What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. - Romans 4:1-17
"For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression."
It is funny how religious people treat the law in a way that is different from the law in the rest of our lives. In normal life, we don't gain credits by obeying the law, only demerits. That is, there is no way to earn favor by obeying the law. I don't get a gold star for driving by obeying the law. All I can do is avoid getting a ticket when I transgress the law.
So what are religious people hoping? They are hoping that they don't get sufficient demerits that will get demoted from the reward offered the most righteous group. That is, they are hoping for a future in spite of the penalties associated with the laws they have broken. They hope that their mistakes can be wiped out with some sufficiently large act of penance so that what they have done wrong is erased or at least covered up. That is: they have piles of demerits and hope that they somehow can reduce or hide parts of that pile. Or, as the Old Testament puts it, we need the mercy of God. We fail, and because of God's pity, he gives us what we don't deserve.
But, as Paul says, the law isn't designed to prove our righteousness, but to show us our sinfulness. In the same way that traffic laws aren't designed to show that we are good drivers but catch bad drivers.
One way that we try to convert law-following into merit is by comparing ourselves to other sinners. We rig the ranking system so that we come out ahead of at least some other poor sinners because we maintain confidence that God isn't going to condemn everyone so as lone as we make the percentile that is above the cut off point for eternity, we're ok. Or, to put it another way, we think ourselves as good drivers if we never get pulled over by police. Even if we try to become perfect drivers, obeying every law and even avoid circumstances where we might accidentally disobey a law ("drive 50 so that you never accidentally exceed the speed limit of 55"), we are not getting closer to God.
I have always been a rule follower and have silently critiqued those who don't follow rules. But doing this put me at risk of nullifying the grace of God in my life, by thinking I was better than others and never fully accepting the full extent of God's love for me. "I don't need him like that person needs him." What a lie! I have nothing except what Christ gave me.
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