A Study of The Book of Romans

Lesson 29 Chapter 4:20 – 25

Verse 20 “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief…” Paul is still referring to Abraham’s faith.

a. The word “staggered” means - to withdraw from or to doubt. This is the question; how could one have faith in God and “stagger” at His promise? We serve a God who cannot lie. Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie…”

b. Faith is the gift of God because the natural man cannot have that faith, the natural man trust no one but himself.

c. Abraham “believed God” that is he had total faith in everything God told him, i.e. he was going to sacrifice his son until God sent a ram as a substitution.

d. Man refuses to believe God therefore they have invented ways that exclude God. God cannot be trusted to save sinners so they do it, Christ cannot be trusted to start a church so they started one, God simply (in their minds) cannot be trusted, they have no faith is God. James 1:6-8 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (7.) For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (8.) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

e. “…through unbelief…” or as one who cannot trust God.

“…but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;”

a. Abraham was strong in faith and that is why he did not stagger.

b. Being strong in faith is to totally trust God, to understand all things are possible through Him and that He does as He has promised.

c. Trusting God is a willingness to sacrifice your own son if God commands it. Trusting God is to believe His word and not make it less that what it is.

Verse 21 “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

a. Abraham did not only faith, which is a strong faith, but full assurance of faith.

b. This verse describes Abraham’s glory to God. Hid full trust in what God told him, and never doubting.

c. With a total understanding that whatever God promised He was more than able to deliver. There is none else in which one can put that kind of trust. God is in a class of His own.

d. J. Vernon McGee said "Fully persuaded" “means that he was filled brimful. There was no room for doubt.” Romans 14:5 “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”

e. There has been so many examples of this kind of faith; Noah and the Arc, the fiery furnace, the parting of the Red Sea, John and Peter in Acts 4 – 5, and etc.

f. Beloved we must follow the example of Abraham and have total faith in God, He can and will deliver. If w are not steadfast in our faith world events and worldly people will separate us from our faith.

Verse 22 “And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.”

a. His faith was his righteousness just as ours is, we trust God that if we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins (as God has so told us) then we will have eternal life.

b. 1 John 4:15 "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." 1 John 5:1 "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." God said it and we have total trust in what God has promised.

c. God promised Jesus will return and we never doubt. Trusting God is to walk by faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

Verses 23 – 24 “Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; (24.) But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;”

a. This promise was not to Abraham alone but also to us who has faith in Jesus Christ, not by making a debt payment on our own, but faith that Jesus Christ alone is our salvation.

b. Just as Abraham’s faith was imputed as righteousness so is our faith in God’s promise through Jesus Christ.

Verse 25 "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."

He was delivered into the hands of murdering sinners “for our offences”
He was delivered into the hands of murdering sinners for our account owed to God for our sins.
“…and was raised again for our justification” We live because He lives, no resurrection, no accepting into heaven from God the Father of Jesus Christ then none for us. Because while He did not sin, He took on all of our sins therefore washing them in His blood. How good was this cleansing? God the Father accepted Him back into His kingdom and therefore will accept us in like matter. 1 Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
He took all of our sins to the cross, therefore we have no unpaid sins, that is our faith that is counted as righteousness.