28
Day 28 - Rom 4:3,4,13-14 Because I’m Justified, forgiveness, inheritance and reward are my portion.
In Romans 4, the Apostle Paul uses the examples of Abraham and David to argue that justification for the one who "works not but believes" secures not only forgiveness but also inheritance and the reward. In Romans 4:3, Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 and emphasizes that Abraham's faith was the basis for his righteousness before God. However, in the very next verse, Paul speaks not of forgiveness of sins, but of the reward. Rom 4:4 says, "Now to him that worketh is the REWARD not reckoned of grace, but of debt." This emphasizes the importance of faith over works in securing our justification before God, and that justification covers all aspects of the Christian life.
While we tend to think only of the forgiveness of sins, for Abraham, justification was a matter of inheritance and reward. But Romans 4:13-14 states that the inheritance promised to Abraham and his descendants was not based on their adherence to the law, but on their faith in God. This inheritance, which includes the reward of being counted as righteous, is available to all who share in the same faith as Abraham.
Justification secures the reward, which Colossians calls "the inheritance of the saints in light." This inheritance is not something we earn through our own efforts, but rather, a gift of grace given freely to those who believe in Jesus Christ. By placing our faith in Him, we become heirs to the promises of God, and our reward is not based on our works but on the grace of God. This profound truth reminds us that our salvation is not something we can achieve on our own, but is a gift from God, emphasizing the importance of faith and the transformative power of grace in the lives of believers.
Verses:
- Genesis 15:6: "And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."
- Romans 4:3: "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
- Romans 4:4: "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt."
- Romans 4:13-14: "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."
- Colossians 1:12: "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light"
Prayer / Confession
Thank you for your unfailing love and grace that is available to me through faith in Jesus Christ. I am reminded that my justification is not based on my own works, but on the righteousness of Christ that is imputed to me by faith.
Lord, I am grateful that my inheritance and reward are secure in you. I pray that you would help me to trust in you more fully and fill my heart with realization, thanksgiving and joy because of what I already have in Christ. Thank you that I am a fellow citizen with the saints, a member of the household of God. Thank you that I am crowned and that I have eternal life. Thank you for the blessing of the Spirit, who is the seal and the pledge guaranteeing the inheritance. Thank you I have an inheritance in Christ, incorruptible and reserved for me.
I confess that I am blessed with Christ, an heir of the world to come, a partaker of the inheritance with the saints in the light and a beneficiary of Christ’s reward!