Crossbridge Community Church of Ocean County Crossbridge Community Church of Ocean County, Inc.

God's holy love and grace are like diamonds with many beautiful facets. Paul wrote about this is Romans 4:13-25 so that we might walk with Christ, no matter our circumstances.

Angel Madea challenges us to live life from the foundation of God's love through faith in Christ.

Paul, a masterful communicator, used relatable and real illustrations to convey his point. His letter to the church in Rome was not just a casual correspondence but a labor of love to correct the wrong theology about biblical salvation and justification. He addressed the misguided beliefs of the Judaizers, who advocated for salvation through works, not faith in Christ's work alone.

In the first three chapters of Romans, Paul makes a solid theological and biblical case that salvation is only through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. So, Paul decides to use Abraham's life to illustrate what biblical faith in Christ and justification mean and what they look like in real life.

The Bible tells us that we cannot earn our salvation through good works, religious rituals, or religious service, so God is in our debt—God is never indebted to us. It also tells us that our salvation is done through the Person and work of Jesus Christ. We can do nothing to earn it or make God indebted to us. Salvation is done once and for all through the Person and work of Christ. Listen to what Jesus said right after He experienced the full wrath of the Father as He took on my sin and yours. Right before Jesus died, He said, "It is finished" (John 19:30). This means that the penalty for sin has been paid in full and is done! God freely offers His righteousness and salvation by faith alone in Christ.

Paul wants to drive this home to the churches in Rome in these last verses of chapter three.

He does this by raising four critical theological questions.

In this passage. Paul is now ready to teach us the theology of the incredible gospel of Jesus Christ. We know from the previous chapters that God takes sin seriously, and the sinner must be punished because God is holy. The penalty for sin is death.

Let me ask you a question: How do you define the word "faithfulness"? And, as a follow-up question, how would you define God's faithfulness? We must consider this matter carefully, as faithfulness is one of God's qualities that comes from the core of His holy character.

In the last chapter of Romans, Paul addressed the superficial religious image that the Pharisees presented to the people. The Jews thought that since they were born a Jew, they were automatically right with God because they were the chosen race. Paul made it clear to them that they were sinners needing a Savior. This was a rude awakening to the religious leaders and the Jews.

Paul addressed two theological facts with which the Jews and Gentiles must wrestle. First, only God is faithful; we are not. Second, there is only one way to be right with God: faith alone in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.