Romans | Lecture 9 : BC303-Rom-20260908

ma'am. >> Good morning ma'am. >> Good morning everyone. Welcome to class. Uh thank you all for joining class online students. Welcome to our um uh in-person students and also to our e-learning students. Um so last week we were studying Romans chapter five. [laughter] >> Romans chapter 3. Okay. Uh so we looked at the overall structure we uh the uh verses 1 to 8 the first set of rhetorical questions and then um in verses 9 to 20 Paul comes to the main conclusion. What is the main conclusion >> all have sinned? Yes. Okay. So that's the main conclusion which he comes to in verses 9 to 20. And then he comes to the key truth. What is the key truth? we are we made uh uh righteous or we are justified through faith in Christ Jesus. So righteousness comes through faith in Christ Jesus that is verses 21- 26 and then we began studying the second set of rhetorical questions in verses 27 to 31. Okay. So we'll continue from there. So before that can one of you please lead us in prayer? Can any one of our online students unmute your mics please and lead us in prayer? >> Online students, anyone can you please unmute your mics and lead us in prayer please? >> Let us pray. Father, we are grateful for another day that you have given us. Thank you Lord for giving us life. Thank you Lord for gathering us in the spirit and gathering us together in grass. We are here to receive from you dear Lord. We pray a blessing over uh our teacher pastor Selena and anyone of all all those who are attending that we shall be attentive and that we shall continue to be taught of the spirit of God. This we pray in Jesus name. >> Amen. Thank you Samuel. >> Amen. Uh so uh verses 27 to 31 the second set of rhetorical questions where Paul is talking about what about the Jews and the law. So can someone please uh read verses 27 to 31 please? >> Where is the boosting then? It is excluded by what law? By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the deeds of the law. Or is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. Since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith, do we then make wide the law through faith? Certainly not. On the contrary, we establish the law. >> Amen. Thank you. So here he asked three questions. Verse 27. What is the question he asked in verse 27? >> Where's the boasting then? And what else? What about the law and the works? The second set second question is in verse 29. What is the 20? What is the question in verse 29? or is he also the god of the Gentiles? Okay. The third question is in verse 31. >> Do we then make void the law through faith? Okay. So uh the first question where is the boasting then? That means what is he saying? Where is the boasting then? Means what? No one can boast. No one can take credit for themselves. We cannot boast of the law and works. And he says, no one can boast because now everything is by >> faith. Okay. So how is boasting excluded? Because of the law of faith. Okay. Why is boasting excluded? Because of faith. And so he's now slowly guiding uh his readers okay to the next topic which is faith which he discusses or he presents in chapter 4 verse 28. He then presents the conclusion in verse 28. He what is the conclusion he presents in verse 28? >> Yes. Man is made righteous or is justified by faith. A man is put in a right standing with God. Okay? And um he is made faultless and blameless before God by faith. And it's not dependent on the deeds of the law or doing things of the law. Okay. Then verse 29, he asked the next question. Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? And what is the answer? He answers the question by saying yes of the Gentiles also. So Paul says that though God gave the law and the covenant to the Jews first yet he is both the God of the Jews and the Gentiles. Okay that means what? In verse 30 he says both Jews and Gentiles are going to be justified by faith. Okay. So how are both Jews and Gentiles going to be justified or made righteous? By faith. So whether you are circumcised Jew or whether you are an uncircumcised Gentile, it's going to be by faith that we are going to be justified. So this is the main thing that he is getting to. Okay. Then he says what is the use of the law? Okay. comes to the whole thing about okay if you're not justified by the law made righteous by the law then what is the point of the law or what is the use of the law so he says we are not making void of the law or we are not saying the law is useless on the contrary Paul is saying that we establish the law so how do we establish the law now it's by faith in Christ Jesus so he's saying Because we are made righteous or justified by faith in Christ Jesus. That does that mean that the law is useless? Does that mean that the the our faith is making the law void? He says no. You know on the contrary Paul says when we put our faith in Jesus Christ we establish the law. So the question can arise in our minds or in the mind of the reader. How do we establish the law when we are justified or made righteous by faith? Okay. So, how does how do we establish the law? Because now we have stated that no one can keep the law. Yes or no? All of us he's already declared made the the conclusion that all of us are sinners and the law serves the purpose. What does the law serve? The law exposes us as >> sinners. Okay, we're not able to keep the law and so we know we have broken the law. So the the law makes known to us that we have sinned. Okay, that we are all sinners. So the law exposes that we are all sinners and that we stand guilty before God because we have broken the law. The same sin and the law has the that has been the same sin that the law has condemned God has condemned in the person of Jesus Christ. So when we break the law, we stand guilty, right? We are in we are going to be we are uh in in condemnation. We stand condemned. Okay? So the same sin uh you know that the law has condemned us, God has condemned that in the person of Jesus Christ. You able to understand? So he has judged it in the person of Jesus Christ. A condemnation has been already judged in the person of Jesus Christ and through that God can justify people who have faith in Christ Jesus. Okay? So the we break the law, the law exposes our sin. The law exposes that we are all sinners and hence we stand guilty before God. And the same sin that the law has condemned, you know, or makes us stand guilty or condemned before God, God has condemned that in the person of Jesus Christ. Okay, that means God has judged sin in the person of Jesus Christ. And through that now God can justify people who have faith in Christ Jesus. So Paul is saying faith in effect has be has established the law. That means everyone has come to a place where you can have faith in Christ Jesus. So let me explain this. So what is the purpose of the law? Why why did God give the law to the people? >> Correct people. >> To correct people. >> Discipline and correction. >> Was it basically discipline and correction? Not >> not disobey God. >> Obey the law. >> To obey. >> Why was a law given? What are the laws? The laws was given by God to show people what? What is right and what is wrong? How they should live and how they should not live. So law was given by God to show people what is right and wrong. However, no one was able to perfectly keep the law. Right? Meaning we all break the law at some point or the other and so we are guilty of sin. We are guilty of condemnation. And what does when we are when we break the law, what happens? The law exposes that we are all sinners that we have fallen short of the standards of God. Okay. So that is what the purpose of the law is. Now how faith establishes the law? So when Paul says faith establishes the law, he means that faith does not get rid of the law or faith does not uh you know uh is not making the law void or empty or useless but actually faith fulfills the law's purpose. The law shows us that we cannot be righteous on our own strength. Okay? And the law shows us or points us that we need a savior to help us. So the law points us to the need of a savior that is Jesus Christ. So what is Jesus's role here? Jesus took upon himself the punishment of our sins which the law condemns us. Okay? Because we stand guilty. Jesus took upon himself the punishment for our sins. And God judged sin in the person of Jesus Christ. God judged sin when Jesus died on the cross. It was a judgment of the payment for our sin. So through faith in Jesus Christ, people can now be made justified or made righteous with God. That means we can be made right with God. So coming back to the to faith and the law. So faith does not mean that the law because we have faith now in Jesus Christ. It does not mean that the law is unnecessary. Instead faith acknowledges that we keep the law you know um uh uh faith acknowledges that we cannot keep the law in our own efforts in our own strength. Faith also confirms what the law has been telling us all along that we have fallen short of the standards of God and that we need a savior that we need salvation. So the law is basically pointing to the savior that we all need a savior. So in the coming of Jesus Christ, you know, and he taking upon himself our sin and through faith in him, we are affirming the law's truth and purpose. What is the law's truth and purpose? The law's truth and purpose is that we cannot keep the law. That we're all guilty that we are condemned before God. And when Jesus died on the cross, he took our condemnation. He took our guilt. And so the law is pointing to us and telling us, hey, we cannot keep the law. We need somebody to save us. We need a savior. And it's pointing through Jesus Christ. And when we have faith in Jesus Christ, we have been made righteous or we have been justified. So is the law serving the purpose? Is the law serving the purpose? How how is the law serving the purpose? >> It's pointing towards Jesus that we need a savior. That we cannot keep the law in our own strength. That we cannot be made justified or righteous by keeping the law pointing to the savior. And so we are affirming, you know, when we put our faith in Jesus, we're actually affirming the law's truth and purpose. So what is the conclusion for this? The law shows us that we are not good enough in our own strength or on our own we are not good enough. But faith in Jesus Christ is the only way that we can become righteous. Okay? And by believing in Christ Jesus, we fulfill what the law has been telling us that we need God to save us. So we see that the law is serving a purpose pointing us to Jesus Christ and saying that we cannot keep the law but by faith in Jesus Christ we can be made um you know we are justified and made righteous. So the law is uh you know affirming the truth and the serving its purpose. Now you all understood? Yes. >> Yes. No. Any doubts? Any doubts? Yes. Okay. If there are no doubts, um that is the end of chapter 3. Any questions in chapter 3 before we move on to chapter 4? Any questions? Any doubts? or is all Greek and Latin to you all? >> Yeah, please give him the mic. Yes. >> Can you Romans chapter 3 verse 5? Can you repeat again? >> Romans chapter 3 verse >> 5-7. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. Where is that? 3:ES 5-7. Okay. Verses um 5-7. Yes. >> Where he asks the third question and answers it. What is uh 5 to7? Can you read that 5-7 versus? Yeah. >> But I if But if our unrighteousness demonstrate the righteousness of God, what shall we say? If God unjust who infinite worth I uh >> I speak as >> I speak as a man certainly certainly not for then how will God judge the world for if the truth of God has increased through my light to his glory why am I also still as a sinner. >> Okay, thank you. So what is the argument here? Now when Paul when when the Jews read what Paul is writing, they will think that hey we are all sinners. Paul is saying that we are all >> sinners, right? And uh when we sin, it is actually showing God as righteous, truthful, righteous judge. Okay? So a Jew might think in his mind, hey, if my my sin is actually demonstrating how righteous God is. My when I sin, it's showing God as righteous, truthful, honest, holy. Okay. Uh then why should God judge my sin? Because my sin is actually helping God to be shown as righteous and holy and fruitful. Okay? So now let's understand the reasoning behind this. objection. So when I do something wrong, my unrighteousness is a contrast to God's righteousness and holiness and it's showing God more righteous and holy and blameless and me as a unrighteous sinner. So my sin makes God's holiness and righteousness to stand out. Okay? So for example, if I lie, my lie is a contrast to God's truthfulness. God is true while I am a liar. In that sense, my lie highlights that God is truthful. Okay? So a person might argue if my sin makes God's righteousness and truthfulness more evident or more clear you know and that ultimately brings glory to God then why is God judging me for the things that makes him look good? God should be thankful to me right that my sin is making him look more righteous and holy and fruitful and blameless. Okay. So this is the argument that Paul is addressing here and he gives an example of this reasoning in verse 7. Okay. Um so the objection could be expressed this way. If the truth of God is increased through my lie and my lie ultimately brings glory to God then why am I judged as a sinner in or in other words if God can use my sin to display his righteousness holiness and glory then why should I be punished for that sin so what is Paul's answer certainly not verse six right God's ability to use something sinful ful for his purpose does not mean that that makes our sinful actions right. Our actions are still wrong. So if you look at your notes, you know, there is um you know, Judas's scariot could make he we're just assuming he didn't say it, but we could make an argument, you know, based on Judas's scariot. We are using Judas as a scariot as an example here to understand it. Not that Judas's scariot mentioned this. It's not given anywhere in the Bible, but we're just using it as an example. So what if Jesus is scariot said Lord if I had not betrayed Jesus? Jesus would not have been crucified. People would not have been saved. Then why are you judging me for betraying Jesus Christ? I know that I betrayed Jesus Christ. But you used that for good. In fact, if I had not done what I had done, Judas is saying this, okay? Not me. If I had not if I had done what you know uh I had not if um in if I had hadn't done what I did then Jesus wouldn't have gone to the cross at all and people would not be saved. So what I did fulfill the scriptures then how can you judge me at all. Okay. So this is the kind of reasoning that Paul is saying is coming in the in the heart and the minds of the Jews. Okay. But we must understand that there is a mistake in that kind of understanding or reasoning or argument. The fact that God can bring good out of evil does not mean that our evil is good or our sin is good. Okay? God can use our sinful actions. Not all of our sinful actions. God in his sovereignty can use our sinful actions to accomplish his purpose. But does not mean that he depends on that irrespective of that he can still he even if Judas would not have betrayed him he could have still died on the cross. Okay. So uh we cannot say that every sinful action God uses it and it helps him to establish his divine purpose. No. But even though he uses our sinful action sometimes the person who commits a sin is still responsible for their sin. it cannot be justified. Okay. So the key point Paul is not saying that a sin actually makes God more righteous. Rather he's responding to the argument that if God receives glory when his righteousness is contrasted with our righteousness then perhaps God has no right to judge that kind of sin. That is what the argument is. The Jews might be saying if God is our righteousness, our sinfulness is making God righteous, then God has no right to judge our sin. Okay? And um so if that argument is right, then God cannot judge the whole world. So the so Paul points us to verse six. He says, "How then will God judge the world?" God cannot judge the world. But God's judgment is righteous because he judges sin according to his righteousness regardless of the fact that he can even use you know sometimes he can use human sin to accomplish his purpose. Okay. So the argument that my sin brings glory or makes God righteousness and therefore God should not judge my sin is completely wrong or it's false. Okay. So God has the ability to use our sin for his purposes but does that does not excuse our sin. Okay. Now you understood? >> Okay. [clears throat] So God is righteous but we are still responsible for our sin and God's grace does not turn sin into righteousness. We need to understand that. Okay. Why loving God going to judge and send someone to hell? Didn't God forgive all of us? Yes, God has already uh you know um taken all the sins upon the world. Okay. But what does it say in John 3:16? Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Okay. So God has already judged sin in the person of Jesus Christ. He's made a way for us to receive that forgiveness and become righteous and blameless before him. But also the choice is ours. So you need to understand this very clearly in the Bible that God does not treat us like puppets. It's not like he does it and then we just receive it without us doing anything. just sit back and just keep on deceiving a download. No, it is always partnership. It is always co-working with God in every sphere, every area. Even in salvation, we co-partner with God or cooperate with God. He has finished the work. But we uh receive it only when we ask for forgiveness. We are have a new identity in Christ but we receive that identity only when we believe and walk in that identity. Christ cannot walk our help you know Christ cannot walk our identity that we have in Christ Jesus. We have to uh do things. That's why it says Christ has already won the victory on the cross over Satan. Then why should he give us a spiritual armor >> right? Why does he say put on the armor of God, stand against the devil when he's already won the victory on the cross? So yes, he's won the victory, but we still have to do our part. There is always a co-working with God which runs throughout like a you know thread from Genesis to Revelation. It is co-artnering co-working uh with God. And um why does he send some people to hell? It's not that he loves to send people to hell. Hell is not made for you and me. Hell is only made for Satan. But it's a choice which you whether you want to believe in and go to hell or you want to go to eternal and you know have you want to go to heaven and be with Jesus and choose eternal life. Yes, Reanita. >> I think Satan even today has the power, right? Uh pastor, he has the power over us but he does not have authority over us. No, it it says he's disarmed every principality and power on the cross and he made a public spectacle of them. Disarming principality and power means what? He nullified all of the powers of the enemy. Okay. So >> that may be for a believer, right, pastor? But not for an unbeliever. For a believer, no. >> For God so loved the world that he gave his only son. So he loved the world. He did it for everyone. But now when we say he nullified and disarmed the word Greek word there is he has actually paralyzed the enemy. So when somebody is paralyzed they and he has disarmed them that means they have no authority they have no power they have uh no uh no no means to do anything. Like for example, there are some um uh groups, terror groups in in India itself that operate and uh the government has disarmed them in a sense has not given them any sense of authority or power. They have no authority and power. But what do these uh groups uh do you know how do they uh terrorize people? They have no authority and power but they use weapons. They use their guns. So it's called gorilla war tactics where they actually terrorize people in a sense of fear. Right? If show the gun and say hey if you don't you know give me this your livestock or you know this or that you know we will shoot your whole family or we'll shoot you down. So what the enemy does is he has no authority. He has no power. He's stripped of all authority and power because Jesus has disarmed him, nullified him, won him over the cross. So if you're saying he has power, that means we're saying Jesus did not, you know, finish the work on the cross. No, he has defeated sin, Satan, and death on the cross. That means totally, you know, nullify them of their powers. But what does the enemy do? He just uses gorilla war tactics. That is fear. He just puts a fear. He just puts one thought in your mind. That is why the battle is in the mind. So he's saying just one little thought is enough to ruin your whole whole life to ruin your you know your life your ministry your marriage whatever >> has disarmed it pastor if he has disarmed the principalities and powers why should even fear work against us because I have I have seen witchcraft working against people and destroying their life completely. Yes. So that is where >> Yeah. So that is where I'm saying again there's comes co-artnership and co-working with God. So when God has already disarmed principalities and power that means that is what Paul talks in verse in chapter six. Hey we are dead to sin. You're saying hey how are we dead to sin? Sin is still reigning in my body. I'm not able to overcome uh sin. What are you saying? We are dead to sin. But Paul is saying hey we are totally dead to sin. Sin has no authority. Sin has no power. Very strongly says that is the word of God and that is to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So yes, we are dead to sin. We are dead to the fear to the to eternal death and we are also dead to Satan. But how can fear of the enemy actually work in us is when we open the doors to the enemy. See we have to do our part to block us to block to guard. That's why you have to guard our heart and our minds. We have to guard what we see, think, you know, read, watch, uh what we are meditating on. We need to guard ourselves. If we don't guard ourselves and we just That's why it says, you know, don't give the enemy a foothold. What is a foothold? Just a little opening in the door, he can come in and he can mess up your entire life. So that is why I'm saying again there's co-artnering and co-working with God. God has done what he had to do for us. We need to take up. We need to stand. We need to fight. We have to be aware of our authority and our power. That's why Paul even says Romans chapter 6, you know that um uh we have been baptized un into Jesus unto his death. And in Ephesians he talks about how we are baptized into his death, his uh burial, his resurrection, his ascension and him being seated at the right hand of God. So what does it mean that we ident that is our spiritual identification so what does it mean that we spiritually identify with Christ's death that means we are dead to the things of this world dead to sin the sin has no longer authority over us we the life and nature of sin is no longer operative in us we have the life and nature of God what does he mean when he say we identify with Christ in his uh you know uh ascension seated at the right hand of God that means we are seated ed spiritually in heavenly places and we have authority over every demonic forces. Everything is right now under our feet. So we think with a renewed mind, we think with kingdom authority. We think with the kingdom mindset and we know what is our authority and we have to use our authority. God cannot use the authority for us. He's given us the authority. He's given us the weapons. God cannot use it for us. We have to use it but he will help us. So these are real powerful truths that we need to really think live and you know exercise it. Yes. Yeah. Okay. I hope that helped. >> Yes pastor. Thank you. >> Yeah. Yeah. It is uh it is this one. But if you read we keep learning Romans. It's so powerful. You will you know open your eyes to so many things and you will learn. Okay. So yeah. Okay. Any other questions before we move on to chapter 4? Okay. If there are no questions, um let's move to chapter 4, please. Okay. So, chapter 4. Um we'll just do a uh one minute. Yeah. Okay. Chapter four. Uh chapter four can be divided into two main sections. Uh one where he establishes that you know this faith came the the that we have been made righteous by faith came before even the law was given and even the covenants. So you see very beautifully how Paul is explaining this. So a Jew can say hey faith came now only because Jesus Christ came now and died faith came now but law and the covenants were before. So Paul knows what the Jews will think. So he establishes that faith came even before the the law was given and even before the covenants. And how does he prove that? Very smartly very beautifully. He mentions about Abraham. Now why does he mention about Abraham? Because for every Jew, Abraham is their father of faith. He's their patriarch. He's a forerunner. He's their father. Okay? Because of him, they receive the covenants and they are blessed. So he says Abraham had received faith or he was made righteous by faith even before the law and the circumcision. Have you ever thought about that? Abraham was justified by faith even before God gave the law to Moses and even before God brought in the sign of the covenant that is circumcision. Okay. So circumcision was given to the sign of the covenant that the circumcision was given to Abraham even before he had faith in Jesus Christ and he was made righteous by faith. So both circumcision and the law came after faith. So what is he saying is that faith did not show up now after Jesus Christ died on the cross. But faith was way back you know in Abraham's time even before the law even before the circumcision Abraham was justified by faith. See how smart Abra, how smart Paul is to mention that, right? So now he's really getting the Jews their attention. They're going to think, "Oh yeah, this is right." You know, so now that is one part of chapter 4. The other part of chapter 4, he's giving us insights into Abraham's faith. Okay? He's talking about Abraham's faith. And what is he saying is that faith is both for the Jews and the Gentiles. And both Jews and Gentiles are going to walk in that faith. So whether you are a Jew or Gentile, you are going to be walking in the faith of Abraham. Not only the Jews but also the Gentiles. Okay? And he talks about Abraham's faith in God and he says how we whether we are Jews or Gentiles must also put faith in God like Abraham put his faith in God. So now faith he transitions to the next part from faith he moves to grace. So slowly he's taking uh the readers through a very important aspect of the Christian faith. Okay. And it's just how amazing how Paul is expressing the mind of God in helping uh these people to see that faith is both for the Jews and the Gentiles. Very interesting. Okay. So what are the benefits of being a Christian? Oh wow. What's the benefits of being a Christian? You mean just a Christian or you mean somebody who's a believer in Christ Jesus or born again? It's very important. Benefits of a Christian can be very different from those who are born again. Okay. What is the benefits of being born again? >> Eternal life. >> Yeah. eternal life and so many. Just read the Bible. Every day you read it, you'll find so many. Keep adding to the blessings. It'll turn to thousands and pages after pages. Right? Okay. So, Romans chapter 4:es 1:3. Can somebody read that please? >> What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. >> Amen. >> Thank you, Saga. So, he starts off by asking a question. What is the question? Verse one, to the flesh. So Jews took so much pride in Abraham and who else? >> David. Yes. Abraham and David were the two great patriarchs. Okay. Abraham was their father of the entire Jewish race. And David their king who established them in the land that God had appointed for them. Now when Paul says Abraham, they understood Abraham as their forefather and as their forerunner. Okay. So he asked the question, was Abraham justified by flesh? Means was he justified by works? Okay. And so he quotes from the Old Testament. He quotes from Genesis chapter 15 verse 6. Okay. What does he say? Abraham >> believed God and it was accounted to him for >> righteousness. So how was how was Abraham made righteous? >> By faith >> he believed. >> Yes, he believed of faith in Jesus Christ. So Abraham received righteousness based on one thing. What is the one thing that he believed in God? So no one can argue that because the scriptures itself says that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Right? So what is the meaning of accounted? The Greek word for accounted means and you know uh Paul uses um uh in Romans chapter 4:3 which is a very very important word and Paul uses this word 11 times in this chapter. Okay. So in the NKJV it's translated as accounted in verses 3 5 9 10 22 and counted in verse 4. He also uses imputes impute imputed in verses 6 8 11 verse 23 and verse 24. Okay. Now in the King James translation it's translated as counted reckoned or imputed. Now this is a this is a this this word you know uh uh counted or imputed or accounted you know or reckoned um all has to do with financial or accounting calculations. Okay it has to do with finance or accounting calculation and it simply means to put down into one's account or to put into one's account. Okay. So in our usage we could say credited to one's account, right? Your amount has been credited. Okay. Uh or deposited into one's account. So Abraham believed God and God credited it to him righteousness or God deposited to his account righteousness or God accounted righteousness to him. Okay. So Abraham received righteousness by >> believing in God by faith. Okay. So even us when we believe in God, God's righteousness is being imputed or accounted or counted or reckoned. That means it's credited or put into our account. So to say all of you able to understand? >> Yes. Okay. We'll move on. Verses 4 to8. Can somebody read that please? verses 4 to8. >> Now to him who works the wages are not counted as grace but as deed. >> Death. But to him who does not work but believes on him who justified the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. Just as David also described the blessedness of the man to whom God imparts right >> imputes >> imputes righteousness apart from works. >> Blessed are those whose law l law l law l law l law l law l law l law l law l law l law >> deedsed >> deeds are forgiven and th whose sins are covered. Bless, blessed is the man who man whom the Lord shall not >> impute >> impute sin >> sin. So look at this verse four counted. Look at verse five, accounted. Look at verse six, imputes righteousness. Look at verse eight, it says impute. Okay, so what is Paul saying here? A man works for something. Then what he gets is not something that he receives by grace. Why? Because he's paid for what he is worked for. He's, you know, they owe him that money. He's worked for that money. So when a when the boss pays him the money, it's not by grace, but something that he did, he worked hard for. Okay. So a system of works seem to put God in debt to us. So if we are saying we have been made righteous uh by our works that means what does it mean? Go we make God a debtor. That means God is debted to us. He has he owes us something. Right? Okay. making God owe his favor because of our good works or our good behavior. Are you able to understand? >> Okay. So, we're talking about how when somebody works on this earth, they deserve their wages and what wages they receive is not grace but something that is all they you know is has to be given to them because of what they have done. So Paul is saying in the same way if we are saying our good deeds and our good works makes us righteous that means what are we saying that God owes us salvation or he owes us his favor. He owes us his blessings because of our good works and our good behavior. But if a man does not work he believes that whatever he's receiving is pure grace through faith. Okay. So he's saying Abraham received righteousness how how >> purely by believing. Okay. And he's saying that is by faith and not by works. So the righteousness that God gave him is by grace. Okay? By grace. So it was something God gave to him by grace. And he will go on to explain about grace in chapter five. Now we know that the Greek word for grace is what? Caris. Okay. It has different usages in the New Testament. What are the three usages in the New Testament where grace is spoken of can mean what can it mean? Divine divi divine enablement or empowerment, divine >> favor >> and divine character. Okay. uh divine favor. Ephesians chapter 2:8 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith and not by yourself. It is a gift of God." So here is it says that you have been saved how? Ephesians 2:8. How are you being saved? Through >> faith. And it clearly says not by yourselves. It is the gift of God. So divine favor. What is divine character? Some places in the Bible grace can mean divine character. John chapter 1 verse4 what does it say? The word became >> flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory the glory of the one and only full of grace and truth. Look at John chapter 1 verse14. So the son who came from the father was full of what? >> John John 1:14 the the son who came from the father was full of >> grace and truth. So divine character. The Bible also tells believers in 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 18. What does it say in 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 18 >> grow in the grace and the knowledge of your of Christ of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So we are all to grow in Christlike character. Okay. And then grace is also divine enablement or empowerment. When Paul had a thorn in the flesh, you know, repeated attacks from the enemy, he asked God to take it. But what did God say? My grace is sufficient for you. Divine enablement. So Paul was able to go through this because of divine enablement. And this divine enablement is given to every believer. So caris, which is a Greek word for grace, has is been interpreted differently. based on these three in the context that is written. Okay. And has to be uh correctly interpreted depending on the context in which we are reading it. Now in this context what does it mean? In this context which we are reading what does it mean? Verse four. The wages are not counted as grace but as death. Divine >> favor. Okay. Yes, it's divine favor. That means it's referring to a generous deed done out of the heart of the bestower without expectation of anything in return. And you know we you often use the face phrase unmmerited favor. So grace in us is receiving what we do not deserve, what we cannot earn. Grace in is God doing for us and through us what he we could never do for ourselves. And grace begins when our ability ends. Okay. So that is what God giving us his righteousness cannot be received by our own works, our own efforts. We cannot earn it. So grace in us is receiving what we do not deserve and what we cannot earn. Grace is God doing in us and through us what we could never do for ourselves. And grace begins where our ability ends. And it's often explained with this acronym G R A C. You know what is that? What is the acronym? G is for God's >> riches at >> ah God's riches at Christ expense. Okay. God's riches at Christ expense. Okay. We'll stop here and we'll come back after the break and continue. Thank you everyone.