~ LISTENING CENTER ~

Date: December 28, 2014 Title: Works v. Faith Passage: Romans 2:23-4:25 Speaker: Bob Corbin Sermon Note Sheet (PDF) Download Audio

* Paul's letter to the church of Rome. * Last week, we considered Paul's presentation of the unrighteousness of man - of the Jew and of the Gentile. "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." * We ended considering God's provision of the propitiation for our unrighteousness ... Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! * For the Jews, the had become prideful in their position as the "people of God" and had begun to believe that just being an Israelite, or "Jew", gave them an entitlement. They became boastful regarding being the nation to whom God had given the Law. * As we consider the contrast of Law and Grace today, Paul will be exposing this sinful pride of the Israelites. Romans 2:23 "You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?" Romans 3:27 "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? no, but by the law of faith." Romans 4:2 "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God." For consider his comment to the believers in Ephesus, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) * In this section of his letter Paul reveals the supremacy and precedence of faith in relation to the law in regards to salvation. * Law v. Grace is reflected in the battle of Works (Circumcision) v. Faith