May 11, 2018

FAITH THEN WORKS

Romans 4:5-8

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.”

Personal Challenge

Romans is quite often the most misunderstood and misquoted book in the Bible. I am no biblical scholar so I do not claim to be able to interpret this book, as well as the rest of the scriptures, properly. That is why I rely on the teachings of the saints that have gone before me and the traditions of the church to inform me of what the scriptures say. From what I can gather, this passage is reminding is that striving to live by the law and doing works according to the law with the intent of gaining salvation will never achieve that goal. The works are futile. We can only gain salvation by putting our faith and hope in Jesus Christ, the only person that has ever fulfilled the law, or ever will.

It is through Him, and Him alone, that we are saved. He is the one who bestows the blessing of eternal life upon us. It is at this point that the work that we perform out of our love for Him and our gratitude for what He has done for us, that these works become blessed. The faith must always come first. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!