What if everything you've been taught about earning God's favor is wrong? What if you've been spinning your wheels in vain all along? Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindahl shatters religious misconceptions with a shocking biblical truth. You see, righteousness isn't about working harder or becoming better. It's about a simple five-letter word that changes everything.
Can you guess what it is? Whether you're carrying the burden of religious performance or wondering if you're good enough for God. This biblical truth can revolutionize your relationship with the Almighty. Chuck titled his message, Righteousness is a five-letter word. We're returning to our study in the letter to the Romans.
Having arrived now at the fourth chapter I'd like to call your attention to the first thirteen verses for our scripture reading today. Romans chapter 4, beginning at verse One Just one verse out of chapter three before reading the 13 in chapter four. Look at 328. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Now Paul is going to illustrate what he has just stated. Chapter 4, verse 1. What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, according to the flesh, has found? 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 credited to him as righteousness.
Now, to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor. but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, But believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith. is credited as righteousness. Just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness.
apart from works. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven. and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account. Is this blessing then on the circumcised?
or on the uncircumcised also. For we say faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it credited? While he was circumcised or Uncircumcised. Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.
circumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while. uncircumcised.
So that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them. And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but Who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham, which he had while. Uncircumcised. For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the law. But through the righteousness of faith.
Yeah. You're listening to Insight for Living. To dig deeper into the book of Romans on your own, be sure to purchase our Searching the Scriptures Bible Study workbook by going to insight.org/slash offer. Chuck titled today's message, Righteousness is a Five-Letter Word. The body of John Milton Gregory lies buried beneath the sod at the campus of the University of Illinois.
The great old nineteenth century educator spent his life in higher education. And 14 years before his death, he left my opinion, his finest legacy of all the things he left for us to enjoy. It is a little book. Not that impressive to look at, not that large in size. But mine is well worn and often red.
It's entitled The Seven Laws. of teaching. In which John Milton Gregory names those laws that help. the one who teaches Connect best with those who Hear or read. the speaker or the writer's words.
These laws are the salient points of good communication and.
Sometimes I go back to the old book just to review, to see if I'm staying on target. I was Reminded again this week of the fourth. of the seven laws. that says truth to be taught must be learned through truth. already known.
We all learn the new and the unfamiliar. From the old and the familiar. Knowledge is not a mass of information dumped into the creases of our brains suddenly by a person who gives us information and then we have it grasped and now applied. It doesn't work like that. I think of knowledge as links in a chain connected by stories.
Similes. Allegories. analogies illustrations that tie us in with the familiar. And based on the familiar, those links connect. and lead us to the less or not familiar at all information.
I think it was Spurgeon who first described a sermon as a house. And the illustrations are the windows that let in the light. A house without windows is a prison. And a message without illustrations is dull and boring and. Uh Disconnected because we need the familiar to tie in so that we.
can move toward the unfamiliar. Illustrations writes John R. W. Stott, transform the abstract into the concrete. The ancient into the modern, the unfamiliar into the familiar.
the general into the particular, the vague. into the precise, the unreal. into the real, the invisible. into the visible. And then he punctuates all that with this great sentence.
The best communicators turn ears into eyes. enabling the hearer to see What is being spoken? Isn't that the truth? We listen to someone as they are teaching and they are connecting with us, and we say to ourselves, I see it. Actually, you only heard it.
But what enabled you to see it was your imagination. Within your mind, the lights were turned on by the use of story or example or illustration. Truth to be taught. must be learned through truth. already known.
Now what does this have to do with the letter to the Romans? In many ways, it has a lot to do with anything Paul writes. He's a master at connecting the old with the new. And helping us bridge from that which we are familiar to that which is unfamiliar to us. And remember, he wrote in the first century.
And remember, his audience was often Jewish. At least a majority of people were Jewish. who read his works.
So as he writes to people in Rome, He has, for what we call in our Bibles, three chapters hammered away at the depravity of humanity. We are by nature born wrong with God. We are by nature, by choice. By birth. totally depraved.
That means there's nothing we have, there's nothing we can do that isn't contaminated by sin. And a holy God reaches for a relationship with us. But cannot touch a thing that's sinful and unholy.
So we come as sinners with nothing in ourselves. Not even attempts to keep the works of the law. Nothing we bring to him in any way. results in his favor. It all begins with him.
who reaches to us in grace. Loving us through his Son, Jesus. He offers us a gift. That is apart from works. In believing and taking the gift, we repent, we change our minds away from the way we did live to the way we.
Want to live in the way we once viewed Christ to the way we now desire to know and love and worship Christ. Changing our minds, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, we receive the gift. Apart from works.
Now, I realize as I say this to you who are listening. It's theology 101. You have heard this all through your years in an evangelical church. If you are from a liberal background or a liberal church or maybe unchurched, Or perhaps a church that's taught salvation by works. The light goes on, and you think this is a new thought.
This is a new, let me tell you, if you were Jewish, It is a scandalous thought. Because the rabbis taught the law, the law. And circumcision, these rights are yours to fulfill. And you will gain God's righteousness. You will become holy like God is holy by keeping these things.
So when a Jew reads words like Romans 3.28. that a person is justified by faith. apart from works. Makes him suck in his breath. That's a new truth.
And since truth to be learned is really learned through truth already known, let's go back to someone or something already known. How about Abraham? You see, if I were speaking just to Americans today and I were attracting you to truth regarding America, I would go back to George Washington, who is the father of our country. If you were Jewish and I would be speaking to you about a new truth that Abraham would personify for me, I would latch onto a name you're all familiar with. the father of our nation, father of our people.
Abraham.
So, if it's true that we are justified by faith apart from works, then Abraham would be an example of it. After all, he's the father of our race.
So let's take Abraham as an example. Verse 1, chapter 4. What about Abraham, our forefather, according to the flesh? What has he found? What's true of him?
And now he goes to a theoretical condition. Let's say if Just if Abraham were justified by works.
Well, he has something to boast about, but not before God, not even Abraham. He could walk around saying, I have earned this, I have worked on this, and I have achieved this, and as a result, I am somebody not before God. Not even Abraham.
Well Then, how do I know this is true? How do I know he wasn't saved by works? Verse 3 begins with a sentence: I hope you ask for the rest of your life. What does the Scriptures say? Teach yourself to say that.
When you hear a teacher whether on radio, on television, or in person. In a Bible study or just in a gathering, ask yourself: what does the scripture say? Don't go by his charisma or hers. Don't look at how large a following or how eloquent that person may teach or preach. Ask yourself, what does the Scripture teach?
And you'll never be led astray. You'll be led away from people that you would have otherwise wanted to follow. quite likely.
So even Paul says, don't believe me, let's see what the scripture has to say. And if you carry a Bible that has a change in font, At this third verse, you now know that he's quoting from an Old Testament passage.
So let's see if Paul quotes it correctly.
Okay? Let's check up on Paul. Back to Genesis chapter 15. Hold your place in Romans 4. Let's go back and see if this light he wants to bring into the house of understanding is a true light or if it's something he's just imagining.
Now, we're going to jump a little to save time. Abraham in chapter 15 is already an old man. He is bumping 80. He is getting up in years. He doesn't have any children.
And he and Sarai, who is only 10 years younger than he, she's also an older woman. And she's past the age of childbearing.
So we're talking two childless people married for years, having no children, and now Abraham is listening to God. Chapter 15, verse 5. God, the capital H is a reference to God. God took Abraham aside and said, Now look toward the heavens. And count the stars if you are able to count them.
And he said to him, So shall your descendants be. Isn't it interesting that God kept the fourth law of Gregory? Things to be learned are to be learned through things that are already known. You go outside, you look up, you see all the stars, and you realize right away that's a familiar scene, all of those stars. But what's not familiar that Abraham is introduced to is Abraham, someday your descendants will be.
Numberless. around the world. There will be a vast number. Remember, he has. Zero children.
Verse six.
Now you're going to see what he did. And Abraham worked hard. He and Sarah. Together. Laboring.
Sincerely. To have children. Nope. He believed in the Lord. Stop right there.
Lord. Um Without children, of our own. Lord. You have never told me something that isn't true. And I believe what you have said.
I stand on it. I lean on it. I trust you. All of those words describe a five-letter word, faith. I believe you, Lord.
I believe you. I don't know how. It's going to happen. But if you say it, I accept it. See the end of verse 6?
Look closely. The H is capitalized. God reckoned It to him, little H. Abram. God reckoned it to Abram.
as righteousness. Allow me for a moment. To transfer the scene from the ancient days under the stars to this moment in this place. The Lord Jesus Christ came to live and to die. And when he died, he paid the complete penalty for the sins that you and I have committed.
Past, present, and future. paid for them all, paid them in full.
So that a holy God would be satisfied. That there had been a payment for sin, it is only just that that happened. And now the Lord God says to us. I offer you salvation. Christ having paid the penalty, I offer you the gift of salvation.
Believe it. Accept it. Just like Abram. trusted me. You trust me for this.
No works. No effort. No promises. No sacrifices that we have to pay. Christ paid it all.
All to Him we owe.
Now, as if that isn't enough, Paul goes further. He's been known to do that too.
So he goes back to something else that's familiar, and that's something altogether different from Abram standing under the stars. This illustration is an illustration of a paycheck. Verse 4. He goes into that one.
Now to the one who works. His wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But Verse 5. Here's one of those great big Contrast. To the one who does not work, isn't this great?
Paul is so logical. To the one who works, that's verse 4. But to the one who does not work, that's verse five. But does what? believes in him who justifies the ungodly.
His faith is credited as righteousness. What does that mean? Justification does not mean just as if I'd never sinned. Please remove that simple and shallow definition from your mind. It means even though I have sinned and will keep on sinning.
I have been declared righteous. It's the sovereign act of God whereby He declares righteous the believing sinner. While we're still in a sinning state? I may sin tomorrow. I may sin the next day.
Still in a sinning state, I'm still righteous. Why? Because I've been given a gift. And I've taken it. My sinfulness doesn't change the gift.
Now, if I were working, oh my goodness. As one lady said to me between the services, she said, it's the first time I've ever heard this. Says, and she named her church, she named the denomination, and she said, I had tears in her eyes. She said, I've never been. made aware of this.
All my life I've worked to please God. This is my first time to hear. that the work has all been done. By another person. Not a good way to put it.
Christ paid it all. I'm offered a gift, and when I take the gift, Listen to me. I'm declared righteous.
So there's never a time positionally, theoretically, when God looks on to me, on my life, and sees me as anything but righteous in Christ.
Now, when I sin, I break a fellowship with him. And I need to deal with that regularly. But it doesn't change my relationship with God. That's sealed as a result of my believing. Christ's death plus my belief equals eternal life.
Now Let's take another example. Let's go to David. Another very familiar name. No more powerful or popular king in the entire history of Israel than King David. The flag is named the star of David.
The city is named the City of David.
Sometime they'll call it the land of David. He is the famous king. Let's see if his life bears this out. And tragically, as you know in David's biography, there was a time when he failed. Fell into adultery, and that was followed by murder, followed by hypocrisy, and all kinds of distance in his fellowship with God.
All of that broken down. And uh On the recovery from that, he wrote Psalm 32. And that's what Paul quotes here in verse 7. But look at 6. Just as David also speaks of the blessing on the part of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works, blessed are those.
See the change in font? This is Psalm 32 verses 1 and 2. He's quoting from the Old Testament: Blessed are those whom lawless deeds have been forgiven. And whose sins have been covered, blessed is the man whose sin the Lord. will not take into account.
That's wonderful news. Not only are we credited with the righteousness of God, the sinfulness of our life is removed as far as East is from the West. How good a thing is that? As far as one can imagine, the sin is removed.
So that I'm no longer separated from God by my sinfulness. I'm now connected to God by faith. And I have the righteousness of Christ to boot. That's a magnificent thought. But it isn't enough for Paul.
So let's dig deeper. I know, I know, you say, I've got it. Let's pronounce the benediction and go home. No, not if you're Paul. I mean, we've got chapters to go with this letter before we're through here, but we're going to quit at verse 13.
You have got to see how he approaches this. with the rite of circumcision. I should have said. circumcision Because I'm talking to Gentiles. And it's one of those unmentionables.
You don't talk about it. your circumcision. Unless you're Jewish. If you're Jewish, it's a part of life. In fact, the rabbi Performs the circumcision.
And not only is it talked about, it is considered one of the rites of righteousness. You must be circumcised. It's part of becoming. Like The Lord. You're to follow him as he is required.
So Paul says, wait, wait, wait, okay. In light of that, being Jewish, Paul says, Let's stay with Abraham for a moment. He believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.
Now, Was he circumcised at the time he believed God? Was that a part of his salvation? Or was it... After the fact. Let's check that out.
Now look at verse 9 through those eyes. Is this blessing then the blessing of being justified by faith. Is this blessing then on the circumcised? Or? On the uncircumcised also.
What's he getting at? Is this salvation just for the Jew? Or would it include the Gentiles? Is it an offer just for God's chosen people, or would it include those of us who are not Jewish? For we say, hmm.
Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it credited? Let's dig deeper here. Let me ask. Was it while he was circumcised or uncircumcised?
Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised, the answer to his question. He's saying, before you go check, I want to tell you: Abram was justified before he was circumcised, not after.
So, circumcision was not a part of it. It was a follow-up. It was years afterwards. We've just begun to mine the treasures in Romans chapter 4, so stay with us. You're listening to Insight for Living.
Our Bible teacher Chuck Swindahl titled today's message, Righteousness is a five-letter word. This month, many in our listening family are devoting extra time to this in-depth study in Paul's letter to the Romans. And to help you make the most of your personal study, we've prepared a special bundle of resources. The first is our Searching the Scriptures Bible Study Workbook. The edition for Romans comes in two volumes due to the length and depth of Paul's letter.
and the first volume is ready right now. Also, Chuck wrote a full-length commentary on Romans. It's hard bound and it's from the Living Insights commentary series. Anyone who loves the Bible should own this resource from Chuck. In his approachable style, he helps us discover the rich theological treasures found in Romans.
And finally, Insight for Living has produced a collection of audio files so you can listen to Chuck's sermons in their entirety at your own pace. and so you'll have a permanent record of this hallmark study. To purchase this special trilogy of resources from Insight for Living, call us at 800-772-8888 or go to insight.org slash offer. Before we wrap up today, I'd like to extend a word of thanks to those who consistently support Chuck's teaching ministry. Because of your generosity, Insight for Living is available to millions of listeners on radio, YouTube, our website, our mobile app.
and all the digital platforms that are so popular these days. We couldn't provide these resources without your support. To send a contribution in the mail, address your envelope to InsightForLiving. Post Office Box 5000. Frisco, Texas, 75034.
That's Post Office Box 5000. Frisco, Texas 75034. To give a donation online, go to insight.org/slash donate. Or call us at 800-772-8888. I'm Bill Meyer.
Join us again on Monday when Chuck Smindahl continues his study in the Book of Romans. Right here on Insight for Living. The preceding message, Righteousness is a five-letter word, was copyrighted in 2007, 2010, and 2025. and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2025 by Charles R. Swindahl, Incorporated.
All rights are reserved worldwide. duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
