Justified by Faith: Abraham, David, and Us

Romans 3:27–4:12

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been walking slowly through Paul’s letter to the Romans—sometimes just a couple of verses at a time. In this passage, however, Paul covers a lot of ground. He’s wrapping up his teaching on justification by faith alone and turning our attention to Abraham as the prime example.

Abraham: A Man of Faith and Flaws
If you’ve read Genesis lately, you know that Abraham is one of the central figures of the Old Testament. He’s called the father of Israel, remembered as a man of faith, and held up in Hebrews 11 among the great heroes. But he was far from perfect.

Abraham lied, manipulated, and at times tried to take matters into his own hands rather than waiting on God. A key example is when he and Sarah arranged for a son through Hagar instead of trusting God’s timing. Despite his failings, Abraham believed God’s promises—and “it was counted to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

Paul’s point is clear: Abraham was not justified by what he did, but by his faith. He was saved by grace through trust in God, long before he had any works to boast about.

David: Forgiven by Grace
Paul also brings in King David as another example. In Romans 4:6–8, he quotes Psalm 32:
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

David had remarkable achievements, but he also had deep failures—adultery, murder, pride. And yet David rejoiced in the blessing of forgiveness. Like Abraham, his hope was not in what he had done, but in what God had done for him.

Stop Balancing the “Moral Checkbook”
We often fall into the trap of thinking our lives work like a checkbook: if we can just add up enough good deeds to outweigh our sins, then we’ll be okay with God. But Paul shatters that thinking.

The truth is, none of us could ever “balance the account.” We sin too often—more than we even realize. No amount of effort can tip the scales. Our salvation comes only through God’s grace, received by faith in Christ.

Nothing to Boast About
This also means we have nothing to boast about. Even our faith is not a work we generate on our own, but a gift from God. As Paul says in Ephesians 2:8–9, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Boasting about our achievements confuses the gospel. The only thing worth boasting about is what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

Grace Leads to Transformation
If we’re saved by faith alone, does that mean God’s law no longer matters? Paul answers in Romans 3:31: “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”

We don’t obey in order to earn salvation—we obey as a response to God’s grace. The law shows us how to live the best life God intends for us. While justification declares us righteous in Christ, sanctification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, shaping us day by day into Christ’s image.

Growing Closer to God
So how do we actually grow in this life of faith? Paul calls us to draw near to God so He will draw near to us (James 4:8). This happens through the Spirit’s work in us, but we participate by practicing spiritual disciplines.

Here are four to consider:

1. Scripture Reading – God’s Word teaches, corrects, and equips us (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
2. Prayer – Constant communion with God transforms our perspective (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).
3. Scripture Memorization – Storing God’s Word in our hearts helps guard against sin (Psalm 119:11).
4. Worship – Both personal and corporate worship align our hearts with God and strengthen the body (Acts 2:42–44).

These disciplines don’t save us—but they draw us closer to the One who does.

The Good News for Us
Paul’s teaching reminds us that salvation has always been by grace through faith—whether for Abraham, David, Paul, or us today. We don’t earn God’s favor by working harder, giving more, or praying longer. We are already forgiven in Christ.
That truth frees us. We don’t serve God out of fear, but out of love. We don’t obey to earn His acceptance, but because we already have it. And as we draw near to Him, He makes us more like Jesus.