Are We Taking Romans 4:5 Out of Context?
Romans 4:5 says, "But to him that worketh not but believeth upon Him which justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." The verse itself can be misused and abused by Antinomians and easy believists as "proof" that a Christian can live like the rest of the world and still be saved. What becomes stupid is when a person says something like, "Well, haven't you read Romans 4:5? I can be a Christian and woohoo I don't have to do good works! I can sin all I want!" type of reasoning but there's a warning to that. Although good works do not precede salvation but the Bible is clear that good works are a result of salvation. Remember Romans 4:5 is is NOT the only verse in the Book of Romans.
While salvation is never earned or maintained by good works but there is one thing that must be remembered. A true faith is not static but an active faith. Just in case those people forget, Romans 3:31 says, "Do we then make void the Law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the Law." That while good works are not part of boasting but, good works certainly come out of the Christian as a result of salvation. That is, you cannot be saved and not result to any good works. Anybody who teaches of a faith devoid of good works has forgotten that faith begets faithfulness.
Also one may consider the verse' meaning in itself. If one is counted for righteousness, it means to be involved among the righteous, to be accounted to be righteous and to be included among the righteous. That means, it's time to take a person who was ungodly and give him or her imputation of the righteousness of God. Imputation means to attribute or credit righteousness into the new believer. Although a Christian may stumble and sin but they cannot live like the rest of the world because they are already counted among the righteous. While Romans 3:10 says that there is none righteous (by default), God can make one righteous by faith, and by this faith it results to good works.
Romans 6 also warns in Romans 6:1-2 saying, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?" That is to talk, if you are truly saved then you will not even think of using God's grace for sinful living. Think if you are truly saved, there ought to be a lifestyle change. Those who possess the eternal security of salvation also possess the perseverance of the saints. That is, true believers may not be "super righteous" yet in the long run, they endure to the end as the very evidence of salvation.
Romans 7:22-25 has Paul saying, "For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind adn bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is my members. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So when with the mind I myself shall serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin." Paul mentioned that by now, being a saved person means to delight after God's Law and to struggle with sin, not to be enslaved by it. That is, a Christian may fall into sin but he or she cannot live like the rest of the world because one is already saved.
While salvation is never earned or maintained by good works but there is one thing that must be remembered. A true faith is not static but an active faith. Just in case those people forget, Romans 3:31 says, "Do we then make void the Law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the Law." That while good works are not part of boasting but, good works certainly come out of the Christian as a result of salvation. That is, you cannot be saved and not result to any good works. Anybody who teaches of a faith devoid of good works has forgotten that faith begets faithfulness.
Also one may consider the verse' meaning in itself. If one is counted for righteousness, it means to be involved among the righteous, to be accounted to be righteous and to be included among the righteous. That means, it's time to take a person who was ungodly and give him or her imputation of the righteousness of God. Imputation means to attribute or credit righteousness into the new believer. Although a Christian may stumble and sin but they cannot live like the rest of the world because they are already counted among the righteous. While Romans 3:10 says that there is none righteous (by default), God can make one righteous by faith, and by this faith it results to good works.
Romans 6 also warns in Romans 6:1-2 saying, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?" That is to talk, if you are truly saved then you will not even think of using God's grace for sinful living. Think if you are truly saved, there ought to be a lifestyle change. Those who possess the eternal security of salvation also possess the perseverance of the saints. That is, true believers may not be "super righteous" yet in the long run, they endure to the end as the very evidence of salvation.
Romans 7:22-25 has Paul saying, "For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind adn bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is my members. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So when with the mind I myself shall serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin." Paul mentioned that by now, being a saved person means to delight after God's Law and to struggle with sin, not to be enslaved by it. That is, a Christian may fall into sin but he or she cannot live like the rest of the world because one is already saved.