It's been awhile since I started my study of Romans. Well, I'm picking it back up. No excuses for dropping it other than a lack of self-discipline, laziness, and silly distractions.
Ok, what about this concept of faith? C.S. Lewis said, "Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason once accepted, despite your changing moods." Interesting quote.
In Romans 4, Paul is basically illustrating and unpacking what he laid out starting in chapter 3:21: provided righteousness by faith. Many in those days, and still today, believe that we have to earn our way into salvation (Heaven). Do the right things, in the right way, for the right people, and for the right reasons, and you're in! The problem, of course, is who determines what is right and how "right" is to be done? How do you know when you've done enough right to qualify? And what happens if you do something wrong? Does it negate your stockpile of rights? Or will more rights or special rights (or how many rights will) make up for the wrongs? That's madness!
For a Muslim, the purpose of life is to live in a way that is pleasing
to Allah so that one may gain Paradise. It is believed that at puberty,
an account of each person's deeds is opened, and this will be used at
the Day of Judgment to determine his eternal fate. The Qur'an teaches the necessity of both faith and good works for salvation: "to those who believe and do deeds of righteousness hath Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward." (5:9). They have no assurance of eternity until it's too late to do anything about it! That's also madness (which might explain some of their extreme religious behaviors).
Paul writes in Romans 4 that righteousness (salvation) is provided by faith NOT works. There is absolutely nothing you can do to earn your way into God's good graces. So do Christians even need to be concerned with good works?
James 2:14-26 says faith without good deeds is dead. Now wait, that sound a lot like what is taught in the Qur'an doesn't it? Well not really. Here's the difference. The emphasis in James is NOT on the true nature of faith (what Paul is laying out here in Romans), but on the false claim of faith. James did not say that works are essential to faith (like Muslims do). His argument was that works are expressions, evidence, and examples of true faith. Apart from these, faith may be thought to be dead. It is not the real thing.
What about religious rites and rituals? Surely they count for something. WRONG! In biblical times, it was removing the foreskin from a man's ...well you know. Today, it's things like going to church every Sunday, tithing, and baptism (whoa!...I'm stepping on toes now). If I do these things, I will be saved, right? WRONG! Like circumcision, these observance and traditions do not contribute to one's status before God.
What about God's laws; His standards for human conduct? Following these rules is good enough, right? Well, no. Paul said if Jews (whom the law was written for) could inherit salvation by obeying the law, then faith is empty. But the purpose of the law was to provide a punishment (a consequence) for lawbreakers (you know, anyone who isn't perfect). No one can keep these laws fully. Therefore God, in great anger against sin, judges those who disobey. The verdict for breaking just one law is eternal death (Romans 6:16, 21, 23).
So faith is the key! God's promise is a free gift that is ours to assuredly and confidently have whether or not we do good deeds, follow religious customs or obey God's commands. Our faith in Jesus, who died because of our sins and raised from the dead to prove God's acceptance of His sacrifice, makes us right with God.
Peace,
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