March 7, 2018
Righteousness for the Ungodly
Romans 4:4-5
Elizabeth Mark
Central Truth
No one has ever earned—or will ever earn—salvation through works, so our loving and just God offers righteousness through His Son’s death on the cross to anyone who believes. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, you can be reconciled to God through faith alone!
Romans 4:4-5
Dive Deeper | Romans 4:4-5
The beginning of my life was dominated by a belief of being owed the outcome that I worked for. Following rules for parents’ approval, studying for good grades, practicing endlessly to win games, acting a certain way for friends or guys . . . the list goes on. It took much exhaustion and heartache to learn that not all outcomes are guaranteed. Even when terms are set, like a paycheck for completing a job, there are some standards I’ll never be able to meet no matter how hard I work.
I did a lot of good things and somehow thought I could earn my salvation. Put simply, I believed God owed me salvation for my good works. It was absurd to think that God, Creator of the universe, owed me anything! No matter how many service projects I did, Bible studies I led, or days I read God’s Word, my life was going to be marked by sin, making me unrighteous before God. Works can only earn salvation for one who perfectly follows God’s commands (Deuteronomy 27:26; Galatians 3:10). As a sinner, not only was I unable to earn salvation, but in reality, I owed God a debt for my sin.
Scripture says we are all sinners, and sin deserves death (Romans 3:23, 6:23). But there is good news! God provided a way for us to have eternal life with Him despite our sin. All we have to do to accept this gift of eternal life is to have faith in Jesus Christ. By having faith in God’s promises, believing that Jesus’ death and resurrection were enough, we will be viewed as righteous. How crazy is it that we deserve death, but God offers us eternal life?
As a people-pleaser who struggles with pride and performance, I found it difficult to truly believe that I couldn’t earn salvation. However, understanding the source of my salvation and accepting Christ as my Savior has brought freedom—freedom from the standard of perfection and freedom from the failure to live up to perfection. By having faith in Christ, you, too, can live in freedom now and also with God for eternity!
This month's memory verse
10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
– Romans 3:10–11
Discussion Questions
1. What promise has God made in today’s passage? How has this promise changed your life? If it hasn’t, what is stopping you from believing this truth?
2. Is there anything you believe God owes you? Is there anything you expect from God that He has not promised? If your answer is "nothing" to both of these questions, are there any actions or attitudes in your life that suggest otherwise?
3. Do you tend to lean more towards believing you can earn your salvation by works or believing you could never receive salvation because of your sin? For a deeper dive, reflect on Ephesians 2:1-10, Titus 3:1-8, 1 John 1:5–2:2, and 1 Timothy 1:12-17.