. So I don't know, maybe some of you have Jewish blood in yourself. Maybe you have that in your heritage, in your background. Your heritage is telling you to believe in Jesus, the same way Abraham believed.

And for those of us who are not of the circumcision, who do not have any link or lineage to Jewish people. We're wild, as Paul will say later, we are wild olive branches engrafted in. We have the same faith. It's that faith that unites us. And so in verse 12, Paul is getting at this the centrality of faith. And the father of, this is Abraham, and Abraham the father of circumcision to those not only are of the circumcision, but who walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

What is Paul telling to all these Jewish people in the Roman church? Remember, the history of the Roman church is a hard one. There was one emperor who came and he kicked out all the Jewish people out of Rome. Exiled all of them. So the gospel comes to the city of Rome, the church is established, there's Jewish people and Gentiles in the church, and then the Jewish people are kicked out. Kicked out by the emperor for years.

And then Nero, Emperor Nero comes to power. And the Jewish people are allowed to move back into... They're allowed back into the capital city. And now you have a church that was started by Jewish-Gentile mix. And then existed for about a decade with just Gentiles. And now Jewish people are back.

And the question is, so how Jewish do you have to be? Who's the gospel for? How does all this heritage with Abraham mix into here? And Paul is saying, in every way. Because the same gospel that the Jewish people are believing is the same gospel that the Gentiles are believing. We'll go on in Ephesians chapter 1 and 2 and talk about Jesus tearing down those dividing walls between Jews and Gentiles. Because it's by those who are walking in the steps of faith, which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

So how do you know? When I say if you're a child of Abraham, I'm saying to you essentially, how do you know that you are a child of God? How do you know that any of God's promises apply to you? How do you know when you might start getting kind of self-righteous? That maybe it was your good works that made God happy with you. How do you know that you have any right standing before God? How do you know that you are one of the blessed ones that verses 6 through 9 talked about?

Do you have faith? Do you believe that God did indeed so love you, a sinner, for nothing good in and of yourself, but just because He is good? Do you believe that He saved you, that He purchased you from the punishment of sin and death, redeeming you at the blood of His own Son, freeing you from the slavery of sin. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is your only hope? Do you see in Jesus the goodness of God poured out for you?

That's the footsteps of faith that Abraham walked in. And if that's your hope, then you can indeed look at this passage and go, whether you're Jewish or not Jewish, you can look at this and go, I'm a son of Abraham. I'm a daughter of Abraham. Because the same spirit that was at work in him is the same spirit that's at work in me, and I believe. I believe. I'm not perfect, but I have a perfect Savior. And so when your heart may condemn you, when you wrestle because, man, if you're a person who takes seriously confession of sin, you might sometimes wonder how in the world Am I possibly a child of God? I thank the Lord for chapters like Genesis 16.

Major blunder. And yet he was still accounted as righteous because of his faith. There will be times in your life that your faith shines like a beacon of light to everyone around you. And there'll be times where your faith is the only thing you're clinging to. You're hoping in Jesus because your life you know is a wreck. And you've made choices and decisions that you know even yourself and your neighbors and your family just shake their heads and go, why did he do that? Why did she say that? Your salvation was never by your works. It will never be by your works. Do you walk in the faith of Abraham? Are you walking in his footsteps?

We live in a messy life. Thanks be to God. He's not waiting for us to be perfect, for us to be his children. but he's made us his children. He's declared us righteous. He's given us the righteousness of Jesus, that we might grow, have a heart of love, and then walk in righteousness, continuing to learn to be like Jesus.

So Christian, walk in faith. Have your heart filled with the love of God which surpasses all understanding. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. For if you walk by the faith of Abraham, you are the children of Abraham. Walk by faith. Trust in Christ. Have peace. Let's pray.

Father, we thank you that there is a blessing to be had from you in Jesus. We thank you for the righteousness that we have, that is accounted to us, not because of our righteousness, but you have given us a gift. Fill our hearts with thankfulness. Thank you that you do not count our transgressions against us, but you have covered over our lawless deeds, forgiven our sins. Lord, we pray that you would please Please, God, stir up in us a love for You that we might continue to walk in faith. You truly are good. Thank You.

Thank You, God, for the gift of Your Son and for giving us new hearts to believe. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's stand and we'll continue to worship, singing Psalm 150, Selection A. Please stand if you're able. And we'll sing together 105, Selection A. 105, Selection A, as in alpha. La, la, la, la.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave Sing to Him, sing praise to Him, His wondrous works we call. Let hearts that seek the Lord rejoice, ♪ His holy name adore ♪ ♪ O seek the Lord ♪ ♪ And see His strength ♪ ♪ His grace is evermore ♪ Remember all his wondrous deeds, the works that he has done, the righteous judgments of his life. ♪ His miracles each one ♪ ♪ O you the seed of Abraham ♪ ♪ God sent you his sons ♪ ♪ And all whose sons of Jacob are ♪ ♪ His own, his chosen ones ♪ ♪ He surely is the Lord our God ♪ His judgments fill the land. He keeps in mind this covenant, that it may always stand. We'll have the benediction, which is a proclamation, a pronouncement of God's blessing. And then immediately following, we'll sing Psalm 41, Selection C. 41C as our doxology, a song to God's glory.

Receive now God's blessing. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting, amen, amen, amen.

• Why does Paul emphasize that Abraham was justified before circumcision?

• What is the difference between faith and works?

• What does it mean that righteousness is "credited" or "imputed"?

• Why are outward religious signs important if they do not save?

• How does Abraham's life encourage believers who still struggle with sin?

• What assurance does Christ's righteousness provide?

• How does this passage promote unity within the church?

• In what ways are you tempted to trust your own performance rather than Christ?

• How can walking by faith shape your daily decisions?

• How does this passage deepen your appreciation for God's grace?

• Justification — God's legal declaration that a sinner is righteous because of Christ.

• Faith — Trusting and resting in Christ alone for salvation.

• Imputation — Crediting Christ's righteousness to believers.

• Circumcision — The Old Testament covenant sign given to Abraham's descendants.

• Sign — An outward symbol pointing to a spiritual reality.

• Seal — God's confirmation of His covenant promises.

• Covenant — God's gracious relationship with His people.

• Sanctification — The lifelong work of growing in holiness after justification.

• Grace — God's undeserved favor toward sinners.

• Covenant People — All who belong to God through faith in Christ.