Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Who is Israel?

Who is Israel? Part 2 of 6

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2002-01-13

Synopsis: In this sermon, John Weaver continues his series on the identity of Israel by examining Romans 4 to show that Abraham was justified by faith alone, not by works, circumcision, or the law. He argues that Abraham was an idolatrous Chaldean by nationality, called by God's sovereign grace, and that true children of Abraham are those who share his faith, not merely his physical descent. The sermon refutes the idea that salvation comes through external rites or law-keeping, emphasizing that justification is by grace through faith in Christ alone.

[John Weaver] Alright, if not, let's open our Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4. And we're going to read the first 17 verses. So for those of you who missed last week, you need to hit the tape and listen to it. This is going to be a continuation. I'm still basically in an introductory state. There's probably going to be two or three more messages. But in Romans chapter 4, Beginning there with verse 1, the scripture says, What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath were up to glory, but not before God. For once saith the scripture, Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

[John Weaver] Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also described it, the blessedness of the man in whom God imputed the righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Come at this blessedness then upon the circumcision only or upon the uncircumcision also. For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned when he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, the seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them, and the father of circumcision of them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had yet being uncircumcised.

[John Weaver] For the promise that he should 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 they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. Because the law worketh wrath, for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is a faith that it might be by grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed, Not of that only which is of the law, but of that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

[John Weaver] At first there is the natural, and then there is the spiritual or the safe, whichever you want to call it. Because secondly, there we see the contrast between the first Adam, who is of the earth earthy, and the second Adam, who is the Lord from heaven, who is of course the Lord Jesus Christ himself. But I pointed out that that principle held true in all of the Old Testament. Because you have, in the Old Testament, the tabernacle, the temple, all of this was what you and I would call natural, or carnal, or fleshly. And when you get to the New Testament, we find that all of that has been nothing more than symbolical and emblematical, and it's all been replaced by the true and the real substance, which is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

[John Weaver] We also found out in Romans 2, the passage that we looked at, that a true Judahite is one who worships God in the spirit, and who has no confidence in the flesh, but his praise is of God and not of man." We looked at the word Judahite, and I told you that the word Judahite literally referred to someone who lived in the kingdom of Judah, or was from the tribe of Judah, or the land of Judah, or from the house of Judah. The word Jew is translated in our Bible usually refers to the Judahites, that is, someone from the house and the tribe of Judah, or from the land of Judah, etc. And just a few times in the Bible it talks about the Jews' religion, which then would refer to Judaism. And I pointed out the fact, with this understanding, there is no way in the world that we can be called Judeo-Christians because we have nothing to do with the religion of Judaism. Christ fought Judaism. Christ established Christianity.

[John Weaver] Now, I said if you want to refer to us as Old Testament and New Testament Christians, or even Hebrew, or having an Israelite connection, wonderful, fine. But Judaism and Christianity are absolutely totally opposites, and you find how Christ condemned Judaism in Matthew chapter 5, Matthew chapter 15, Matthew 23, and over and over in the New Testament. And then I pointed out this statement, and it caught some of you by surprise, when I said that Jesus Christ was not a Jew. And He was not. He was a Judahite.

[John Weaver] He was of the tribe, of the house, of the lineage of Judah. But he was not a Jew in the sense that Jew today is taken as a religion. It is taken as Judaism. And Christ did not embrace Judaism. In fact, what He was doing in Matthew chapter 5 was He was correcting all of the misinterpretations and misapplications of those Pharisees. So He certainly was not a Jew. He did not embrace Judaism. In fact, if you look in your Bibles, whole Romans 4, but look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27, Matthew 27, and look at verses 19-26, and I want you to understand that it was the Jews who were always persecuting Jesus Christ and attacking Him because He did not keep their traditions. So in Matthew 27, beginning there with verse 19, and when He, that is Pilate, was set down on the judgment seat, His wife sinned in Him saying, have thou nothing to do with that just man, that is Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] For I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude." Now note, the chief priests and the elders. So we're talking about the religious leaders now. The chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas and destroy Jesus. Now Barabbas, you know, was a murderer, a seditionist. And a thief, notice verse 21, the governor answered and said unto them, Whither of the twain will you that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?

[John Weaver] They all say, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why? What evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person. See you to it. Now, let me just stop there just for a second.

[John Weaver] Look, if you would please, once again at verse 20. But the chief priests and the elders persuaded Whom did they persuade? The multitude, or the rest of the Jews. Now skip down to verse 25. Then answered all the people, that is all the Jewish people that were there, and said, His blood be on us and on our children. Then released Teberabbas unto them, and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. So very clearly then, the Jews had nothing to do with Christ. They hated Him, and they wanted Him to be crucified. So the point I'm trying to make is, Jesus Christ was not a Jew in the sense that he embraced Judaism. Christianity and Judaism are absolutely, totally opposite.

[John Weaver] Now if you'll go back in your Bibles to Romans chapter 4, let's look at verse 1 because a question is asked there that has direct bearing on our subject. The question is asked, what shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? So note carefully, the Bible is asking, what are we going to say about Abraham, our father, according to the flesh, what he had found? In other words, what did fleshly, natural, carnal Abraham find? Now, before I answer that question, and I'm going to answer it a little bit later, allow me to ask you a question. Please don't answer this out loud. But here's my question. What was Abraham's nationality? What was his nationality? Now, I'm not asking who he's descended from. I'm going to show you that in just a moment, too. But what was his nationality originally? Now, think about that. That's it.

[John Weaver] Now, from whence did he spring? Was he, like Paul, boasting, a Hebrew of the Hebrew, a Pharisee of the Pharisees? And, of course, no. Look in your Bible, whole Romans 4, to Genesis chapter 11. Genesis chapter 11. And notice, if you would please, verse 11. Genesis 11 and verse 11. The Bible says in Shem, you remember Noah had three sons, Shem, Hammond, Japheth. And Shem lived after he begat our facts in 500 years and begat sons and daughters. Now skip down to verse 26. And Terah lived 70 years, and we get Abram, Nahor, and Haran. So Terah then is in the genealogy of Shem, and so Abraham his son, or Abram his son, would be in the genealogy of Shem. So you could say that Abram was indeed a Shemite because he was a descendant of Noah's son Shem. Then if you look in Genesis 14 and verse 13, we're going back to Genesis 11, so hold it, Genesis chapter 14 and verse 13 the Bible says, And there came one that had escaped and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol and brother

[John Weaver] of Aner, and these were confederate with Abram. But now notice Abram is called the Hebrew.

[John Weaver] Now, how in the world do you get that? Well, the word Hebrew is from the word Eber. If you'll go back to Genesis 11 and look at verses 16 and 17, you will see that Eber was also one of Abram's ancestors. Notice verse 16, And Eber lived four hundred and thirty years and begat Peleg. And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years and begat sons and daughters. And you go right on down and then Abram, and his father Terah are descendants of Eber. So the word Eber, an Eberite or a Hebrew. So the word simply means a descendant of Eber or an Eberite or a Hebrew.

[John Weaver] Now the Old Testament is quite clear in its statement that Abraham's home was in lower Mesopotamia and especially Ur and the Bible says it is Ur of the Chaldeans. Now, it is true that he lived in Haran, which is in the upper Mesopotamia Valley as well, and he lived there on his journey and on his trek over to Canaan land, that is true. But the Bible specifically says that he was from Ur of the Chaldees, and Ur is in southern Mesopotamia. In fact, the Word of God says, if you look in Genesis chapter 11, And verse 28, and Haran died before his father Tira in the land of his nativity in Ur of the Chaldees. Verse 27, now these are the generations of Tira. Tira begat Abram, Nahor and Haran, and Haran begat Lot, and Haran died before his father Tira in the land of his nativity in Ur of the Chaldees. And so Abraham then was in Ur of the Chaldees. So the word Chaldees is really another way Another word for Babylon, so to speak.

[John Weaver] So you could call him a Chaldean, you could call him a Babylonian by nationality. In fact, let me show you something interesting. Look in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 51. I don't know if you've ever thought about this or not, but Isaiah 51, and look at verses 1 and 2. And here's another question that we could ask ourselves, Isaiah 51 verses 1 and 2.

[John Weaver] The Word of God says,"...hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness." So He's speaking then to those who follow after righteousness, to those who are believers. He says,"...hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look unto the rock which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit which you were digged, Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bear you, for I called him, and blessed him, and increased him."

[John Weaver] Now go back to verse 1. God says,"...hearken to Me, you that fall after righteousness, you that seek the Lord." So He's talking to the godly. He's talking to the righteous. Then He tells us in verse 1,"...look unto the rock which you are hewn, and to the hole of the pit which you are digged." What is he saying? Look back at your beginnings if you are one who follow after righteousness, if you genuinely seek the Lord. And then he says in verse 2, look unto Abraham your father and unto Sarah that bear you. In other words, God says you've been hewn out and you've been pulled out. So he says you better look and see what you were hewn out of and what you were pulled out of. You better see what the nationality really was.

[John Weaver] Now, why use that language? Let me tell you why. Because the Chaldeans, or the Babylonians, were notorious idolaters. They worshipped mainly the moon god and other idols as well. But the moon god was a big cult in Babylon, especially even in Ur of the Chaldeans.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. When God found Abraham, Abraham was an idolater. He lived in Ur of the Chaldees. And when God called him, and by the way, God did call him, he did not call God. Look back in your Bibles. First of all, the Genesis 12. And then I want you to go to Acts chapter 7. Look in Genesis chapter 12 and verse 1. Genesis 12 verse 1.

[John Weaver] Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee." Note, now the Lord had sent unto Abram. God came to Abram. God called him and said, you get out.

[John Weaver] Now if you look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 7, and let's begin reading there with verse 2. Acts chapter 7, and note if you would please verse 2. Acts 7, verse 2. And he said, Stephen is speaking here, then he said, Men and brethren and fathers, hearken, the God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Iran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I will show thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Iran, and from thence when his father was dead he removed him into this land where you now dwell." So the scripture makes it exceedingly plain then that Abraham dwelt in the land of the Chaldees and specifically Ur of the Chaldees. So he was from Mesopotamia.

[John Weaver] By nationality he was a Chaldean. or Babylonian.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to Genesis chapter 24. I'm trying to show you why God is saying, you look to the rock which you were hewn out of and the pit out of which you were digged out. Go back to Genesis chapter 24. Because you remember, when Abraham then got ready to find a bride for his son Isaac, he had some specific instructions for his servant Eliezer. Notice Genesis 24 and verse 1. Now Abraham was old and well stricken in age, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son

[John Weaver] of the daughters of the Canaanites in whom I dwell. But thou shalt go into my country, and up my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac."

[John Weaver] Now, of course, that is exactly what he did. Now, if you would notice down to verse 10, And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed, and all the goods of his master which were in his hand. And he arose, and went into where? Mesopotamia. unto the city of Nahor." Now, I want you to note, if you would please, verse 15. I'm just going to point this out. And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her picture upon her shoulder. Now, I want you to note, her father's name was Bethuel. Skip down to verse 29 and let's see what her brother's name is. And Rebecca had a brother and his name was Laban and Laban ran out into the man under the well. So the father then is Bethuel and the brother is Laban. Now I want you to know their nationality. Look in your Bibles to Genesis 25 and verse 20.

[John Weaver] Genesis 25 and verse 20.

[John Weaver] And Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel, the Syrian, of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban, the Syrian. Now it's important that you understand that this family now has gone to an area of the country, and they were referred to now as Syrians, And this is extremely important, and I'm going to tell you why. Because when Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebekah, was ready to marry, where was he sent? Well, let's look. Look in Genesis 28, beginning there with verse 1. Genesis 28, verse 1. And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel, my mother's father, and take thee away from Binstab, the daughters of Laban, my mother's brother." So Jacob is sent back and said, you don't marry a Canaanite, you go back and you get you a woman from my mother's brother. or your mother's brother, who was Laban, and he was referred to as Laban the Syrian.

[John Weaver] Look in verse 5,"...and Isaac sent away Jacob, and he went to Paddan Aram, and to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the mother Rebekah, Jacob and Esau's son." Now, you don't have to turn there, but in Genesis 31 and verse 20, and verse 24, Laban is once again called Laban the Syrian. You do know that Jacob went there in that country. You know the story.

[John Weaver] How he served 14 years for Leah and Rachel. You remember that? Seven for each. And then of course he served another six years for the cattle that he got from Laban. That's another story. But so Jacob now has been in Syria for 20 years. In fact, look in Genesis 31. and verse 41. Genesis 31, verse 41. Here's Jacob's own words. He's talking to Laban, his father-in-law. He says, Thus have I been twenty years in thy house. I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters and six years for thy cattle, and now has changed my wages ten times. So Laban was not necessarily a very honest man, you see. But here Jacob is saying, I served you for 20 years. So for 20 years, Jacob was in the land of Paddan Arium, or the land of Syria. Now, I'm not going to go into Genesis 32, but you do know in Genesis 32, Jacob had a wrestling match with the angel. And of course, the angel was the Lord himself. And the Lord changed Jacob's name.

[John Weaver] He changed it to Israel. Now, I want you to look in Deuteronomy chapter 26. It is with this understanding that you will be able to comprehend the confession that the descendants of Jacob had to make at the feast of the first fruits. You remember Jacob then sojourned in the land of Syria for 20 years. Look in Deuteronomy 26 and begin there with verse 1. And it shall be when thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possesses it, and dwelleth therein. So here Jacob's descendants now are coming into Canaan land.

[John Weaver] They're going to possess it. And thou shalt take of the first of all of the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring up by land, that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shalt be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy God that I am come into the country which the Lord sweareth our fathers for to give us, And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God. And thou shalt speak, and say before the Lord thy God, Watch it, a Syrian ready to perish was my father.

[John Weaver] And he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation great, mighty, and populous. And so God said, You tell me that your father was a Syrian, ready to perish. So Abraham was not only an idolater, so to speak, but also was Jacob ready to perish.

[John Weaver] Now it is for this reason that I want you to turn back now to Romans chapter 4 and let's ask the question again. Remember the nationality of Abraham was that he was a Chaldean. Jacob was referred to as a Syrian. for he lived in Paddan Aram for twenty years. Notice if you would please verse one. What shall we say then that Abraham our father as pertaining to the flesh hath found?

[John Weaver] Now what does that mean? What is the question asking? It means simply this. What has Abraham in his natural state In his carnal, physical state, what has he found? What it is telling us is this, and I'm going to show it to you in the rest of this chapter, that Abraham did not earn, merit, or work for his salvation or his justification. It had nothing to do with his flesh. It had nothing to do with his family. What did he find? Here's what he found, and I'm going to show it to you in this passage. He found that salvation was by grace alone, through faith, and not of oneself. He found that God's salvation, that God's justification, had nothing to do with works.

[John Weaver] Now watch how verse 2 explains verse 1. What shall we say then that Abraham our father's pertaining to the flesh hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, We're after glory, but not before God. So if salvation then was based upon Abraham, or anything that he was, or anything that he could do, or anything that he did, he would have a reason to boast in the glory, but certainly not before God, because he would have justified himself or earned salvation himself. He could not glory in God because his salvation would not have been dependent upon the sovereignty of God. So, verse 2 says, and he had no right to boast before God, skip down to verse 4.

[John Weaver] Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. So, if Abraham had earned or merited his salvation in any way, it could never have been of grace. It would have had to have been debt. In other words, if God saved Abraham for who he was, it was out of debt. If God saved Abraham for what he did, it was out of debt. But Paul says, oh no, He didn't save him out of debt. He saved him because of grace.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just tell you this. To understand Romans chapter 4, you've got to understand that in Romans chapter 3, Paul begins an argument of justification by faith alone, and that argument runs from Romans 3 to Romans 8. It is one total, complete argument. So in Romans 4, actually Paul is dealing with an objection because those Jews would say, but what about Abraham, our father? Wasn't he justified by works? And the Apostle Paul is saying, no, Abraham was justified by faith.

[John Weaver] Now, look if you would please at verse 12. I'm going to come back to this in just a moment. Look in Romans 4, verse 12. And the father of circumcision, to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of the faith, of our father Abraham, which he had yet being uncircumcised. Now in verse 12, he's called our father Abraham, but he's called that in a specific sense. Look in verse 16. I'll come back to this verse. Therefore, it is a faith that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed, not that only which is of the law, but that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all." So Abraham is called our father, but he's called our father and the father of us all in a specific way. For instance, I want you to begin with me by looking in verses 3-9 on the first point today, and that is the declaration of Abraham's experience.

[John Weaver] The declaration of Abraham's experience. So let's go back to verse 3. Since he's the father of the faithful and the father of the faith, let's look then at the declarations of his experience. In verse 3, the Bible says, For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. The first thing I want you to see is this, is the declaration that Abraham's faith and justification was a work of God alone. Look closely at verse 3, for what saith the Scripture? Now it says this in the book of Genesis, it says it here, it says it in Galatians, we'll look at it a little bit later there. But what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God. And it was counted him for righteousness. Now, if Abraham believed God, What is the most fundamental assumption? God had to speak to Abraham. God had to reveal Himself to Abraham. In other words, it was not who Abraham was. It was not what Abraham did. God spoke to him. God revealed Himself. Because Abraham could not have known who God was or anything about God apart from divine revelation.

[John Weaver] That's why in Genesis 12 we read,"...and God came to Abraham, and he said, Get thee out of my country, from my family, and from my kindred, into a country that I will show thee." The Bible says in Genesis 15 once again,"...and God spoke to Abraham." In other words, it was a divine revelation. It was God revealing Himself. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Matthew, but as you turn there, I want you to remember that Abraham was living in the land of Ur of the Chaldeans. He was living in the land of idols. He was living in the land of idolatry. Notice in Matthew chapter 11, here it is pointed out very clearly. Matthew 11, notice if you would please verse 26. Matthew 11, verse 26. Here's what the Scripture says.

[John Weaver] Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Now look at verse 27. Here's what our Lord says. All things are delivered unto me of my Father. All things are delivered unto me of my Father. And no man knoweth the Son, but the Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, And he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Let me ask you a question. How does a man know who Jesus Christ is? The answer is the Father reveals him. How does a man know who the Father is? The answer is Jesus Christ reveals him. Apart from that knowledge, no one can know.

[John Weaver] Abraham was in Ur of the Counties. He could not know who God was apart from divine revelation. Look in your Bibles to Matthew 16, beginning there with verse 13. You'll see another truth. Matthew 16, verse 13. Notice what Jesus Christ says. When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, or others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. And he said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Then Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. How did Peter know who Jesus Christ was? Not because he had been taught by man, not because he had been instructed in the academies, but because the Father had revealed it unto him.

[John Weaver] So Abraham is an heir of the Chaldeans. And the very first declaration of his experience is this. that his faith and his justification was the work of God alone. God came to Abraham. God revealed himself to Abraham. God called Abraham.

[John Weaver] Now, go back to Romans chapter 14 and look at verse 5. Romans 14 verse 5. Here's the second declaration. And that is the declaration that Abraham was a sinner and ungodly. The Bible says in verse 5,"...but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 14 verse 5,"...but to him that worketh not..." Romans 4, I'm sorry. Did I say 14? I'm sorry. Romans 4. That's our text. That's where I'm going. Romans 4 verse 5, But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now note, if justification is by faith, and if God justifies the ungodly, if Abraham was justified faith, what does that mean about Abraham? He's ungodly. He is lost. He is a sinner. He was wicked. Now, the reason I'm making this point is not only because of what Scripture very clearly and plainly says, but because Jewish law teaches that Abraham was not ungodly, that he was not a sinner.

[John Weaver] In fact, let me give you two direct quotes. Here's one of their claims. Quote, Abraham was perfect in all of his deeds with the Lord and well-pleasing in righteousness all the days of his life, end quote. Well, all the days of his life would have to be even before he was converted. But if that's not plain enough, listen to this. Here's another statement. They state, quote, Abraham, our father, hath performed the whole law before it was given, end quote. Now that's a feat.

[John Weaver] To be obedient to something in totality before you ever know about it. Well, what are they saying? Well, let me tell you. If they say that Abraham kept the whole law perfectly before it was given, what they're saying is that Abraham earned and merited and worked out his salvation. So what they're teaching, basically, is salvation by works. And Scripture is exceedingly plain that that is totally heretical and erroneous.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to Romans 5, verse 6. Look at what the Bible says. Romans 5, verse 6. For when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for whom? For the ungodly. Skip down to verse 8. But God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Well, very clearly, Abraham was a sinner. Abraham was ungodly because he was justified by faith. And it is only God who justifies the ungodly by faith.

[John Weaver] So Paul's argument is exceedingly clear. If Abraham was justified by faith and not of works, he was ungodly. He was a sinner. You know what the Bible says in Matthew 18 verse 11? Now listen to me. For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost. Isn't that simple? You've got to be lost to be saved. That's all there is to it. Now, the Word of God says in John 8 and verse 56, Jesus Christ, looking at those Jews, said this. He says, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. How could Abraham see the day of Christ? Someone answer that. By faith. And if Abraham saw it by faith, that means he was justified by faith, which means he was ungodly and a sinner. So we're looking at the declarations of his experience.

[John Weaver] Look down to Romans chapter 4, not 14, but Romans chapter 4 and verses 6 through 8. The third declaration is this, the declaration that Scripture confirms the experience of Abraham. Romans 4 verse 6, even as David also described it, the blessedness of the man, on whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also. For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. Now, I want you to understand that the declaration is that scripture confirms the experience of Abraham. Two of the most treasured and honored and revered men in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, were David and Abraham. Now, Paul is saying, and Abraham confessed that he believed God, And Abraham is saying that he was saved by grace through faith, justified by faith, and now along comes David. And David says the same thing. And who's going to argue with David and Abraham?

[John Weaver] For instance, if you would hold Romans chapter 4, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 32. Here's the direct quote that Paul takes in Romans chapter 4. It is from Psalm 32, beginning there with verse 1. Psalm 32, verse 1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man in whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, in whose spirit there is no guile. Blessed is the man, or blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man in whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. Now go back to Romans 4, look in verse 6. Even as David also described the blessedness of the man unto whom the Lord imputed righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Now, what the Scripture is saying is this. Whomever God justifies is blessed indeed. Why? Because God does not charge sin to their accounts.

[John Weaver] Do you understand that is basically what justification is. It is a declaration that we are sinless before the law. But the only way that we are sinless before the law is because we are in Jesus Christ who kept the law of God perfectly. So, what God does when He justifies us He pronounces us righteous in light of the law, and that is all by faith in the work of Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] It is not based upon works, our works. It is not based upon our merit, who we are, what we've done. No, no, no. It is based solely and totally and completely upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. And consequently, because we believe in Christ, our transgressions are forgiven. And that's why he's declaring the blessedness of this man, unto whom God will not impute sin. Rather, what he imputes or charges to his account is absolute righteousness.

[John Weaver] Now, look at Romans 4 again for the second point. I only have two points today. We've looked at the declarations of Abraham's experience. Now I want you to look secondly at the circumstances of his experience, and that is actually verses 9 through 11. Verse 9, come at this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also. For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? When he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision. But in uncircumcision, and he received the sign of circumcision, the seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had yet being uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.

[John Weaver] Let's just stop there for a moment. The scripture is telling us that God justified Abraham before he was given the ordinance of circumcision. So justification, or if you want to say salvation, you cannot be saved without being justified. You cannot be justified without being saved. What he's telling us is justification or salvation is not based upon externals. And literally what the Apostle Paul is doing in verses 9-11, is he is striking out against what is known as the institutionalization of the faith. Now I'm going to show you what that means in just for a moment. When I talk about the institutionalizing of the faith, it just simply means this, that people are saved by virtue of certain right or ceremony or work. Paul says that is not true. Abraham was saved before the right of circumcision was given. Abraham was justified before the right of circumcision was given. It is not circumcision that saves. It is not baptism that saves. It is not church membership that saves. It is the triune God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ that saves.

[John Weaver] Let me show you the tendency to institutionalize faith. Look in your Bibles. Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15. There was a big argument over this. In fact, there was an entire council known as the Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15. They came together to consider this thing. Look in Acts chapter 15, verse 1. And certain men, which came down from Judea, taught the brethren and said, except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved. Now, why is Paul arguing that Abraham was saved before he was circumcised?

[John Weaver] Because he knew that these Jews, these Judaizers, would say, oh, wait a minute. If you really want to be saved, you've got to be circumcised. You have to go through our rite. You have to go through our ordinance. You have to go through the externals. Look in verse 5. Acts 15, verse 5. But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. Look in verse 24. Forasmuch as we have heard that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words subverting your souls, saying, You must be circumcised and keep the law, to whom we gave no such commandment. Now I want you to note what Scripture says. Scripture says if you're placing faith in a rite or an ordinance, then you are being subverted. Your soul is being subverted. And so this is what I'm talking about as the institutionalism of faith. So just as the Judaizers in the days of the apostles demanded that if you're really going to be saved you have to be circumcised, likewise today there are plenty of people saying if you're going to be saved you must be baptized.

[John Weaver] You must be baptized by this group or a special group. You must be baptized in this position or you must do this or you must do that. In other words, It's all based upon externals. Paul says, no, no, no. Certainly, we cannot deprecate any ordinance that God ordained. But on the other hand, we cannot abuse and misuse and pervert those ordinances and make them teach what God never intended them to teach. So, the Apostle Paul is saying, look, Abraham was justified before he was circumcised. What is he saying? The very fact that Abraham was justified before circumcision demonstrates that God is able to save whom He will, when He will, and where He wills. One does not have to be a Judahite or a Pharisee in order to be justified. One does not have to keep the externals, the rites, and the ordinances demanded by a certain group to be justified. God saves and God justifies without the externals. Now I want you to look down to Romans 4 and verse 11. Watch carefully what the Bible says.

[John Weaver] And he received the sign of circumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised. Did Abraham have faith before or after he was circumcised? Before. Why was circumcision given? It was just a sign. It was just a seal. That's all. He was already saved. It's just like we want our wives to wear their wedding bands. Why? It's a sign. It's sealed that they're married. But you can take that wedding band off, but that doesn't mean that you're no longer married. And that's all he said it is. Now, I want to point something out. I want you to note in verse 11, he says, and he received the sign of circumcision, sealed the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised, that he might be the father, help me out now, that he might be the father of whom?

[John Weaver] Of all them that believe. Now, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed on them also.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make a statement. In this sense of the word, Abraham is only the true father of those who believe. He is not the father of unbelievers. I don't care who they are. Let me show you what I'm talking about. Look in your Bibles to John chapter 8. John chapter 8. And let's begin there with verse 1. John 8, verse 1. And just to save time, I'm going to skip through this chapter and pick out the verses. You can read the whole chapter when you get home. But John 8, verse 1.

[John Weaver] Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, and early in the morning He came again into the temple. And all the people came unto Him, and He sat down and He taught them. OK, we've got the people. We've got the scribes and the Pharisees, verse 3. The scribes and the Pharisees brought him a woman, taking an adultery. So we've got the people there, we've got the scribes and the Pharisees there. Skip down to verse 13. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou barest record of thyself, thy record is not true. Who were the Pharisees?

[John Weaver] They were the straightest sect of believers. They would have been called the fundamentalists in Christ's day. The Sadducees would have been the liberals. So here are the Pharisees now. They say your record's not true because you're bearing record of yourself.

[John Weaver] Now, skip down to verse 20. These words spake Jesus in the treasury as he taught in the temple. So he's in the temple. And no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet come. Then said Jesus unto them, I go my way, and you shall seek me, and you shall die in your sins. Whether I go, you cannot come." Then said the Jews, will he kill himself? Because he said, whether I go, you cannot come.

[John Weaver] And he said unto them, you are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins, for if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins.

[John Weaver] Now, skip down to verse 30. As he spake these words, many believed on him. And by the way, that's a different sermon. I hope you know there is an intellectual belief. There's a historical belief. There's a demonic belief, and then there's a saving belief. But notice verse 31. Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on him, if You continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed. In other words, it's not just a profession that makes you evident that you're my child. There must be a continuation in my word. There must be the perseverance and the preservation in the word. He said in verse 32, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Now, what's this argument?

[John Weaver] They asked him, we the Abraham seed. And were never in bondage to any man, how sayest thou, you shall be made free?" What are they claiming in verse 33? We be Abraham's seed. In other words, we're Abraham's descendants. We're his offspring. That's what they're claiming. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is a servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house forever, but the Son abideth forever. If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. Look what Christ said to these people, I know that you're Abraham's seed, but you seek to kill me because my word hath no place in you. Now in verse 33 they say we're Abraham's physical descendants, we're his seed. In verse 37 Christ says, I know that you're Abraham's seed, but you seek to kill me because my word hath no place in you.

[John Weaver] I speak that which I have seen with my Father, and you do that which you have seen with your Father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our Father. Jesus said unto them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God. This did not Abraham. You do the deeds of your father.

[John Weaver] Then they say unto him, We be not born of fornication. We have one father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your father, you would love me, for I proceeded forth and came from God. Neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? Even because you cannot hear my word, you are of your father the devil. And the lust of your father you will do."

[John Weaver] He was a murderer from the beginning and a bogdawg of the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks of a lie, he speaks of his own for he's a liar and the father of it.

[John Weaver] Now, in verse 33 they said, we'd be Abraham's seed. In verse 37 Christ says, I know you're Abraham's seed. But when you get to verse 39, He denies that they're Abraham's children. You see the distinction? You can be a physical descendant of Abraham, and still not be a child of Abraham. In fact, our Lord went on to say to these unbelievers, you are of your father, the devil. Abraham's not your father. Because Abraham is the father of those who believe, according to Romans chapter 4. Now, go back to Romans chapter 4, because I want you to see, and we're looking at this, that God justified Abraham before he gave him the ordinance of circumcision. Now in verses 13 through 15, God gave Abraham the promise before he gave the law. Romans 4 verse 13. Now the promise that he should be heir of the world, you know that's a very significant term. It just hit me.

[John Weaver] My wife and I were talking about this coming over here. Abraham is not just the heir of a little patch of land over the Middle East, OK? He's the heir of the world, and there's another scripture I want to bring out later on. For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. Because the law worketh wrath, for where no law is, there is no transgression. Now, I want you to note, if you would please, God gave Abraham faith and God gave Abraham the promise before the law was given. So Paul is emphasizing that Abraham was not justified by his circumcision and he was not justified by any keeping of the law. The promise that he should be heir of the world was through faith. Now Paul makes it plain that if justification is by the deeds of the law, if it is by the works of man, if it is by externals such as circumcision and baptism, then faith is made void.

[John Weaver] And the promise of none effect. Look at it in verse 14. For if they which are of the law be heirs... If you want to hang on to the externals, If you want to hang on to the rites, if you want to hang on to the works, he said, if they which be of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is none effect. So he's saying, in essence, if you're going to hang to the strict letter of the law, Christ will do you no good. None of the promises will do you any good. Because if you claim that everything is by the law, then you're destroying faith, you're destroying Scripture.

[John Weaver] In other words, there's just no hope for you. Everything is by grace through faith.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you what he is saying in verse 15. Here is why justification can never be by the law. He says, because the law worketh wrath. For where no law is, there is no transgression. What does it mean when it says the law worketh wrath? It means simply this, that it is the law that brings men into judgment because the curse of the law. Let me show you the curse.

[John Weaver] Hold Romans 4, but go in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3 and look at verses 10 through 12. Galatians 3. Verses 10 through 12. Here's what it means when it says the law work it ran. Galatians 3 verse 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. So if you want to earn justification and salvation by the law, you're under the curse. For it is written, cursed is everyone that continues not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law on the side of God and his evidence, for the just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith, it's works. And the law is not of faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Now, go back to verse 10. For as many as are for the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueeth not in all the things which are written in the book of the law of the world.

[John Weaver] What does the law demand of every individual? Three things. The law demands a personal obedience. It demands, secondly, a perfect obedience. And it demands, thirdly, a perpetual obedience. Now, if you cannot give the God's law a personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience, you're under the curse. You're under the condemnation. You're going to come into judgment.

[John Weaver] Now, to show you how simple this is. Let's suppose that from this day forward, you were able to be perfect. You never committed another sin internally or externally. You were perfect. You were personally perfect and perpetually perfect. Would that earn you an entrance into God's kingdom? No, because what about all those sins you committed before you got perfect? You see, the salvation or justification by the law is impossible. For the law worketh wrath. Then he says in Romans 4, for where no law is, there is no transgression.

[John Weaver] Now, what he's saying, if you try to find the promise under the law, you're going to find the opposite. You're going to find wrath. If you try to find the blessing under the law, you're going to find the opposite. You're going to find a curse. The reason justification can never be by the law is because the law worketh ramp. Now, what does it mean when it says, for where no law is, there is no transgression? Certainly it does not mean without law there is no sin. People were sinners way before the law was given in Mount Sinai. And the way we know they were sinners is they died. The wages of sin is death. Well, it does not mean if there is no law there, there is no sin at all. No sin is still there. But what he is saying is this. It is the law that codifies, defines, and establishes the fact that sin is the transgression of the law. Without the law, we would still be sinners. But since we have the law, we now know how great and how vile and how wicked such sinners we really are.

[John Weaver] The law then magnifies our sin. It magnifies our guilt. The law then will not lead us to justification and blessings. The law will lead us to curses and condemnations. Look in Romans 3, beginning there in verse 19, here it is.

[John Weaver] Now we know that what things soever the law saith. It says to them that are under the law that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." If you really, truly understand the law, The Apostle Paul says all it will do is shut your mouth and make you guilty before God, and you will realize how big of a sinner you really are.

[John Weaver] Instead of justifying you, it will condemn you. Instead of erasing your sins, it will magnify your sins.

[John Weaver] Now, go back to Romans 4. I want you to note, in verses 9-12, He tells us that Abraham was justified before circumcision. In verses 13-15, he tells us that Abraham was justified before the law was given.

[John Weaver] Now Paul's conclusion is found in verse 16. Look at it. Therefore, the words based on everything that I've said previously in Romans chapter 4 says the Apostle Paul, therefore it, that is justification or salvation, is of faith, that it might be by grace to thee, and the promise might be sure to all the seed, that is to Abraham's true children, not to that which is of the law, but also to that which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Now, verse 17, as it is written, I may be a father of many nations. That is, wherever God's elect are, they will be made manifest by the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, the father of all who believe. He said, therefore, I may be a father of many nations before him whom he believed, even God who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to one last passage. That's Galatians chapter three. I'm trying to demonstrate that Abraham is indeed the father of believers. He talks about walking in the steps of Abraham's faith. But notice, if you would, how plain this passage is. Galatians 3, verse 6. Even as Abraham believed God, it was accounted to him for righteousness. It doesn't say even as Abraham was circumcised, it was accounted to him for righteousness. Or even as Abraham was baptized, it was counted to him for righteousness. Or even as Abraham was sanitized, no, no, no. Even as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.

[John Weaver] Now look what he says. Know ye, therefore, that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Who are the true children of Abraham? Those who are of faith. You say, but I'm a real fleshly Israelite. It doesn't matter. If you do not have faith in Jesus Christ, you're just a lost fleshly Israelite. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith preached before the gospel and Abraham saying in thee shall all nations be blessed so then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Who is blessed with faithful Abraham? Only those who are of faith.

[John Weaver] I was talking to a friend of mine this week and we began to talk about the subject, who is Israel? And he stopped me and he said this, have you ever thought about how less trouble we would have in this world if every Christian understood three simple I said, what truth are you talking about? He said, well, if they understood Romans 13, first.

[John Weaver] Secondly, if they understood what the Bible taught about debt, they would stay out of it. And thirdly, if we found out that those folks living over in the Middle East are really not Israel, We'd save ourselves an awful lot of heartache and an awful lot of trouble and an awful lot of money. And that's a fact. That's a fact. It's amazing how those three truths understood from scripture could revolutionize our entire country. Learn what the Bible says about Romans 13 and civil government. Learn to stay out of debt. And to learn what Paul says in verse 7 of Galatians 3, Know ye therefore that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham. Let's pray.

[John Weaver] Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ for your grace and for your mercy and love to us. We pray, Lord, that you would give us understanding, that you would speak to our hearts, that you would encourage us, that you would indeed, Father, enable us to honor thee in all of our lives, bring our lives into conformity to your word. Help us do all things for your honor and your glory. Thank you, Father, for your grace and your mercy. Thank You for salvation by grace through faith. Thank You, Father, it's not of works, it's not of rites, but it's trusting solely and totally in Jesus Christ and who He is and what He has done. We give Thee the praise and the honor and the glory in Christ's name, Amen.

[John Weaver] Alright, you're dismissed, and don't forget the offerings, don't forget the fellowship with each other, don't forget the prayer request, and Lord willing, next Sunday, same time, same station. So let's just tell all Christians about those three things. Well, yeah, if we can get them to listen. If they want to kill you, you have to tell them. Well, I would have a fourth one that I'd really want to tell them.

[John Weaver] Thank you.

Who is Israel? Part 2 of 6

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	12103775
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Who is Israel?
Genre	Sermon
Date	2002-01-13
Dictation Name
Book	Book 168: Who is Israel? — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	91

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews the previous message, emphasizing the contrast between natural and spiritual Israel, and clarifies that Jesus was a Judahite by lineage but not a Jew in the religious sense of embracing Judaism.

Alright, if not, let's open our Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4. And we're going to read the first 17 verses. So for those of you who missed last week, you need to hit the tape and listen to it. This is going to be a continuation. I'm still basically in an introductory state. There's probably going to be two or three more messages. But in Romans chapter 4, beginning there with verse 1, the scripture says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 4:1-17

"What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had yet being uncircumcised." "For the promise, that he should 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 they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."

At first there is the natural, and then there is the spiritual or the safe, whichever you want to call it. Because secondly, there we see the contrast between the first Adam, who is of the earth earthy, and the second Adam, who is the Lord from heaven, who is of course the Lord Jesus Christ himself. But I pointed out that that principle held true in all of the Old Testament. Because you have, in the Old Testament, the tabernacle, the temple, all of this was what you and I would call natural, or carnal, or fleshly. And when you get to the New Testament, we find that all of that has been nothing more than symbolical and emblematical, and it's all been replaced by the true and the real substance, which is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

We also found out in Romans 2, the passage that we looked at, that a true Judahite is one who worships God in the spirit, and who has no confidence in the flesh, but his praise is of God and not of man. We looked at the word Judahite, and I told you that the word Judahite literally referred to someone who lived in the kingdom of Judah, or was from the tribe of Judah, or the land of Judah, or from the house of Judah. The word Jew is translated in our Bible usually refers to the Judahites, that is, someone from the house and the tribe of Judah, or from the land of Judah, etc. And just a few times in the Bible it talks about the Jews' religion, which then would refer to Judaism. And I pointed out the fact, with this understanding, there is no way in the world that we can be called Judeo-Christians because we have nothing to do with the religion of Judaism. Christ fought Judaism. Christ established Christianity.

Now, I said if you want to refer to us as Old Testament and New Testament Christians, or even Hebrew, or having an Israelite connection, wonderful, fine. But Judaism and Christianity are absolutely totally opposites, and you find how Christ condemned Judaism in Matthew chapter 5, Matthew chapter 15, Matthew 23, and over and over in the New Testament. And then I pointed out this statement, and it caught some of you by surprise, when I said that Jesus Christ was not a Jew. And He was not. He was a Judahite. He was of the tribe, of the house, of the lineage of Judah. But he was not a Jew in the sense that Jew today is taken as a religion. It is taken as Judaism. And Christ did not embrace Judaism. In fact, what He was doing in Matthew chapter 5 was He was correcting all of the misinterpretations and misapplications of those Pharisees. So He certainly was not a Jew. He did not embrace Judaism. In fact, if you look in your Bibles, hold Romans 4, but look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27, Matthew 27, and look at verses 19-26, and I want you to understand that it was the Jews who were always persecuting Jesus Christ and attacking Him because He did not keep their traditions. So in Matthew 27, beginning there with verse 19, "When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him." That is Jesus Christ.

"But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude." Now note, the chief priests and the elders. So we're talking about the religious leaders now. The chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. Now Barabbas, you know, was a murderer, a seditionist, and a thief. Notice verse 21, "The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?"

"They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it." Now, let me just stop there just for a second. Look, if you would please, once again at verse 20. "But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude." Whom did they persuade? The multitude, or the rest of the Jews. Now skip down to verse 25. "Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified." So very clearly then, the Jews had nothing to do with Christ. They hated Him, and they wanted Him to be crucified. So the point I'm trying to make is, Jesus Christ was not a Jew in the sense that he embraced Judaism. Christianity and Judaism are absolutely, totally opposite.

Now if you'll go back in your Bibles to Romans chapter 4, let's look at verse 1 because a question is asked there that has direct bearing on our subject. The question is asked, "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?" So note carefully, the Bible is asking, what are we going to say about Abraham, our father, according to the flesh, what he had found? In other words, what did fleshly, natural, carnal Abraham find? Now, before I answer that question, and I'm going to answer it a little bit later, allow me to ask you a question. Please don't answer this out loud. But here's my question. What was Abraham's nationality? What was his nationality? Now, I'm not asking who he's descended from. I'm going to show you that in just a moment, too. But what was his nationality originally? Now, think about that. That's it.

Abraham's Nationality and Idolatrous Background

Abraham was a Chaldean from Ur, an idolater called by God's sovereign revelation, not by his own seeking. Jacob is later called a Syrian, showing the humble origins of Israel.

Now, from whence did he spring? Was he, like Paul, boasting, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee of the Pharisees? And, of course, no. Look in your Bible, hold Romans 4, to Genesis chapter 11. Genesis chapter 11. And notice, if you would please, verse 11. Genesis 11 and verse 11. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 11:11,26-28

"And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters."

You remember Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now skip down to verse 26. "And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran." So Terah then is in the genealogy of Shem, and so Abraham his son, or Abram his son, would be in the genealogy of Shem. So you could say that Abram was indeed a Shemite because he was a descendant of Noah's son Shem. Then if you look in Genesis 14 and verse 13, we're going back to Genesis 11, so hold it, Genesis chapter 14 and verse 13 the Bible says, "And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram." But now notice Abram is called the Hebrew. Now, how in the world do you get that? Well, the word Hebrew is from the word Eber. If you'll go back to Genesis 11 and look at verses 16 and 17, you will see that Eber was also one of Abram's ancestors. Notice verse 16,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 11:11,26-28

"And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters."

And you go right on down and then Abram, and his father Terah are descendants of Eber. So the word Eber, an Eberite or a Hebrew. So the word simply means a descendant of Eber or an Eberite or a Hebrew. Now the Old Testament is quite clear in its statement that Abraham's home was in lower Mesopotamia and especially Ur, and the Bible says it is Ur of the Chaldees. Now, it is true that he lived in Haran, which is in the upper Mesopotamia Valley as well, and he lived there on his journey and on his trek over to Canaan land, that is true. But the Bible specifically says that he was from Ur of the Chaldees, and Ur is in southern Mesopotamia. In fact, the Word of God says, if you look in Genesis chapter 11, and verse 28, "And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees." Verse 27, "Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees." And so Abraham then was in Ur of the Chaldees. So the word Chaldees is really another way, another word for Babylon, so to speak.

So you could call him a Chaldean, you could call him a Babylonian by nationality. In fact, let me show you something interesting. Look in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 51. I don't know if you've ever thought about this or not, but Isaiah 51, and look at verses 1 and 2. And here's another question that we could ask ourselves, Isaiah 51 verses 1 and 2. The Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 51:1-2

"Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness."

So He's speaking then to those who follow after righteousness, to those who are believers. He says,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 51:1-2

"Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him."

Now go back to verse 1. God says, "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD." So He's talking to the godly. He's talking to the righteous. Then He tells us in verse 1, "Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged." What is he saying? Look back at your beginnings if you are one who follow after righteousness, if you genuinely seek the Lord. And then he says in verse 2, "Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you." In other words, God says you've been hewn out and you've been pulled out. So he says you better look and see what you were hewn out of and what you were pulled out of. You better see what the nationality really was.

Now, why use that language? Let me tell you why. Because the Chaldeans, or the Babylonians, were notorious idolaters. They worshipped mainly the moon god and other idols as well. But the moon god was a big cult in Babylon, especially even in Ur of the Chaldees.

Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. When God found Abraham, Abraham was an idolater. He lived in Ur of the Chaldees. And when God called him, and by the way, God did call him, he did not call God. Look back in your Bibles. First of all, the Genesis 12. And then I want you to go to Acts chapter 7. Look in Genesis chapter 12 and verse 1. Genesis 12 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Acts 7:2-4

"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee."

Note, "Now the LORD had said unto Abram." God came to Abram. God called him and said, you get out. Now if you look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 7, and let's begin reading there with verse 2. Acts chapter 7, and note if you would please verse 2. Acts 7, verse 2.

Scripture Reading — Acts 7:2-4

"And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell."

So the scripture makes it exceedingly plain then that Abraham dwelt in the land of the Chaldees and specifically Ur of the Chaldees. So he was from Mesopotamia.

By nationality he was a Chaldean, or Babylonian. Now, I want you to go back to Genesis chapter 24. I'm trying to show you why God is saying, you look to the rock which you were hewn out of and the pit out of which you were digged out. Go back to Genesis chapter 24. Because you remember, when Abraham then got ready to find a bride for his son Isaac, he had some specific instructions for his servant Eliezer. Notice Genesis 24 and verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 24:1-4,10,15,29

"And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac."

Now, of course, that is exactly what he did. Now, if you would notice down to verse 10, "And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor." Now, I want you to note, if you would please, verse 15. I'm just going to point this out. "And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder." Now, I want you to note, her father's name was Bethuel. Skip down to verse 29 and let's see what her brother's name is. "And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well." So the father then is Bethuel and the brother is Laban. Now I want you to know their nationality. Look in your Bibles to Genesis 25 and verse 20.

Genesis 25 and verse 20.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 25:20

"And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian."

Now it's important that you understand that this family now has gone to an area of the country, and they were referred to now as Syrians. And this is extremely important, and I'm going to tell you why. Because when Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebekah, was ready to marry, where was he sent? Well, let's look. Look in Genesis 28, beginning there with verse 1. Genesis 28, verse 1. "And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother." So Jacob is sent back and said, you don't marry a Canaanite, you go back and you get you a woman from my mother's brother, or your mother's brother, who was Laban, and he was referred to as Laban the Syrian.

Look in verse 5, "And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother." Now, you don't have to turn there, but in Genesis 31 and verse 20, and verse 24, Laban is once again called Laban the Syrian. You do know that Jacob went there in that country. You know the story. How he served 14 years for Leah and Rachel. You remember that? Seven for each. And then of course he served another six years for the cattle that he got from Laban. That's another story. But so Jacob now has been in Syria for 20 years. In fact, look in Genesis 31, and verse 41. Genesis 31, verse 41. Here's Jacob's own words. He's talking to Laban, his father-in-law. He says,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 31:41

"Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times."

So Laban was not necessarily a very honest man, you see. But here Jacob is saying, I served you for 20 years. So for 20 years, Jacob was in the land of Padan-aram, or the land of Syria. Now, I'm not going to go into Genesis 32, but you do know in Genesis 32, Jacob had a wrestling match with the angel. And of course, the angel was the Lord himself. And the Lord changed Jacob's name.

He changed it to Israel. Now, I want you to look in Deuteronomy chapter 26. It is with this understanding that you will be able to comprehend the confession that the descendants of Jacob had to make at the feast of the first fruits. You remember Jacob then sojourned in the land of Syria for 20 years. Look in Deuteronomy 26 and begin there with verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 26:1-5

"And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;"

So here Jacob's descendants now are coming into Canaan land. They're going to possess it.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 26:1-5

"That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God,"

Watch it,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 26:1-5

"A Syrian ready to perish was my father."

"And he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous." And so God said, You tell me that your father was a Syrian, ready to perish. So Abraham was not only an idolater, so to speak, but also was Jacob ready to perish. Now it is for this reason that I want you to turn back now to Romans chapter 4 and let's ask the question again. Remember the nationality of Abraham was that he was a Chaldean. Jacob was referred to as a Syrian, for he lived in Padan-aram for twenty years. Notice if you would please verse one. "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?"

Now what does that mean? What is the question asking? It means simply this. What has Abraham in his natural state, in his carnal, physical state, what has he found? What it is telling us is this, and I'm going to show it to you in the rest of this chapter, that Abraham did not earn, merit, or work for his salvation or his justification. It had nothing to do with his flesh. It had nothing to do with his family. What did he find? Here's what he found, and I'm going to show it to you in this passage. He found that salvation was by grace alone, through faith, and not of oneself. He found that God's salvation, that God's justification, had nothing to do with works.

The Question of Romans 4:1

Paul asks what Abraham found according to the flesh, meaning his natural state contributed nothing to his justification; it was entirely by grace through faith.

Now watch how verse 2 explains verse 1. "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God." So if salvation then was based upon Abraham, or anything that he was, or anything that he could do, or anything that he did, he would have a reason to boast in the glory, but certainly not before God, because he would have justified himself or earned salvation himself. He could not glory in God because his salvation would not have been dependent upon the sovereignty of God. So, verse 2 says, and he had no right to boast before God, skip down to verse 4. "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." So, if Abraham had earned or merited his salvation in any way, it could never have been of grace. It would have had to have been debt. In other words, if God saved Abraham for who he was, it was out of debt. If God saved Abraham for what he did, it was out of debt. But Paul says, oh no, He didn't save him out of debt. He saved him because of grace.

Declaration 1: Abraham's Faith Was a Work of God Alone

Abraham believed God because God first revealed Himself; no one can know God apart from divine revelation, as Jesus taught in Matthew 11 and 16.

The declaration of Abraham's experience. So let's go back to verse 3. Since he's the father of the faithful and the father of the faith, let's look then at the declarations of his experience. In verse 3, the Bible says, "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." The first thing I want you to see is this, is the declaration that Abraham's faith and justification was a work of God alone. Look closely at verse 3, "For what saith the scripture?" Now it says this in the book of Genesis, it says it here, it says it in Galatians, we'll look at it a little bit later there. But what saith the scripture? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Now, if Abraham believed God, what is the most fundamental assumption? God had to speak to Abraham. God had to reveal Himself to Abraham. In other words, it was not who Abraham was. It was not what Abraham did. God spoke to him. God revealed Himself. Because Abraham could not have known who God was or anything about God apart from divine revelation.

That's why in Genesis 12 we read, "And God came to Abraham, and he said, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." The Bible says in Genesis 15 once again, "And God spoke to Abraham." In other words, it was a divine revelation. It was God revealing Himself. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Matthew, but as you turn there, I want you to remember that Abraham was living in the land of Ur of the Chaldees. He was living in the land of idols. He was living in the land of idolatry. Notice in Matthew chapter 11, here it is pointed out very clearly. Matthew 11, notice if you would please verse 26. Matthew 11, verse 26. Here's what the Scripture says.

"Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight." Now look at verse 27. Here's what our Lord says. "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." Let me ask you a question. How does a man know who Jesus Christ is? The answer is the Father reveals him. How does a man know who the Father is? The answer is Jesus Christ reveals him. Apart from that knowledge, no one can know.

Abraham was in Ur of the Chaldees. He could not know who God was apart from divine revelation. Look in your Bibles to Matthew 16, beginning there with verse 13. You'll see another truth. Matthew 16, verse 13. Notice what Jesus Christ says.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 16:13-17

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

How did Peter know who Jesus Christ was? Not because he had been taught by man, not because he had been instructed in the academies, but because the Father had revealed it unto him.

So Abraham is in Ur of the Chaldees. And the very first declaration of his experience is this: that his faith and his justification was the work of God alone. God came to Abraham. God revealed himself to Abraham. God called Abraham.

Now, go back to Romans chapter 4 and look at verse 5. Romans 4 verse 5. Here's the second declaration. And that is the declaration that Abraham was a sinner and ungodly. The Bible says in verse 5, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 4 verse 5, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Now note, if justification is by faith, and if God justifies the ungodly, if Abraham was justified by faith, what does that mean about Abraham? He's ungodly. He is lost. He is a sinner. He was wicked. Now, the reason I'm making this point is not only because of what Scripture very clearly and plainly says, but because Jewish law teaches that Abraham was not ungodly, that he was not a sinner.

Declaration 2: Abraham Was Ungodly and a Sinner

Romans 4:5 states God justifies the ungodly; therefore Abraham was a sinner, contrary to Jewish tradition that claimed he kept the whole law perfectly.

In fact, let me give you two direct quotes. Here's one of their claims. Quote, "Abraham was perfect in all of his deeds with the Lord and well-pleasing in righteousness all the days of his life," end quote. Well, all the days of his life would have to be even before he was converted. But if that's not plain enough, listen to this. Here's another statement. They state, quote, "Abraham, our father, hath performed the whole law before it was given," end quote. Now that's a feat.

To be obedient to something in totality before you ever know about it. Well, what are they saying? Well, let me tell you. If they say that Abraham kept the whole law perfectly before it was given, what they're saying is that Abraham earned and merited and worked out his salvation. So what they're teaching, basically, is salvation by works. And Scripture is exceedingly plain that that is totally heretical and erroneous. Look in your Bibles to Romans 5, verse 6. Look at what the Bible says. Romans 5, verse 6.

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:6,8

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

Skip down to verse 8. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Well, very clearly, Abraham was a sinner. Abraham was ungodly because he was justified by faith. And it is only God who justifies the ungodly by faith.

So Paul's argument is exceedingly clear. If Abraham was justified by faith and not of works, he was ungodly. He was a sinner. You know what the Bible says in Matthew 18 verse 11? Now listen to me. "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost." Isn't that simple? You've got to be lost to be saved. That's all there is to it. Now, the Word of God says in John 8 and verse 56, Jesus Christ, looking at those Jews, said this. He says, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." How could Abraham see the day of Christ? Someone answer that. By faith. And if Abraham saw it by faith, that means he was justified by faith, which means he was ungodly and a sinner. So we're looking at the declarations of his experience.

Look down to Romans chapter 4, not 14, but Romans chapter 4 and verses 6 through 8. The third declaration is this, the declaration that Scripture confirms the experience of Abraham. Romans 4 verse 6, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness." Now, I want you to understand that the declaration is that scripture confirms the experience of Abraham. Two of the most treasured and honored and revered men in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, were David and Abraham. Now, Paul is saying, and Abraham confessed that he believed God, and Abraham is saying that he was saved by grace through faith, justified by faith, and now along comes David. And David says the same thing. And who's going to argue with David and Abraham?

Declaration 3: Scripture Confirms Abraham's Experience

David in Psalm 32 describes the same blessedness of imputed righteousness without works, confirming that justification is by faith alone.

For instance, if you would hold Romans chapter 4, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 32. Here's the direct quote that Paul takes in Romans chapter 4. It is from Psalm 32, beginning there with verse 1. Psalm 32, verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 32:1-2

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."

Blessed is the man, or blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity. Now go back to Romans 4, look in verse 6.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 32:1-2

"Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

Now, what the Scripture is saying is this. Whomever God justifies is blessed indeed. Why? Because God does not charge sin to their accounts.

Do you understand that is basically what justification is. It is a declaration that we are sinless before the law. But the only way that we are sinless before the law is because we are in Jesus Christ who kept the law of God perfectly. So, what God does when He justifies us, He pronounces us righteous in light of the law, and that is all by faith in the work of Jesus Christ. It is not based upon works, our works. It is not based upon our merit, who we are, what we've done. No, no, no. It is based solely and totally and completely upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. And consequently, because we believe in Christ, our transgressions are forgiven. And that's why he's declaring the blessedness of this man, unto whom God will not impute sin. Rather, what he imputes or charges to his account is absolute righteousness.

Now, look at Romans 4 again for the second point. I only have two points today. We've looked at the declarations of Abraham's experience. Now I want you to look secondly at the circumstances of his experience, and that is actually verses 9 through 11. Verse 9, "Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also."

Circumstances of Abraham's Experience: Justified Before Circumcision

Abraham was justified before receiving circumcision, proving that salvation is not based on external rites. Circumcision was only a sign and seal of the righteousness he already had by faith.

Let's just stop there for a moment. The scripture is telling us that God justified Abraham before he was given the ordinance of circumcision. So justification, or if you want to say salvation, you cannot be saved without being justified. You cannot be justified without being saved. What he's telling us is justification or salvation is not based upon externals. And literally what the Apostle Paul is doing in verses 9-11, is he is striking out against what is known as the institutionalization of the faith. Now I'm going to show you what that means in just a moment. When I talk about the institutionalizing of the faith, it just simply means this, that people are saved by virtue of certain rite or ceremony or work. Paul says that is not true. Abraham was saved before the rite of circumcision was given. Abraham was justified before the rite of circumcision was given. It is not circumcision that saves. It is not baptism that saves. It is not church membership that saves. It is the triune God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ that saves.

Let me show you the tendency to institutionalize faith. Look in your Bibles. Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15. There was a big argument over this. In fact, there was an entire council known as the Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15. They came together to consider this thing. Look in Acts chapter 15, verse 1. "And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved." Now, why is Paul arguing that Abraham was saved before he was circumcised?

Scripture Reading — Acts 15:1,5,24

Because he knew that these Jews, these Judaizers, would say, oh, wait a minute. If you really want to be saved, you've got to be circumcised. You have to go through our rite. You have to go through our ordinance. You have to go through the externals. Look in verse 5. Acts 15, verse 5. "But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." Look in verse 24. "Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment." Now I want you to note what Scripture says. Scripture says if you're placing faith in a rite or an ordinance, then you are being subverted. Your soul is being subverted. And so this is what I'm talking about as the institutionalism of faith. So just as the Judaizers in the days of the apostles demanded that if you're really going to be saved you have to be circumcised, likewise today there are plenty of people saying if you're going to be saved you must be baptized.

You must be baptized by this group or a special group. You must be baptized in this position or you must do this or you must do that. In other words, it's all based upon externals. Paul says, no, no, no. Certainly, we cannot deprecate any ordinance that God ordained. But on the other hand, we cannot abuse and misuse and pervert those ordinances and make them teach what God never intended them to teach. So, the Apostle Paul is saying, look, Abraham was justified before he was circumcised. What is he saying? The very fact that Abraham was justified before circumcision demonstrates that God is able to save whom He will, when He will, and where He wills. One does not have to be a Judahite or a Pharisee in order to be justified. One does not have to keep the externals, the rites, and the ordinances demanded by a certain group to be justified. God saves and God justifies without the externals. Now I want you to look down to Romans 4 and verse 11. Watch carefully what the Bible says.

"And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised." Did Abraham have faith before or after he was circumcised? Before. Why was circumcision given? It was just a sign. It was just a seal. That's all. He was already saved. It's just like we want our wives to wear their wedding bands. Why? It's a sign. It's a seal that they're married. But you can take that wedding band off, but that doesn't mean that you're no longer married. And that's all he said it is. Now, I want to point something out. I want you to note in verse 11, he says, "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father," help me out now, "that he might be the father of whom?"

"Of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also."

Abraham as Father of Believers Only

Abraham is the father of all who believe, not of physical descendants who reject Christ. Jesus told the Pharisees they were of their father the devil, not children of Abraham.

"Of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also." Now, let me make a statement. In this sense of the word, Abraham is only the true father of those who believe. He is not the father of unbelievers. I don't care who they are. Let me show you what I'm talking about. Look in your Bibles to John chapter 8. John chapter 8. And let's begin there with verse 1. John 8, verse 1. And just to save time, I'm going to skip through this chapter and pick out the verses. You can read the whole chapter when you get home. But John 8, verse 1.

"Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them." OK, we've got the people. We've got the scribes and the Pharisees, verse 3. "And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery." So we've got the people there, we've got the scribes and the Pharisees there. Skip down to verse 13. "The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true." Who were the Pharisees? They were the straightest sect of believers. They would have been called the fundamentalists in Christ's day. The Sadducees would have been the liberals. So here are the Pharisees now. They say your record's not true because you're bearing record of yourself.

Now, skip down to verse 20. "These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come." "And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."

Now, skip down to verse 30. "As he spake these words, many believed on him." And by the way, that's a different sermon. I hope you know there is an intellectual belief. There's a historical belief. There's a demonic belief, and then there's a saving belief. But notice verse 31. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." In other words, it's not just a profession that makes you evident that you're my child. There must be a continuation in my word. There must be the perseverance and the preservation in the word. He said in verse 32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Now, what's this argument?

"They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?" What are they claiming in verse 33? "We be Abraham's seed." In other words, we're Abraham's descendants. We're his offspring. That's what they're claiming. "Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you." Now in verse 33 they say we're Abraham's physical descendants, we're his seed. In verse 37 Christ says, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you."

"I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father." "Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do."

"He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." Now, in verse 33 they said, "We be Abraham's seed." In verse 37 Christ says, "I know ye are Abraham's seed." But when you get to verse 39, He denies that they're Abraham's children. You see the distinction? You can be a physical descendant of Abraham, and still not be a child of Abraham. In fact, our Lord went on to say to these unbelievers, "Ye are of your father the devil." Abraham's not your father. Because Abraham is the father of those who believe, according to Romans chapter 4. Now, go back to Romans chapter 4, because I want you to see, and we're looking at this, that God justified Abraham before he gave him the ordinance of circumcision. Now in verses 13 through 15, God gave Abraham the promise before he gave the law. Romans 4 verse 13. "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world," you know that's a very significant term. It just hit me.

Justified Before the Law Was Given

The promise to Abraham was through faith, not the law. The law brings wrath and condemnation, not justification, because it demands perfect, personal, perpetual obedience.

Now, in verse 33 they said, "We be Abraham's seed." In verse 37 Christ says, "I know ye are Abraham's seed." But when you get to verse 39, He denies that they're Abraham's children. You see the distinction? You can be a physical descendant of Abraham, and still not be a child of Abraham. In fact, our Lord went on to say to these unbelievers, "Ye are of your father the devil." Abraham's not your father. Because Abraham is the father of those who believe, according to Romans chapter 4. Now, go back to Romans chapter 4, because I want you to see, and we're looking at this, that God justified Abraham before he gave him the ordinance of circumcision. Now in verses 13 through 15, God gave Abraham the promise before he gave the law. Romans 4 verse 13. "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world," you know that's a very significant term. It just hit me.

My wife and I were talking about this coming over here. Abraham is not just the heir of a little patch of land over the Middle East, OK? He's the heir of the world, and there's another scripture I want to bring out later on. "For the promise, that he should 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 they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression." Now, I want you to note, if you would please, God gave Abraham faith and God gave Abraham the promise before the law was given. So Paul is emphasizing that Abraham was not justified by his circumcision and he was not justified by any keeping of the law. The promise that he should be heir of the world was through faith. Now Paul makes it plain that if justification is by the deeds of the law, if it is by the works of man, if it is by externals such as circumcision and baptism, then faith is made void.

And the promise of none effect. Look at it in verse 14. "For if they which are of the law be heirs..." If you want to hang on to the externals, if you want to hang on to the rites, if you want to hang on to the works, he said, if they which be of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is none effect. So he's saying, in essence, if you're going to hang to the strict letter of the law, Christ will do you no good. None of the promises will do you any good. Because if you claim that everything is by the law, then you're destroying faith, you're destroying Scripture. In other words, there's just no hope for you. Everything is by grace through faith.

Now, let me show you what he is saying in verse 15. Here is why justification can never be by the law. He says, "Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression." What does it mean when it says the law worketh wrath? It means simply this, that it is the law that brings men into judgment because of the curse of the law. Let me show you the curse. Hold Romans 4, but go in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3 and look at verses 10 through 12. Galatians 3, verses 10 through 12. Here's what it means when it says the law worketh wrath. Galatians 3 verse 10.

Scripture Reading — Galatians 3:10-12

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them."

Now, go back to verse 10.

Scripture Reading — Galatians 3:10-12

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

What does the law demand of every individual? Three things. The law demands a personal obedience. It demands, secondly, a perfect obedience. And it demands, thirdly, a perpetual obedience. Now, if you cannot give to God's law a personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience, you're under the curse. You're under the condemnation. You're going to come into judgment.

Now, to show you how simple this is. Let's suppose that from this day forward, you were able to be perfect. You never committed another sin internally or externally. You were perfect. You were personally perfect and perpetually perfect. Would that earn you an entrance into God's kingdom? No, because what about all those sins you committed before you got perfect? You see, the salvation or justification by the law is impossible. For the law worketh wrath. Then he says in Romans 4, "for where no law is, there is no transgression."

Now, what he's saying, if you try to find the promise under the law, you're going to find the opposite. You're going to find wrath. If you try to find the blessing under the law, you're going to find the opposite. You're going to find a curse. The reason justification can never be by the law is because the law worketh wrath. Now, what does it mean when it says, "for where no law is, there is no transgression"? Certainly it does not mean without law there is no sin. People were sinners way before the law was given in Mount Sinai. And the way we know they were sinners is they died. The wages of sin is death. Well, it does not mean if there is no law there, there is no sin at all. No, sin is still there. But what he is saying is this. It is the law that codifies, defines, and establishes the fact that sin is the transgression of the law. Without the law, we would still be sinners. But since we have the law, we now know how great and how vile and how wicked such sinners we really are.

The law then magnifies our sin. It magnifies our guilt. The law then will not lead us to justification and blessings. The law will lead us to curses and condemnations. Look in Romans 3, beginning there in verse 19, here it is. "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." If you really, truly understand the law, the Apostle Paul says all it will do is shut your mouth and make you guilty before God, and you will realize how big of a sinner you really are.

Instead of justifying you, it will condemn you. Instead of erasing your sins, it will magnify your sins.

Conclusion: Faith Alone Makes True Children of Abraham

Paul concludes that the promise is sure to all the seed—those of faith, not just the law. Galatians 3:7 explicitly states that those of faith are the children of Abraham.

Now Paul's conclusion is found in verse 16. Look at it. "Therefore," the words based on everything that I've said previously in Romans chapter 4 says the Apostle Paul, "therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all." Now, verse 17, "(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,)" That is, wherever God's elect are, they will be made manifest by the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, the father of all who believe. He said, "therefore... before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."

Now, I want you to turn to one last passage. That's Galatians chapter three. I'm trying to demonstrate that Abraham is indeed the father of believers. He talks about walking in the steps of Abraham's faith. But notice, if you would, how plain this passage is. Galatians 3, verse 6. "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." It doesn't say even as Abraham was circumcised, it was accounted to him for righteousness. Or even as Abraham was baptized, it was counted to him for righteousness. Or even as Abraham was sanitized, no, no, no. "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Now look what he says. "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." Who are the true children of Abraham? Those who are of faith. You say, but I'm a real fleshly Israelite. It doesn't matter. If you do not have faith in Jesus Christ, you're just a lost fleshly Israelite. "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Who is blessed with faithful Abraham? Only those who are of faith.

Practical Application and Closing

Weaver notes that understanding biblical truths about civil government, debt, and the identity of Israel would save much trouble. He closes in prayer.

I was talking to a friend of mine this week and we began to talk about the subject, who is Israel? And he stopped me and he said this, "Have you ever thought about how less trouble we would have in this world if every Christian understood three simple truths?" I said, "What truth are you talking about?" He said, "Well, if they understood Romans 13, first." Secondly, if they understood what the Bible taught about debt, they would stay out of it. And thirdly, if we found out that those folks living over in the Middle East are really not Israel, we'd save ourselves an awful lot of heartache and an awful lot of trouble and an awful lot of money. And that's a fact. That's a fact. It's amazing how those three truths understood from scripture could revolutionize our entire country. Learn what the Bible says about Romans 13 and civil government. Learn to stay out of debt. And to learn what Paul says in verse 7 of Galatians 3, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." Let's pray.

Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ for your grace and for your mercy and love to us. We pray, Lord, that you would give us understanding, that you would speak to our hearts, that you would encourage us, that you would indeed, Father, enable us to honor thee in all of our lives, bring our lives into conformity to your word. Help us do all things for your honor and your glory. Thank you, Father, for your grace and your mercy. Thank You for salvation by grace through faith. Thank You, Father, it's not of works, it's not of rites, but it's trusting solely and totally in Jesus Christ and who He is and what He has done. We give Thee the praise and the honor and the glory in Christ's name, Amen.

Alright, you're dismissed, and don't forget the offerings, don't forget the fellowship with each other, don't forget the prayer request, and Lord willing, next Sunday, same time, same station. So let's just tell all Christians about those three things. Well, yeah, if we can get them to listen. If they want to kill you, you have to tell them. Well, I would have a fourth one that I'd really want to tell them.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Justification by Faith Alone

Summary: Abraham was justified by believing God, not by works, circumcision, or law-keeping. This is the central argument of Romans 4.

Evidence: Romans 4:3: 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.'

Sovereign Grace in Calling

Summary: God took the initiative to reveal Himself to Abraham while he was an idolater in Ur, demonstrating that salvation is entirely of God's grace.

Evidence: Acts 7:2: 'The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran.'

The Law Brings Wrath, Not Justification

Summary: The law demands perfect obedience and thus condemns sinners; it cannot justify. Justification must be by faith to be by grace.

Evidence: Romans 4:15: 'Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.'

True Children of Abraham Are Believers

Summary: Physical descent from Abraham does not make one a child of Abraham; only those who share Abraham's faith are his true offspring.

Evidence: Galatians 3:7: 'Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.'

External Rites Do Not Save

Summary: Circumcision was a sign and seal of righteousness already possessed by faith; it did not confer salvation. The same principle applies to baptism and other ordinances.

Evidence: Romans 4:11: 'And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised.'

The Humble Origins of Israel

Summary: Abraham was a Chaldean idolater, and Jacob was called a Syrian ready to perish, highlighting that Israel's identity is rooted in grace, not ethnic pride.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 26:5: 'A Syrian ready to perish was my father.'

Key Arguments

Abraham's Nationality Proves Salvation Is Not by Birth

Summary: Abraham was a Chaldean, not an Israelite by birth, showing that God's call transcends ethnicity and that physical lineage does not confer spiritual status.

Evidence: Genesis 11:28: 'Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.'

Abraham Was Justified Before Circumcision

Summary: Since Abraham was declared righteous before being circumcised, circumcision cannot be a requirement for salvation; it is merely a sign.

Evidence: Romans 4:10: 'Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.'

The Law Cannot Make Heirs of the Promise

Summary: If inheritance were by law, faith would be void and the promise ineffective, because the law only brings wrath due to human inability to keep it perfectly.

Evidence: Romans 4:14: 'For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect.'

Jesus Denied That Unbelieving Jews Were Abraham's Children

Summary: In John 8, Jesus acknowledged their physical descent but denied their spiritual sonship, calling them children of the devil because they rejected Him.

Evidence: John 8:39,44: 'If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham... Ye are of your father the devil.'

David's Testimony Confirms Imputed Righteousness

Summary: David describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works, showing the unity of Old Testament teaching on justification by faith.

Evidence: Romans 4:6-8 quoting Psalm 32:1-2.

Scripture References

Romans 4:1-17

Context: The primary text of the sermon, read at the beginning, focusing on Abraham's justification by faith.

Matthew 27:19-26

Context: Used to show that the Jews, including religious leaders, demanded Jesus' crucifixion, proving He did not embrace Judaism.

Genesis 11:11,26-28

Context: Traces Abraham's genealogy through Shem and Eber, and identifies his origin in Ur of the Chaldees.

Genesis 14:13

Context: Abram is called 'the Hebrew,' meaning descendant of Eber.

Isaiah 51:1-2

Context: God tells those who seek righteousness to look to Abraham and Sarah, from whom they were hewn, implying their idolatrous background.

Genesis 12:1

Context: God called Abram to leave his country, showing divine initiative in salvation.

Acts 7:2-4

Context: Stephen's speech confirms God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran.

Genesis 24:1-4,10,15,29

Context: Abraham sends his servant to his country and kindred in Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac, showing his family's Syrian connections.

Genesis 25:20

Context: Bethuel the Syrian is identified as Rebekah's father.

Genesis 28:1-2,5

Context: Isaac sends Jacob to Padan-aram to take a wife from Laban the Syrian.

Genesis 31:41

Context: Jacob states he served Laban twenty years in Syria.

Deuteronomy 26:1-5

Context: The confession at firstfruits: 'A Syrian ready to perish was my father,' referring to Jacob.

Matthew 11:26-27

Context: No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son reveals Him, illustrating divine revelation necessary for faith.

Matthew 16:13-17

Context: Peter's confession of Christ was revealed by the Father, not flesh and blood.

Romans 5:6,8

Context: Christ died for the ungodly and sinners, confirming Abraham's state before justification.

Psalm 32:1-2

Context: David's description of blessedness through forgiven sin, quoted in Romans 4:6-8.

Acts 15:1,5,24

Context: The Jerusalem Council dealt with Judaizers who taught circumcision was necessary for salvation, which Paul refutes.

John 8:1-44

Context: Jesus' dialogue with the Pharisees, showing they claimed Abraham as father but were actually children of the devil.

Galatians 3:10-12

Context: Those under the law are under a curse; the just shall live by faith, not by law.

Galatians 3:6-9

Context: Those of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham and are his true children.

Historical References

Ur of the Chaldees

Context: Abraham's birthplace, a city in southern Mesopotamia known for idolatry, particularly moon god worship.

Babylonian/Chaldean idolatry

Context: The Chaldeans were notorious idolaters, worshipping the moon god and other idols, which was Abraham's background before God called him.

Jewish tradition claiming Abraham kept the whole law

Context: Weaver quotes Jewish sources stating Abraham was perfect in deeds and performed the whole law before it was given, which he refutes.

Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)

Context: The early church council that addressed whether Gentile converts needed circumcision, rejecting the Judaizers' demands.

Important Quotes

Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Significance: The foundational verse for justification by faith, quoted from Genesis 15:6, showing that Abraham's righteousness was imputed through belief, not works.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Significance: Emphasizes that justification is for the ungodly who do not work but believe, underscoring that Abraham himself was ungodly before God justified him.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.

Significance: Shows that David's testimony in Psalm 32 confirms the same truth of imputed righteousness apart from works, linking two major Old Testament figures.

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised.

Significance: Proves that circumcision was not the means of justification but a sign and seal of a righteousness already possessed by faith.

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Significance: The clear New Testament definition that true descent from Abraham is spiritual, through faith, not physical lineage.

A Syrian ready to perish was my father.

Significance: The confession from Deuteronomy 26:5, highlighting the humble and perishing state of Jacob/Israel, emphasizing grace over ethnic pride.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.

Significance: Jesus' direct statement to the Pharisees who claimed Abraham as father, showing that physical descent means nothing without faith.

Discussion Questions

Why does Paul emphasize that Abraham was justified before he was circumcised? What does this teach us about the role of external religious rites in salvation?

Context: Based on Romans 4:9-11, where Paul argues that Abraham's faith was reckoned as righteousness while he was still uncircumcised.

How does Abraham's background as an idolatrous Chaldean affect our understanding of God's sovereign grace in salvation?

Context: Weaver traces Abraham's origins in Ur of the Chaldees and God's call in Genesis 12 and Acts 7.

In what ways do people today 'institutionalize faith' similar to the Judaizers who demanded circumcision?

Context: Weaver applies the principle that salvation is not by externals, referencing Acts 15 and modern tendencies to add requirements to faith.

What does it mean that 'the law worketh wrath'? How does this help us understand why justification cannot be by the law?

Context: From Romans 4:15 and Galatians 3:10-12, explaining the law's demand for perfect obedience and its resulting curse.

According to John 8, why did Jesus tell the Pharisees they were not Abraham's children even though they were physical descendants?

Context: Jesus' dialogue in John 8:31-44, where He distinguishes between physical seed and spiritual children.

How does the confession 'A Syrian ready to perish was my father' shape our understanding of Israel's identity?

Context: Deuteronomy 26:5 is cited to show the humble, perishing state of Jacob, countering ethnic pride.

Applications

Rest in Grace, Not Works

Summary: Since justification is by faith alone, believers should rest in Christ's finished work rather than trying to earn God's favor through religious performance.

Evidence: Romans 4:5: 'But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.'

Reject Salvation by Ritual

Summary: Do not trust in baptism, church membership, or any external rite for salvation; these are signs and seals, not means of justification.

Evidence: Romans 4:11: 'And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised.'

Understand the Law's Purpose

Summary: The law reveals sin and brings condemnation, driving us to Christ. It should humble us, not become a ladder to self-righteousness.

Evidence: Romans 3:19-20: 'That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.'

Recognize True Spiritual Kinship

Summary: Fellow believers are our true brothers and sisters in Abraham's family, regardless of ethnicity. Physical descent from Abraham does not guarantee salvation.

Evidence: Galatians 3:7: 'Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.'

Embrace Humble Origins

Summary: Like Abraham and Jacob, we were spiritually idolatrous and perishing before God called us. This should produce humility and gratitude.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 26:5: 'A Syrian ready to perish was my father.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T04:21:28Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:44:08Z

Clean Transcript

Who is Israel? Part 2 of 6

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Alright, if not, let's open our Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4. And we're going to read the first 17 verses. So for those of you who missed last week, you need to hit the tape and listen to it. This is going to be a continuation. I'm still basically in an introductory state. There's probably going to be two or three more messages. But in Romans chapter 4, beginning there with verse 1, the scripture says, "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
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"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had yet being uncircumcised."
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"For the promise, that he should 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 they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."
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At first there is the natural, and then there is the spiritual or the safe, whichever you want to call it. Because secondly, there we see the contrast between the first Adam, who is of the earth earthy, and the second Adam, who is the Lord from heaven, who is of course the Lord Jesus Christ himself. But I pointed out that that principle held true in all of the Old Testament. Because you have, in the Old Testament, the tabernacle, the temple, all of this was what you and I would call natural, or carnal, or fleshly. And when you get to the New Testament, we find that all of that has been nothing more than symbolical and emblematical, and it's all been replaced by the true and the real substance, which is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.
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We also found out in Romans 2, the passage that we looked at, that a true Judahite is one who worships God in the spirit, and who has no confidence in the flesh, but his praise is of God and not of man. We looked at the word Judahite, and I told you that the word Judahite literally referred to someone who lived in the kingdom of Judah, or was from the tribe of Judah, or the land of Judah, or from the house of Judah. The word Jew is translated in our Bible usually refers to the Judahites, that is, someone from the house and the tribe of Judah, or from the land of Judah, etc. And just a few times in the Bible it talks about the Jews' religion, which then would refer to Judaism. And I pointed out the fact, with this understanding, there is no way in the world that we can be called Judeo-Christians because we have nothing to do with the religion of Judaism. Christ fought Judaism. Christ established Christianity.
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Now, I said if you want to refer to us as Old Testament and New Testament Christians, or even Hebrew, or having an Israelite connection, wonderful, fine. But Judaism and Christianity are absolutely totally opposites, and you find how Christ condemned Judaism in Matthew chapter 5, Matthew chapter 15, Matthew 23, and over and over in the New Testament. And then I pointed out this statement, and it caught some of you by surprise, when I said that Jesus Christ was not a Jew. And He was not. He was a Judahite.
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He was of the tribe, of the house, of the lineage of Judah. But he was not a Jew in the sense that Jew today is taken as a religion. It is taken as Judaism. And Christ did not embrace Judaism. In fact, what He was doing in Matthew chapter 5 was He was correcting all of the misinterpretations and misapplications of those Pharisees. So He certainly was not a Jew. He did not embrace Judaism. In fact, if you look in your Bibles, hold Romans 4, but look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27, Matthew 27, and look at verses 19-26, and I want you to understand that it was the Jews who were always persecuting Jesus Christ and attacking Him because He did not keep their traditions. So in Matthew 27, beginning there with verse 19, "When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him." That is Jesus Christ.
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"But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude." Now note, the chief priests and the elders. So we're talking about the religious leaders now. The chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. Now Barabbas, you know, was a murderer, a seditionist, and a thief. Notice verse 21, "The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?"
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"They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it." Now, let me just stop there just for a second.
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Look, if you would please, once again at verse 20. "But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude." Whom did they persuade? The multitude, or the rest of the Jews. Now skip down to verse 25. "Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified." So very clearly then, the Jews had nothing to do with Christ. They hated Him, and they wanted Him to be crucified. So the point I'm trying to make is, Jesus Christ was not a Jew in the sense that he embraced Judaism. Christianity and Judaism are absolutely, totally opposite.
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Now if you'll go back in your Bibles to Romans chapter 4, let's look at verse 1 because a question is asked there that has direct bearing on our subject. The question is asked, "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?" So note carefully, the Bible is asking, what are we going to say about Abraham, our father, according to the flesh, what he had found? In other words, what did fleshly, natural, carnal Abraham find? Now, before I answer that question, and I'm going to answer it a little bit later, allow me to ask you a question. Please don't answer this out loud. But here's my question. What was Abraham's nationality? What was his nationality? Now, I'm not asking who he's descended from. I'm going to show you that in just a moment, too. But what was his nationality originally? Now, think about that. That's it.
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Now, from whence did he spring? Was he, like Paul, boasting, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee of the Pharisees? And, of course, no. Look in your Bible, hold Romans 4, to Genesis chapter 11. Genesis chapter 11. And notice, if you would please, verse 11. Genesis 11 and verse 11. The Bible says, "And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters." You remember Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now skip down to verse 26. "And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran." So Terah then is in the genealogy of Shem, and so Abraham his son, or Abram his son, would be in the genealogy of Shem. So you could say that Abram was indeed a Shemite because he was a descendant of Noah's son Shem. Then if you look in Genesis 14 and verse 13, we're going back to Genesis 11, so hold it, Genesis chapter 14 and verse 13 the Bible says, "And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram." But now notice Abram is called the Hebrew.
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Now, how in the world do you get that? Well, the word Hebrew is from the word Eber.
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If you'll go back to Genesis 11 and look at verses 16 and 17, you will see that Eber was also one of Abram's ancestors. Notice verse 16, "And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters." And you go right on down and then Abram, and his father Terah are descendants of Eber. So the word Eber, an Eberite or a Hebrew. So the word simply means a descendant of Eber or an Eberite or a Hebrew.
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Now the Old Testament is quite clear in its statement that Abraham's home was in lower Mesopotamia and especially Ur, and the Bible says it is Ur of the Chaldees. Now, it is true that he lived in Haran, which is in the upper Mesopotamia Valley as well, and he lived there on his journey and on his trek over to Canaan land, that is true. But the Bible specifically says that he was from Ur of the Chaldees, and Ur is in southern Mesopotamia. In fact, the Word of God says, if you look in Genesis chapter 11, and verse 28, "And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees." Verse 27, "Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees." And so Abraham then was in Ur of the Chaldees. So the word Chaldees is really another way, another word for Babylon, so to speak.
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So you could call him a Chaldean, you could call him a Babylonian by nationality. In fact, let me show you something interesting. Look in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 51. I don't know if you've ever thought about this or not, but Isaiah 51, and look at verses 1 and 2. And here's another question that we could ask ourselves, Isaiah 51 verses 1 and 2.
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The Word of God says, "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness." So He's speaking then to those who follow after righteousness, to those who are believers. He says, "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him."
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Now go back to verse 1. God says, "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD." So He's talking to the godly. He's talking to the righteous. Then He tells us in verse 1, "Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged." What is he saying? Look back at your beginnings if you are one who follow after righteousness, if you genuinely seek the Lord. And then he says in verse 2, "Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you." In other words, God says you've been hewn out and you've been pulled out. So he says you better look and see what you were hewn out of and what you were pulled out of. You better see what the nationality really was.
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Now, why use that language? Let me tell you why. Because the Chaldeans, or the Babylonians, were notorious idolaters. They worshipped mainly the moon god and other idols as well. But the moon god was a big cult in Babylon, especially even in Ur of the Chaldees.
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Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. When God found Abraham, Abraham was an idolater. He lived in Ur of the Chaldees. And when God called him, and by the way, God did call him, he did not call God. Look back in your Bibles. First of all, the Genesis 12. And then I want you to go to Acts chapter 7. Look in Genesis chapter 12 and verse 1. Genesis 12 verse 1.
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"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." Note, "Now the LORD had said unto Abram." God came to Abram. God called him and said, you get out.
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Now if you look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 7, and let's begin reading there with verse 2. Acts chapter 7, and note if you would please verse 2. Acts 7, verse 2. "And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell." So the scripture makes it exceedingly plain then that Abraham dwelt in the land of the Chaldees and specifically Ur of the Chaldees. So he was from Mesopotamia.
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By nationality he was a Chaldean, or Babylonian.
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Now, I want you to go back to Genesis chapter 24. I'm trying to show you why God is saying, you look to the rock which you were hewn out of and the pit out of which you were digged out. Go back to Genesis chapter 24. Because you remember, when Abraham then got ready to find a bride for his son Isaac, he had some specific instructions for his servant Eliezer. Notice Genesis 24 and verse 1. "And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac."
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Now, of course, that is exactly what he did.
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Now, if you would notice down to verse 10, "And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor." Now, I want you to note, if you would please, verse 15. I'm just going to point this out. "And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder." Now, I want you to note, her father's name was Bethuel. Skip down to verse 29 and let's see what her brother's name is. "And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well." So the father then is Bethuel and the brother is Laban. Now I want you to know their nationality. Look in your Bibles to Genesis 25 and verse 20.
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Genesis 25 and verse 20.
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"And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian." Now it's important that you understand that this family now has gone to an area of the country, and they were referred to now as Syrians. And this is extremely important, and I'm going to tell you why. Because when Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebekah, was ready to marry, where was he sent? Well, let's look. Look in Genesis 28, beginning there with verse 1. Genesis 28, verse 1. "And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother." So Jacob is sent back and said, you don't marry a Canaanite, you go back and you get you a woman from my mother's brother, or your mother's brother, who was Laban, and he was referred to as Laban the Syrian.
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Look in verse 5, "And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother." Now, you don't have to turn there, but in Genesis 31 and verse 20, and verse 24, Laban is once again called Laban the Syrian. You do know that Jacob went there in that country. You know the story.
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How he served 14 years for Leah and Rachel. You remember that? Seven for each. And then of course he served another six years for the cattle that he got from Laban. That's another story. But so Jacob now has been in Syria for 20 years. In fact, look in Genesis 31, and verse 41. Genesis 31, verse 41. Here's Jacob's own words. He's talking to Laban, his father-in-law. He says, "Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times." So Laban was not necessarily a very honest man, you see. But here Jacob is saying, I served you for 20 years. So for 20 years, Jacob was in the land of Padan-aram, or the land of Syria. Now, I'm not going to go into Genesis 32, but you do know in Genesis 32, Jacob had a wrestling match with the angel. And of course, the angel was the Lord himself. And the Lord changed Jacob's name.
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He changed it to Israel. Now, I want you to look in Deuteronomy chapter 26. It is with this understanding that you will be able to comprehend the confession that the descendants of Jacob had to make at the feast of the first fruits. You remember Jacob then sojourned in the land of Syria for 20 years. Look in Deuteronomy 26 and begin there with verse 1. "And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;" So here Jacob's descendants now are coming into Canaan land.
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They're going to possess it. "That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God," Watch it, "A Syrian ready to perish was my father."
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"And he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous." And so God said, You tell me that your father was a Syrian, ready to perish. So Abraham was not only an idolater, so to speak, but also was Jacob ready to perish.
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Now it is for this reason that I want you to turn back now to Romans chapter 4 and let's ask the question again. Remember the nationality of Abraham was that he was a Chaldean. Jacob was referred to as a Syrian, for he lived in Padan-aram for twenty years. Notice if you would please verse one. "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?"
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Now what does that mean? What is the question asking? It means simply this. What has Abraham in his natural state, in his carnal, physical state, what has he found? What it is telling us is this, and I'm going to show it to you in the rest of this chapter, that Abraham did not earn, merit, or work for his salvation or his justification. It had nothing to do with his flesh. It had nothing to do with his family. What did he find? Here's what he found, and I'm going to show it to you in this passage. He found that salvation was by grace alone, through faith, and not of oneself. He found that God's salvation, that God's justification, had nothing to do with works.
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Now watch how verse 2 explains verse 1. "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God." So if salvation then was based upon Abraham, or anything that he was, or anything that he could do, or anything that he did, he would have a reason to boast in the glory, but certainly not before God, because he would have justified himself or earned salvation himself. He could not glory in God because his salvation would not have been dependent upon the sovereignty of God. So, verse 2 says, and he had no right to boast before God, skip down to verse 4.
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"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." So, if Abraham had earned or merited his salvation in any way, it could never have been of grace. It would have had to have been debt. In other words, if God saved Abraham for who he was, it was out of debt. If God saved Abraham for what he did, it was out of debt. But Paul says, oh no, He didn't save him out of debt. He saved him because of grace.
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Now, let me just tell you this. To understand Romans chapter 4, you've got to understand that in Romans chapter 3, Paul begins an argument of justification by faith alone, and that argument runs from Romans 3 to Romans 8. It is one total, complete argument. So in Romans 4, actually Paul is dealing with an objection because those Jews would say, but what about Abraham, our father? Wasn't he justified by works? And the Apostle Paul is saying, no, Abraham was justified by faith.
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Now, look if you would please at verse 12. I'm going to come back to this in just a moment. Look in Romans 4, verse 12. "And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had yet being uncircumcised." Now in verse 12, he's called our father Abraham, but he's called that in a specific sense. Look in verse 16. I'll come back to this verse. "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all." So Abraham is called our father, but he's called our father and the father of us all in a specific way. For instance, I want you to begin with me by looking in verses 3-9 on the first point today, and that is the declaration of Abraham's experience.
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The declaration of Abraham's experience. So let's go back to verse 3. Since he's the father of the faithful and the father of the faith, let's look then at the declarations of his experience. In verse 3, the Bible says, "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." The first thing I want you to see is this, is the declaration that Abraham's faith and justification was a work of God alone. Look closely at verse 3, "For what saith the scripture?" Now it says this in the book of Genesis, it says it here, it says it in Galatians, we'll look at it a little bit later there. But what saith the scripture? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Now, if Abraham believed God, what is the most fundamental assumption? God had to speak to Abraham. God had to reveal Himself to Abraham. In other words, it was not who Abraham was. It was not what Abraham did. God spoke to him. God revealed Himself. Because Abraham could not have known who God was or anything about God apart from divine revelation.
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That's why in Genesis 12 we read, "And God came to Abraham, and he said, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." The Bible says in Genesis 15 once again, "And God spoke to Abraham." In other words, it was a divine revelation. It was God revealing Himself. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Matthew, but as you turn there, I want you to remember that Abraham was living in the land of Ur of the Chaldees. He was living in the land of idols. He was living in the land of idolatry. Notice in Matthew chapter 11, here it is pointed out very clearly. Matthew 11, notice if you would please verse 26. Matthew 11, verse 26. Here's what the Scripture says.
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"Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight." Now look at verse 27. Here's what our Lord says. "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." Let me ask you a question. How does a man know who Jesus Christ is? The answer is the Father reveals him. How does a man know who the Father is? The answer is Jesus Christ reveals him. Apart from that knowledge, no one can know.
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Abraham was in Ur of the Chaldees. He could not know who God was apart from divine revelation. Look in your Bibles to Matthew 16, beginning there with verse 13. You'll see another truth. Matthew 16, verse 13. Notice what Jesus Christ says. "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." How did Peter know who Jesus Christ was? Not because he had been taught by man, not because he had been instructed in the academies, but because the Father had revealed it unto him.
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So Abraham is in Ur of the Chaldees. And the very first declaration of his experience is this: that his faith and his justification was the work of God alone. God came to Abraham. God revealed himself to Abraham. God called Abraham.
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Now, go back to Romans chapter 4 and look at verse 5. Romans 4 verse 5. Here's the second declaration. And that is the declaration that Abraham was a sinner and ungodly. The Bible says in verse 5, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 4 verse 5, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Now note, if justification is by faith, and if God justifies the ungodly, if Abraham was justified by faith, what does that mean about Abraham? He's ungodly. He is lost. He is a sinner. He was wicked. Now, the reason I'm making this point is not only because of what Scripture very clearly and plainly says, but because Jewish law teaches that Abraham was not ungodly, that he was not a sinner.
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In fact, let me give you two direct quotes. Here's one of their claims. Quote, "Abraham was perfect in all of his deeds with the Lord and well-pleasing in righteousness all the days of his life," end quote. Well, all the days of his life would have to be even before he was converted. But if that's not plain enough, listen to this. Here's another statement. They state, quote, "Abraham, our father, hath performed the whole law before it was given," end quote. Now that's a feat.
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To be obedient to something in totality before you ever know about it. Well, what are they saying? Well, let me tell you. If they say that Abraham kept the whole law perfectly before it was given, what they're saying is that Abraham earned and merited and worked out his salvation. So what they're teaching, basically, is salvation by works. And Scripture is exceedingly plain that that is totally heretical and erroneous.
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Look in your Bibles to Romans 5, verse 6. Look at what the Bible says. Romans 5, verse 6. "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Skip down to verse 8. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Well, very clearly, Abraham was a sinner. Abraham was ungodly because he was justified by faith. And it is only God who justifies the ungodly by faith.
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So Paul's argument is exceedingly clear. If Abraham was justified by faith and not of works, he was ungodly. He was a sinner. You know what the Bible says in Matthew 18 verse 11? Now listen to me. "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost." Isn't that simple? You've got to be lost to be saved. That's all there is to it. Now, the Word of God says in John 8 and verse 56, Jesus Christ, looking at those Jews, said this. He says, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." How could Abraham see the day of Christ? Someone answer that. By faith. And if Abraham saw it by faith, that means he was justified by faith, which means he was ungodly and a sinner. So we're looking at the declarations of his experience.
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Look down to Romans chapter 4, not 14, but Romans chapter 4 and verses 6 through 8. The third declaration is this, the declaration that Scripture confirms the experience of Abraham. Romans 4 verse 6, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness." Now, I want you to understand that the declaration is that scripture confirms the experience of Abraham. Two of the most treasured and honored and revered men in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, were David and Abraham. Now, Paul is saying, and Abraham confessed that he believed God, and Abraham is saying that he was saved by grace through faith, justified by faith, and now along comes David. And David says the same thing. And who's going to argue with David and Abraham?
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For instance, if you would hold Romans chapter 4, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 32. Here's the direct quote that Paul takes in Romans chapter 4. It is from Psalm 32, beginning there with verse 1. Psalm 32, verse 1. "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." Blessed is the man, or blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity. Now go back to Romans 4, look in verse 6. "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." Now, what the Scripture is saying is this. Whomever God justifies is blessed indeed. Why? Because God does not charge sin to their accounts.
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Do you understand that is basically what justification is. It is a declaration that we are sinless before the law. But the only way that we are sinless before the law is because we are in Jesus Christ who kept the law of God perfectly. So, what God does when He justifies us, He pronounces us righteous in light of the law, and that is all by faith in the work of Jesus Christ.
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It is not based upon works, our works. It is not based upon our merit, who we are, what we've done. No, no, no. It is based solely and totally and completely upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. And consequently, because we believe in Christ, our transgressions are forgiven. And that's why he's declaring the blessedness of this man, unto whom God will not impute sin. Rather, what he imputes or charges to his account is absolute righteousness.
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Now, look at Romans 4 again for the second point. I only have two points today. We've looked at the declarations of Abraham's experience. Now I want you to look secondly at the circumstances of his experience, and that is actually verses 9 through 11. Verse 9, "Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also."
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Let's just stop there for a moment. The scripture is telling us that God justified Abraham before he was given the ordinance of circumcision. So justification, or if you want to say salvation, you cannot be saved without being justified. You cannot be justified without being saved. What he's telling us is justification or salvation is not based upon externals. And literally what the Apostle Paul is doing in verses 9-11, is he is striking out against what is known as the institutionalization of the faith. Now I'm going to show you what that means in just a moment. When I talk about the institutionalizing of the faith, it just simply means this, that people are saved by virtue of certain rite or ceremony or work. Paul says that is not true. Abraham was saved before the rite of circumcision was given. Abraham was justified before the rite of circumcision was given. It is not circumcision that saves. It is not baptism that saves. It is not church membership that saves. It is the triune God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ that saves.
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Let me show you the tendency to institutionalize faith. Look in your Bibles. Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15. There was a big argument over this. In fact, there was an entire council known as the Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15. They came together to consider this thing. Look in Acts chapter 15, verse 1. "And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved." Now, why is Paul arguing that Abraham was saved before he was circumcised?
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Because he knew that these Jews, these Judaizers, would say, oh, wait a minute. If you really want to be saved, you've got to be circumcised. You have to go through our rite. You have to go through our ordinance. You have to go through the externals. Look in verse 5. Acts 15, verse 5. "But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." Look in verse 24. "Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment." Now I want you to note what Scripture says. Scripture says if you're placing faith in a rite or an ordinance, then you are being subverted. Your soul is being subverted. And so this is what I'm talking about as the institutionalism of faith. So just as the Judaizers in the days of the apostles demanded that if you're really going to be saved you have to be circumcised, likewise today there are plenty of people saying if you're going to be saved you must be baptized.
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You must be baptized by this group or a special group. You must be baptized in this position or you must do this or you must do that. In other words, it's all based upon externals. Paul says, no, no, no. Certainly, we cannot deprecate any ordinance that God ordained. But on the other hand, we cannot abuse and misuse and pervert those ordinances and make them teach what God never intended them to teach. So, the Apostle Paul is saying, look, Abraham was justified before he was circumcised. What is he saying? The very fact that Abraham was justified before circumcision demonstrates that God is able to save whom He will, when He will, and where He wills. One does not have to be a Judahite or a Pharisee in order to be justified. One does not have to keep the externals, the rites, and the ordinances demanded by a certain group to be justified. God saves and God justifies without the externals. Now I want you to look down to Romans 4 and verse 11. Watch carefully what the Bible says.
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"And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised." Did Abraham have faith before or after he was circumcised? Before. Why was circumcision given? It was just a sign. It was just a seal. That's all. He was already saved. It's just like we want our wives to wear their wedding bands. Why? It's a sign. It's a seal that they're married. But you can take that wedding band off, but that doesn't mean that you're no longer married. And that's all he said it is. Now, I want to point something out. I want you to note in verse 11, he says, "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father," help me out now, "that he might be the father of whom?"
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"Of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also."
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Now, let me make a statement. In this sense of the word, Abraham is only the true father of those who believe. He is not the father of unbelievers. I don't care who they are. Let me show you what I'm talking about. Look in your Bibles to John chapter 8. John chapter 8. And let's begin there with verse 1. John 8, verse 1. And just to save time, I'm going to skip through this chapter and pick out the verses. You can read the whole chapter when you get home. But John 8, verse 1.
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"Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them." OK, we've got the people. We've got the scribes and the Pharisees, verse 3. "And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery." So we've got the people there, we've got the scribes and the Pharisees there. Skip down to verse 13. "The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true." Who were the Pharisees?
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They were the straightest sect of believers. They would have been called the fundamentalists in Christ's day. The Sadducees would have been the liberals. So here are the Pharisees now. They say your record's not true because you're bearing record of yourself.
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Now, skip down to verse 20. "These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come."
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"And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."
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Now, skip down to verse 30. "As he spake these words, many believed on him." And by the way, that's a different sermon. I hope you know there is an intellectual belief. There's a historical belief. There's a demonic belief, and then there's a saving belief. But notice verse 31. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." In other words, it's not just a profession that makes you evident that you're my child. There must be a continuation in my word. There must be the perseverance and the preservation in the word. He said in verse 32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Now, what's this argument?
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"They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?" What are they claiming in verse 33? "We be Abraham's seed." In other words, we're Abraham's descendants. We're his offspring. That's what they're claiming. "Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you." Now in verse 33 they say we're Abraham's physical descendants, we're his seed. In verse 37 Christ says, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you."
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"I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father."
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"Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do."
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"He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
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Now, in verse 33 they said, "We be Abraham's seed." In verse 37 Christ says, "I know ye are Abraham's seed." But when you get to verse 39, He denies that they're Abraham's children. You see the distinction? You can be a physical descendant of Abraham, and still not be a child of Abraham. In fact, our Lord went on to say to these unbelievers, "Ye are of your father the devil." Abraham's not your father. Because Abraham is the father of those who believe, according to Romans chapter 4. Now, go back to Romans chapter 4, because I want you to see, and we're looking at this, that God justified Abraham before he gave him the ordinance of circumcision. Now in verses 13 through 15, God gave Abraham the promise before he gave the law. Romans 4 verse 13. "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world," you know that's a very significant term. It just hit me.
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My wife and I were talking about this coming over here. Abraham is not just the heir of a little patch of land over the Middle East, OK? He's the heir of the world, and there's another scripture I want to bring out later on. "For the promise, that he should 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 they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression." Now, I want you to note, if you would please, God gave Abraham faith and God gave Abraham the promise before the law was given. So Paul is emphasizing that Abraham was not justified by his circumcision and he was not justified by any keeping of the law. The promise that he should be heir of the world was through faith. Now Paul makes it plain that if justification is by the deeds of the law, if it is by the works of man, if it is by externals such as circumcision and baptism, then faith is made void.
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And the promise of none effect. Look at it in verse 14. "For if they which are of the law be heirs..." If you want to hang on to the externals, if you want to hang on to the rites, if you want to hang on to the works, he said, if they which be of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is none effect. So he's saying, in essence, if you're going to hang to the strict letter of the law, Christ will do you no good. None of the promises will do you any good. Because if you claim that everything is by the law, then you're destroying faith, you're destroying Scripture.
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In other words, there's just no hope for you. Everything is by grace through faith.
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Now, let me show you what he is saying in verse 15. Here is why justification can never be by the law. He says, "Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression." What does it mean when it says the law worketh wrath? It means simply this, that it is the law that brings men into judgment because of the curse of the law. Let me show you the curse.
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Hold Romans 4, but go in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3 and look at verses 10 through 12. Galatians 3, verses 10 through 12. Here's what it means when it says the law worketh wrath. Galatians 3 verse 10. "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." Now, go back to verse 10. "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."
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What does the law demand of every individual? Three things. The law demands a personal obedience. It demands, secondly, a perfect obedience. And it demands, thirdly, a perpetual obedience. Now, if you cannot give to God's law a personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience, you're under the curse. You're under the condemnation. You're going to come into judgment.
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Now, to show you how simple this is. Let's suppose that from this day forward, you were able to be perfect. You never committed another sin internally or externally. You were perfect. You were personally perfect and perpetually perfect. Would that earn you an entrance into God's kingdom? No, because what about all those sins you committed before you got perfect? You see, the salvation or justification by the law is impossible. For the law worketh wrath. Then he says in Romans 4, "for where no law is, there is no transgression."
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Now, what he's saying, if you try to find the promise under the law, you're going to find the opposite. You're going to find wrath. If you try to find the blessing under the law, you're going to find the opposite. You're going to find a curse. The reason justification can never be by the law is because the law worketh wrath. Now, what does it mean when it says, "for where no law is, there is no transgression"? Certainly it does not mean without law there is no sin. People were sinners way before the law was given in Mount Sinai. And the way we know they were sinners is they died. The wages of sin is death. Well, it does not mean if there is no law there, there is no sin at all. No, sin is still there. But what he is saying is this. It is the law that codifies, defines, and establishes the fact that sin is the transgression of the law. Without the law, we would still be sinners. But since we have the law, we now know how great and how vile and how wicked such sinners we really are.
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The law then magnifies our sin. It magnifies our guilt. The law then will not lead us to justification and blessings. The law will lead us to curses and condemnations. Look in Romans 3, beginning there in verse 19, here it is.
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"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." If you really, truly understand the law, the Apostle Paul says all it will do is shut your mouth and make you guilty before God, and you will realize how big of a sinner you really are.
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Instead of justifying you, it will condemn you. Instead of erasing your sins, it will magnify your sins.
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Now, go back to Romans 4. I want you to note, in verses 9-12, He tells us that Abraham was justified before circumcision. In verses 13-15, he tells us that Abraham was justified before the law was given.
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Now Paul's conclusion is found in verse 16. Look at it. "Therefore," the words based on everything that I've said previously in Romans chapter 4 says the Apostle Paul, "therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all." Now, verse 17, "(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,)" That is, wherever God's elect are, they will be made manifest by the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, the father of all who believe. He said, "therefore... before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."
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Now, I want you to turn to one last passage. That's Galatians chapter three. I'm trying to demonstrate that Abraham is indeed the father of believers. He talks about walking in the steps of Abraham's faith. But notice, if you would, how plain this passage is. Galatians 3, verse 6. "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." It doesn't say even as Abraham was circumcised, it was accounted to him for righteousness. Or even as Abraham was baptized, it was counted to him for righteousness. Or even as Abraham was sanitized, no, no, no. "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
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Now look what he says. "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." Who are the true children of Abraham? Those who are of faith. You say, but I'm a real fleshly Israelite. It doesn't matter. If you do not have faith in Jesus Christ, you're just a lost fleshly Israelite. "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Who is blessed with faithful Abraham? Only those who are of faith.
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I was talking to a friend of mine this week and we began to talk about the subject, who is Israel? And he stopped me and he said this, "Have you ever thought about how less trouble we would have in this world if every Christian understood three simple truths?" I said, "What truth are you talking about?" He said, "Well, if they understood Romans 13, first."
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Secondly, if they understood what the Bible taught about debt, they would stay out of it. And thirdly, if we found out that those folks living over in the Middle East are really not Israel, we'd save ourselves an awful lot of heartache and an awful lot of trouble and an awful lot of money. And that's a fact. That's a fact. It's amazing how those three truths understood from scripture could revolutionize our entire country. Learn what the Bible says about Romans 13 and civil government. Learn to stay out of debt. And to learn what Paul says in verse 7 of Galatians 3, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." Let's pray.
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Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ for your grace and for your mercy and love to us. We pray, Lord, that you would give us understanding, that you would speak to our hearts, that you would encourage us, that you would indeed, Father, enable us to honor thee in all of our lives, bring our lives into conformity to your word. Help us do all things for your honor and your glory. Thank you, Father, for your grace and your mercy. Thank You for salvation by grace through faith. Thank You, Father, it's not of works, it's not of rites, but it's trusting solely and totally in Jesus Christ and who He is and what He has done. We give Thee the praise and the honor and the glory in Christ's name, Amen.
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Alright, you're dismissed, and don't forget the offerings, don't forget the fellowship with each other, don't forget the prayer request, and Lord willing, next Sunday, same time, same station. So let's just tell all Christians about those three things. Well, yeah, if we can get them to listen. If they want to kill you, you have to tell them. Well, I would have a fourth one that I'd really want to tell them.
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Thank you.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T04:21:28Z

Who is Israel? Part 2 of 6

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, John Weaver continues his series on the identity of Israel by examining Romans 4 to show that Abraham was justified by faith alone, not by works, circumcision, or the law. He argues that Abraham was an idolatrous Chaldean by nationality, called by God's sovereign grace, and that true children of Abraham are those who share his faith, not merely his physical descent. The sermon refutes the idea that salvation comes through external rites or law-keeping, emphasizing that justification is by grace through faith in Christ alone.

Introduction and Review

Scripture Reading — Romans 4:1-17

"What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had yet being uncircumcised." "For the promise, that he should 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 they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."

Abraham's Nationality and Idolatrous Background

Abraham was a Chaldean from Ur, an idolater called by God's sovereign revelation, not by his own seeking. Jacob is later called a Syrian, showing the humble origins of Israel.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 11:11,26-28

"And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 11:11,26-28

"And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters."

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 51:1-2

"Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness."

So He's speaking then to those who follow after righteousness, to those who are believers. He says,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 51:1-2

"Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him."

Scripture Reading — Acts 7:2-4

"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee."

Scripture Reading — Acts 7:2-4

"And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell."

So the scripture makes it exceedingly plain then that Abraham dwelt in the land of the Chaldees and specifically Ur of the Chaldees. So he was from Mesopotamia.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 24:1-4,10,15,29

"And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac."

Genesis 25 and verse 20.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 25:20

"And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 31:41

"Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 26:1-5

"And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;"

So here Jacob's descendants now are coming into Canaan land. They're going to possess it.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 26:1-5

"That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God,"

Watch it,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 26:1-5

"A Syrian ready to perish was my father."

The Question of Romans 4:1

Paul asks what Abraham found according to the flesh, meaning his natural state contributed nothing to his justification; it was entirely by grace through faith.

Declaration 1: Abraham's Faith Was a Work of God Alone

Abraham believed God because God first revealed Himself; no one can know God apart from divine revelation, as Jesus taught in Matthew 11 and 16.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 16:13-17

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

How did Peter know who Jesus Christ was? Not because he had been taught by man, not because he had been instructed in the academies, but because the Father had revealed it unto him.

Declaration 2: Abraham Was Ungodly and a Sinner

Romans 4:5 states God justifies the ungodly; therefore Abraham was a sinner, contrary to Jewish tradition that claimed he kept the whole law perfectly.

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:6,8

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

Declaration 3: Scripture Confirms Abraham's Experience

David in Psalm 32 describes the same blessedness of imputed righteousness without works, confirming that justification is by faith alone.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 32:1-2

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."

Blessed is the man, or blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity. Now go back to Romans 4, look in verse 6.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 32:1-2

"Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

Now, what the Scripture is saying is this. Whomever God justifies is blessed indeed. Why? Because God does not charge sin to their accounts.

Circumstances of Abraham's Experience: Justified Before Circumcision

Abraham was justified before receiving circumcision, proving that salvation is not based on external rites. Circumcision was only a sign and seal of the righteousness he already had by faith.

Scripture Reading — Acts 15:1,5,24

Because he knew that these Jews, these Judaizers, would say, oh, wait a minute. If you really want to be saved, you've got to be circumcised. You have to go through our rite. You have to go through our ordinance. You have to go through the externals. Look in verse 5. Acts 15, verse 5. "But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." Look in verse 24. "Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment." Now I want you to note what Scripture says. Scripture says if you're placing faith in a rite or an ordinance, then you are being subverted. Your soul is being subverted. And so this is what I'm talking about as the institutionalism of faith. So just as the Judaizers in the days of the apostles demanded that if you're really going to be saved you have to be circumcised, likewise today there are plenty of people saying if you're going to be saved you must be baptized.

"Of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also."

Abraham as Father of Believers Only

Abraham is the father of all who believe, not of physical descendants who reject Christ. Jesus told the Pharisees they were of their father the devil, not children of Abraham.

Justified Before the Law Was Given

The promise to Abraham was through faith, not the law. The law brings wrath and condemnation, not justification, because it demands perfect, personal, perpetual obedience.

Scripture Reading — Galatians 3:10-12

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them."

Now, go back to verse 10.

Scripture Reading — Galatians 3:10-12

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

Instead of justifying you, it will condemn you. Instead of erasing your sins, it will magnify your sins.

Conclusion: Faith Alone Makes True Children of Abraham

Paul concludes that the promise is sure to all the seed—those of faith, not just the law. Galatians 3:7 explicitly states that those of faith are the children of Abraham.

Practical Application and Closing

Weaver notes that understanding biblical truths about civil government, debt, and the identity of Israel would save much trouble. He closes in prayer.

Who is Israel? Part 2 of 6

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	12103775
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Who is Israel?
Genre	Sermon
Date	2002-01-13
Dictation Name
Book	Book 168: Who is Israel? — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	91

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review: Weaver reviews the previous message, emphasizing the contrast between natural and spiritual Israel, and clarifies that Jesus was a Judahite by lineage but not a Jew in the religious sense of embracing Judaism.
Abraham's Nationality and Idolatrous Background: Abraham was a Chaldean from Ur, an idolater called by God's sovereign revelation, not by his own seeking. Jacob is later called a Syrian, showing the humble origins of Israel.
The Question of Romans 4:1: Paul asks what Abraham found according to the flesh, meaning his natural state contributed nothing to his justification; it was entirely by grace through faith.
Declaration 1: Abraham's Faith Was a Work of God Alone: Abraham believed God because God first revealed Himself; no one can know God apart from divine revelation, as Jesus taught in Matthew 11 and 16.
Declaration 2: Abraham Was Ungodly and a Sinner: Romans 4:5 states God justifies the ungodly; therefore Abraham was a sinner, contrary to Jewish tradition that claimed he kept the whole law perfectly.
Declaration 3: Scripture Confirms Abraham's Experience: David in Psalm 32 describes the same blessedness of imputed righteousness without works, confirming that justification is by faith alone.
Circumstances of Abraham's Experience: Justified Before Circumcision: Abraham was justified before receiving circumcision, proving that salvation is not based on external rites. Circumcision was only a sign and seal of the righteousness he already had by faith.
Abraham as Father of Believers Only: Abraham is the father of all who believe, not of physical descendants who reject Christ. Jesus told the Pharisees they were of their father the devil, not children of Abraham.
Justified Before the Law Was Given: The promise to Abraham was through faith, not the law. The law brings wrath and condemnation, not justification, because it demands perfect, personal, perpetual obedience.
Conclusion: Faith Alone Makes True Children of Abraham: Paul concludes that the promise is sure to all the seed—those of faith, not just the law. Galatians 3:7 explicitly states that those of faith are the children of Abraham.
Practical Application and Closing: Weaver notes that understanding biblical truths about civil government, debt, and the identity of Israel would save much trouble. He closes in prayer.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Abraham's Nationality Proves Salvation Is Not by Birth

Abraham was a Chaldean, not an Israelite by birth, showing that God's call transcends ethnicity and that physical lineage does not confer spiritual status.

Genesis 11:28: 'Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.'

Abraham Was Justified Before Circumcision

Since Abraham was declared righteous before being circumcised, circumcision cannot be a requirement for salvation; it is merely a sign.

Romans 4:10: 'Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.'

The Law Cannot Make Heirs of the Promise

If inheritance were by law, faith would be void and the promise ineffective, because the law only brings wrath due to human inability to keep it perfectly.

Romans 4:14: 'For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect.'

Jesus Denied That Unbelieving Jews Were Abraham's Children

In John 8, Jesus acknowledged their physical descent but denied their spiritual sonship, calling them children of the devil because they rejected Him.

John 8:39,44: 'If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham... Ye are of your father the devil.'

David's Testimony Confirms Imputed Righteousness

David describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works, showing the unity of Old Testament teaching on justification by faith.

Romans 4:6-8 quoting Psalm 32:1-2.

Scripture References

Romans 4:1-17: The primary text of the sermon, read at the beginning, focusing on Abraham's justification by faith.
Matthew 27:19-26: Used to show that the Jews, including religious leaders, demanded Jesus' crucifixion, proving He did not embrace Judaism.
Genesis 11:11,26-28: Traces Abraham's genealogy through Shem and Eber, and identifies his origin in Ur of the Chaldees.
Genesis 14:13: Abram is called 'the Hebrew,' meaning descendant of Eber.
Isaiah 51:1-2: God tells those who seek righteousness to look to Abraham and Sarah, from whom they were hewn, implying their idolatrous background.
Genesis 12:1: God called Abram to leave his country, showing divine initiative in salvation.
Acts 7:2-4: Stephen's speech confirms God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran.
Genesis 24:1-4,10,15,29: Abraham sends his servant to his country and kindred in Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac, showing his family's Syrian connections.
Genesis 25:20: Bethuel the Syrian is identified as Rebekah's father.
Genesis 28:1-2,5: Isaac sends Jacob to Padan-aram to take a wife from Laban the Syrian.
Genesis 31:41: Jacob states he served Laban twenty years in Syria.
Deuteronomy 26:1-5: The confession at firstfruits: 'A Syrian ready to perish was my father,' referring to Jacob.
Matthew 11:26-27: No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son reveals Him, illustrating divine revelation necessary for faith.
Matthew 16:13-17: Peter's confession of Christ was revealed by the Father, not flesh and blood.
Romans 5:6,8: Christ died for the ungodly and sinners, confirming Abraham's state before justification.
Psalm 32:1-2: David's description of blessedness through forgiven sin, quoted in Romans 4:6-8.
Acts 15:1,5,24: The Jerusalem Council dealt with Judaizers who taught circumcision was necessary for salvation, which Paul refutes.
John 8:1-44: Jesus' dialogue with the Pharisees, showing they claimed Abraham as father but were actually children of the devil.
Galatians 3:10-12: Those under the law are under a curse; the just shall live by faith, not by law.
Galatians 3:6-9: Those of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham and are his true children.

Historical References

Ur of the Chaldees: Abraham's birthplace, a city in southern Mesopotamia known for idolatry, particularly moon god worship.
Babylonian/Chaldean idolatry: The Chaldeans were notorious idolaters, worshipping the moon god and other idols, which was Abraham's background before God called him.
Jewish tradition claiming Abraham kept the whole law: Weaver quotes Jewish sources stating Abraham was perfect in deeds and performed the whole law before it was given, which he refutes.
Jerusalem Council (Acts 15): The early church council that addressed whether Gentile converts needed circumcision, rejecting the Judaizers' demands.

Important Quotes

Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

The foundational verse for justification by faith, quoted from Genesis 15:6, showing that Abraham's righteousness was imputed through belief, not works.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Emphasizes that justification is for the ungodly who do not work but believe, underscoring that Abraham himself was ungodly before God justified him.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.

Shows that David's testimony in Psalm 32 confirms the same truth of imputed righteousness apart from works, linking two major Old Testament figures.

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised.

Proves that circumcision was not the means of justification but a sign and seal of a righteousness already possessed by faith.

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

The clear New Testament definition that true descent from Abraham is spiritual, through faith, not physical lineage.

A Syrian ready to perish was my father.

The confession from Deuteronomy 26:5, highlighting the humble and perishing state of Jacob/Israel, emphasizing grace over ethnic pride.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.

Jesus' direct statement to the Pharisees who claimed Abraham as father, showing that physical descent means nothing without faith.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why does Paul emphasize that Abraham was justified before he was circumcised? What does this teach us about the role of external religious rites in salvation?

[Context]

Based on Romans 4:9-11, where Paul argues that Abraham's faith was reckoned as righteousness while he was still uncircumcised.

[Question]

How does Abraham's background as an idolatrous Chaldean affect our understanding of God's sovereign grace in salvation?

[Context]

Weaver traces Abraham's origins in Ur of the Chaldees and God's call in Genesis 12 and Acts 7.

[Question]

In what ways do people today 'institutionalize faith' similar to the Judaizers who demanded circumcision?

[Context]

Weaver applies the principle that salvation is not by externals, referencing Acts 15 and modern tendencies to add requirements to faith.

[Question]

What does it mean that 'the law worketh wrath'? How does this help us understand why justification cannot be by the law?

[Context]

From Romans 4:15 and Galatians 3:10-12, explaining the law's demand for perfect obedience and its resulting curse.

[Question]

According to John 8, why did Jesus tell the Pharisees they were not Abraham's children even though they were physical descendants?

[Context]

Jesus' dialogue in John 8:31-44, where He distinguishes between physical seed and spiritual children.

[Question]

How does the confession 'A Syrian ready to perish was my father' shape our understanding of Israel's identity?

[Context]

Deuteronomy 26:5 is cited to show the humble, perishing state of Jacob, countering ethnic pride.

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