Thus you see that Paul here proves, by fifteen reasons, that none are, nor can be, righteous before God by works that they can do; therefore ‘men must be justified from the curse, in the sight of God, while sinners in themselves.’
Eighth. ‘But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets’ (v 21).
This text utterly excludes the law—what law? The law of works, the moral law, (v 27)—and makes mention of another righteousness, even righteousness of God; for the righteousness of the law is the righteousness of men, men’s ‘own righteousness’ (Phil 3:9). Now, if the law, as to justifying righteousness, is rejected; then the very matter upon and by which man should work is rejected; and if so, then he must be justified by the righteousness of God, or not at all; for he must be justified by a righteousness that is without the law; to wit, the righteousness of God. Now, this righteousness of God, whatever it is, to be sure it is not a righteousness that flows from men; for that, as I said, is rejected, and the righteousness of God opposed unto it, being called a righteousness that is without the law, without our personal obedience to it. The righteousness of God, or a righteousness of God’s completing, a righteousness of God’s bestowing, a righteousness that God also gives unto, and puts upon all them that believe (Rom 3:22), a righteousness that stands in the works of Christ, and that is imputed both by the grace and justice of God (v 24-26). Where, now, is room for man’s righteousness, either in the whole or as to any part thereof? I say, where, as to justification with God?
Ninth. ‘What shall we then say that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?’ (Rom 4:1)
Now, the apostle is at the root of the matter; for Abraham is counted the father of the faithful; consequently, the man whose way of attaining justification must be exemplary to all the children of Abraham. Now, the question is, how was Abraham found? how did he find that which some of his children sought and missed? (Rom 9:32); that is, how he found justifying righteousness; for it was that which Israel sought and attained not unto (11:7). ‘Did he find it,’ saith Paul, ‘by the flesh?’ or, as he was in the flesh? or, by acts and works of the flesh? But what are they? why, the next verse tells you ‘they are the works of the law’ (Rom 4).
‘If Abraham was justified by works’; that is, as pertaining to the flesh; for the works of the law are none other but the best sort of the works of the flesh. And so Paul calls all they that he had before his conversion to Christ: ‘If any other man,’ saith he, ‘thinketh he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more.’ And then he counted up several of his privileges, to which he at last adjoined the righteousness of the moral law, saying, ‘Touching the righteousness which is in the law, [I was] blameless’ (Phil 3:4-6). And it is proper to call the righteousness of the law the work of the flesh because it is the work of a man, of a man in the flesh; for the Holy Ghost doth not attend the law, or the work thereof, as to this, in man, as a man; that has confined itself to another ministration, whose glorious name it bears (2 Cor 3:8). I say it is proper to call the works of the law the works of the flesh because they are done by that self-same nature in and out of which comes all those things that are more grossly so-called (Gal 5:19,20); to wit, from the corrupt fountain of fallen man’s polluted nature (James 3:10).
This, saith Paul, was not the righteousness by which Abraham found justification with God—’ For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed in God, and it was counted to him for righteousness (Rom 4:2-3). This ‘believing’ is also set in flat opposition to ‘works,’ and to the ‘law of works’; wherefore, upon pain of great contempt to God, it must not be reckoned as a work to justify withal, but rather as that which received and applied that righteousness. From all this, therefore, it is manifest ‘that men must be justified from the curse of the law, in the sight of God, while sinners in themselves.’ But,
Tenth. ‘Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt’ (Rom 4:4).
These words do not only back what went before, as to the rejection of the law for righteousness as to justification with God, but supposing the law was of force to justify, life must not be admitted to come that way, because of the evil consequences that will unavoidably flow therefrom. 1. By this means, grace, and justification by grace, would be rejected; and that would be a foul business; it would not be reckoned of grace. 2. By this, God would become the debtor, and so the underlying; and so we in this the more honorable.
It would not be reckoned of grace, but of debt; and what would follow from hence? Why, (1.) By this we should frustrate the design of Heaven, which is, to justify us freely by grace, through a redemption brought in by Christ (Rom 3:24-26; Eph 2:8-13). (2.) By this we should make ourselves the saviors, and jostle Christ quite out of doors (Gal 5:2-4). (3.) We should have heaven at our own disposal, as a debt, not by promise, and so not be beholden to God for it (Gal 3:18). It must, then, be of grace, not of works, for the preventing of these evils.
Again, it must not be of works, because if it should, then God would be the debtor, and we the creditor. Now, much blasphemy would flow from hence; as, (1.) God himself would not be his own to dispose of; for the inheritance being God, as well as his kingdom (for so it is written, ‘heirs of God’ (Rom 8:17)), himself, I say, must needs be our purchase. (2.) If so, then we have right to dispose of him, of his kingdom and glory, and all—’ Be astonished, O heavens, at this!’—for if he is ours by works, then he is ours of debt; if he is ours of debt, then he is ours by purchase; and then, again, if so, he is no longer his own, but ours, and at our disposal.
