Romans Chapter 4
Are We Looking More and More Like Jesus?
Once we proclaim our faith in Jesus, we receive his righteousness. Our faith declares us righteous or as chapter 4 says we are declared JUSTIFIED which means “Just-If-I’d never sinned.” So our sins are forgiven and God no longer sees us full of sin but full of Christ’s righteousness. The Holy Spirit then will empower us to a holy life that’s full of good works. Again, our works don’t save us, our faith does. But once our faith kicks into our lives, good works become our obligation. Repentance is evidence of our faith in Jesus. Our changed life is evidence of our faith in Jesus. The righteousness of Christ becomes our goal through faith. To look more and more like Jesus should be our desire because of our faith. We can never be righteous on our own.
Think of it as a math problem:
God’s Grace + Our Faith in the Atonement Work of Jesus = Us Declared Righteous or Justified (Our Salvation) = a Changed Life (Repenting from Sins and Pursuing a Holy Life so we look more and more like Jesus).
Are you looking more and more like Jesus as a result of your faith? Or are you looking more and more like the world?
This is good news available for all people. Let’s get the Word out!
Verse 16 stood out to me in chapter 4.
“That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,”
I’m sharing a song by ApologetiX today called Lost and Found which is a parody of Round and Round by Ratt.
https://youtu.be/OtO_yR34n70