Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
500 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678106
The Apostle Paul declared in truth that by grace was Abraham saved. He did not receive salvation by any work that merited his salvation. It was all by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ that righteousness was credit to Abraham. He did nothing to earn his salvation. This is the truth concerning how a man is saved. It is the God-given means whereby man can escape the judgement of hell fire and receive eternal life.
Jesus testified that although He is descended from Abraham, He preceded Abraham in John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Jesus existed before Abraham was born. This is only possible because Jesus is God.
Abraham was not saved because he obeyed God’s instruction to be circumcised in the flesh. Nothing of what Abraham did gain him any merit before God to justify his salvation. Abraham was saved because he believed in God’s plan of salvation through the Man Jesus Christ who is God Himself! The great truth we declare to the world. All men must humble themselves before God to accept this glorious way by which they are saved! Amen.
Whether Jew or Gentile, the one living and true God provided only one way of salvation for us all. It is by faith in Jesus Christ. No need for any outward circumcision. Thank God for the propagation of this gospel message far and wide from Jerusalem, to all Judaea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. It is in the last hundred years that the gospel came to the Chinese people and parts of Asia as a result of missionary endeavours from the West. It has been that same message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone and for God’s glory alone!
God’s plan to save these scattered descendants of Noah was through a nation. The Jewish people that came through the loins of Abraham. Immediately, in Genesis 12, God called Abraham to fulfil that plan. God gave Israel the law through Moses at Mount Sinai. God’s plan was that Israel will be His witness to bring the nations to the saving knowledge of the One God.
Deuteronomy 4:7-8 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
Indeed, Israel’s role was to reflect God in all manner of their life so as to be a witness to the nations, like a magnet, to bring them back to God. And it is through the Jews that the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, would come. The Jews had that pivotal role to present the one God to the nations of the world.
I find no place for boasting as I recall how God saved me. This is the Apostle Paul’s experience too. He was persecuting Christians before Christ arrested him by a bright light on the road to Damascus. He was blinded for three days. If Christ did not heal him, he would have been blind the rest of his life. Because Jesus healed Paul, he realised how much he owed Jesus for not only saving him from his sins but also giving him sight again. Imagine the prospect of blindness for the rest of his life. Surely, Paul was grateful! Surely, there was no boasting on his part. This is his testimony to jolt us to grateful thanksgiving. Amen.
The greatest blessing anyone can receive in a lifetime comes when he or she believes in Jesus. Jesus is the grand theme of the bible. He is the way, the truth and the life. True blessing in life begins with Jesus. He must be the focus of our life. He is our Saviour appropriated by faith. This is the gist of Apostle Paul’s thought presented in this text.
Romans 3:21-22a But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them …
This cure is “by faith of Jesus Christ”. It is a cure that comes when the heart of man is willing to yield himself to receive the prescription for this cure. All who believe in the work done by Jesus Christ when He was upon earth shall be saved. In a nutshell, this cure is given to all and effectual for all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. While Jesus was upon earth, He kept the law of God perfectly on our behalf and was crucified on the cross shedding His blood to wash away our sins and finally died to pay the penalty for our sins. By faith in what Jesus Christ had done, man find salvation. This is the righteousness that comes to man without having him to do the impossible task of keeping the law.
The law of God showed to Israel how inadequate they were in meeting the standard of God’s righteousness. How they failed miserably. Indeed, when we look at the Ten Commandments, it reminds us we are sinners needing our Saviour. Apostle Paul concluded rightly the function of the law, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:24) It leads us to Jesus Christ, the One who would fulfil all righteousness on our behalf on the cross.
The last revealing characteristic of depraved men, the Apostle Paul observed, is that they have “no fear of God before their eyes”. The fear of God leads a man to depart from evil (Pro. 16:6). The fear of God leads him to hate evil, pride and arrogancy and the evil way and the froward mouth (Pro. 8:13). To fear God is to understand that God judges evil and the evil man cannot escape the wrath of God. God would come after him. He fears to offend God who is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29)!