Tag: accounted

Romans 4:22 – Unearned Credit

Posted on by Will

And therefore "It was accounted to him for righteousness."

Truth to Learn

Salvation is a gift which is credited to our account when we believe God’s message in the Bible.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “therefore” is dio. This is made up of dia, meaning “through, either positionally or instrumentally” and the personal pronoun hos, meaning “who, which, or what.” Hence, dio literally means “through which.” It can be translated as “therefore, wherefore, or consequently.”

“Accounted” is a word that we looked at back in verse three of this chapter. It is the word logidzomai, which means “to count out as one would count out money when payment is being made” or “the crediting to someone’s account based on the payment made.” The Hebrew word used in Genesis 15:6, which this verse quotes, is khashab, meaning “to think, to reckon, to regard, to consider, or to be accounted.” Therefore, based on the Hebrew word it is translating, logidzomai means “to put to one’s account” or “to credit to someone.” One way to think of this is that it is something which God permanently marks in His record book.

 

Meaning Explained

Remember the therefore rule? Whenever you see a “therefore” or a “wherefore,” you need to see what it’s there for. In this case “therefore” is in reference to the fact that Abraham was fully persuaded. That is, his faith was strong and unwavering. He completely believed God. And, because Abraham had a firm conviction that God would do what He promised He would do (make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the stars of the heavens and make Abraham the father of many nations), God credited that faith to him as righteousness. That is, it was marked in God’s record book next to Abraham’s name giving him credit for being righteous. He didn’t earn it; it was simply credited to him as a gift.

This is the crux of what we call salvation. God tells us that we are sinners condemned to suffer eternally in Hell. He tells us that we need salvation and that the only way for us to obtain salvation is to accept the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross in payment for our sins. So, first a person has to believe that he or she is a sinner. Next, we have to believe that we are going to be judged for our sins and that the punishment for our sins is eternity in hell. But how do we know these things? We know them because that’s what God tells us in the Bible. If we don’t believe the Bible is God’s word, then we don’t believe what God tells us in the Bible and there’s no reason to believe in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

However, if we believe that we are sinners who are going to hell, then we must believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. How do we know that He is the Son of God who died on the cross to pay for our sins? We know this because God tells us in His message to mankind, the Bible. When we believe that we are sinners and that Jesus’ blood was shed on the cross as payment for our sins, as a result of our faith God credits righteousness to our account.

 

Application

We don’t earn salvation by believing; God simply gives us credit for it when we believe His message. That is, He credits us with righteousness. He doesn’t owe it to us. It’s His gift to us.  That’s grace!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:3 – Righteous Abraham

Posted on by Will

For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Truth to Learn

Righteousness comes by believing God’s message.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “accounted” is logidzomai, which is an accounting term meaning “to count out as one would count out money when payment is being made.” By interpretation, however, it means “to put to one’s account” or “to credit to someone.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul is quoting here from Genesis 15:6. Let’s set the scene in order to understand the context of this verse. Abraham and Lot have separated and Lot has taken his flocks and has moved to Sodom. Meanwhile a confederacy of kings from the East has come and defeated Sodom and several other cities, carrying off the people of Sodom (including Lot) as captives. Upon hearing this, Abraham gathered the men of his own household along with a couple of his friends and pursued the conquering kings. Taking them by surprise at night, Abraham and his forces defeated the kings and brought all the people and goods of Sodom back with him.

He was met just outside Salem (now Jerusalem) by the king of Sodom. The king of Sodom demanded that Abraham give him his people back but told him that he could keep the plunder. Abraham not only gave back the people but nearly all the plunder as well (he offered 10% of it to the King and Priest of Salem and allowed his two friends to take their share). He did this so that no one could ever claim that they had made Abraham rich. He wanted God and God alone to have that distinction.

Immediately afterwards, God recognized Abraham’s selfless actions and promised him a son. Here’s what it says:

But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am going childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." And He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:2-6)

Abraham believed that God would provide him a son and it was because of this faith that God “accounted it” to him as righteousness. In other words, in God’s record book He wrote down the word “justified” next to Abraham’s name. Because of Abraham’s faith, God declared him to be righteous!

This is precisely what happens to us when we believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we are declared as righteous in God’s record book.

 

Application

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord through faith, then you are recorded in God’s record book as having the righteousness of Christ himself. This means that you are now completely saved from your sins.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 2:23 – Reckoned and Called

Posted on by Will

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called friend of God.

Truth to Learn

If you believe God’s word, your works will declare it.

Behind the Words

Back in verse eight of this chapter, we looked at the word translated “fulfill,” meaning “to finish or make complete.” In this verse, the word translated “fulfill,” however, is a different word. It is the word plēroō, which means “to fill-up” or “to make full.” It is the word used of filling a vessel with water to the very brim. James is not saying that the scripture was made complete but that it was fully demonstrated as being true.

The phrase “it was accounted” is one that we have looked at before. It is translated from the Greek word logidzomai, which is an accounting term, meaning “to make a conclusion based on an inventory.” It could be paraphrased as “to make an accounting,” or “to mark in a record.” Hence, it is often translated as “to reckon” or “to impute.” The word is expressed in this verse in the aorist tense and passive voice. The passive voice indicates that it was done to Abraham, and the aorist tense indicates that it was done at a single point in time in the past.

“Called” is translated from kaleō, which means “to call out loud.” It implies a personal message that is proclaimed. Once again we see the verb in the aorist tense and passive voice indicating that Abraham was proclaimed to be God’s friend at a single point in time in the past.

Meaning Explained

You may wonder why such a distinction is being made about tense and voice in these words. The reason is that they show us that even James believes that Abraham had a complete saving faith at the point in time when he was marked as righteous by God and proclaimed as His friend. Notice that it was not Abraham claiming that God was his friend, but God proclaiming that Abraham was His friend. The reckoning and calling were God’s doing, not Abraham’s.

James clearly declares that Abraham believed God, as declared in Genesis 15:6, and that at that time God declared him righteous. That’s when Abraham was saved. And, James’ point here is that his act of obedience many years later was a demonstration that his saving faith was real. In the previous verse the distinction was made between saving faith and walking faith. They’re not really two kinds of faith; rather, walking faith is a manifestation of saving faith.

Reading through the fourth chapter of Romans, we see that Paul presents a very strong case that Abraham was not reckoned righteous by God because of his works (his acts of obedience) but because of his faith. The act of declaring Abraham righteous is God’s act of grace, not Abraham’s act of obedience. Here, James is not arguing against Paul; instead, he is agreeing and proclaiming that Abraham’s faith was acted out in works as the proof that his faith was real.

Application

If you are truly saved, then it is your works of obedience to God’s Word which demonstrate it. Therefore, “So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and may glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:22 – Unearned Credit

Posted on by Will

Romans 4:22

And therefore “It was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Truth to Learn

Salvation is a gift which is credited to our account when we believe God’s message in the Bible.

Behind the Words

The word translated “therefore” is dio. This is made up of dia, meaning “through, either positionally or instrumentally” and the personal pronoun hos, meaning “who, which, or what.” Hence, dio literally means “through which.” It can be translated as “therefore, wherefore, or consequently.”

“Accounted” is a word that we looked at back in verse three of this chapter. It is the word logidzomai, which means “to count out as one would count out money when payment is being made” or “the crediting to someone’s account based on the payment made.” The Hebrew word used in Genesis 15:6, which this verse quotes, is khashab, meaning “to think, to reckon, to regard, to consider, or to be accounted.” Therefore, based on the Hebrew word it is translating, logidzomai means “to put to one’s account” or “to credit to someone.” One way to think of this is that it is something which God marks in His record book.

Meaning Explained

Remember the therefore rule? Whenever you see a “therefore” or a “wherefore,” you need to see what it’s there for. In this case “therefore” is in reference to the fact that Abraham was fully persuaded. That is, his faith was strong and unwavering. He completely believed God. And, because Abraham had a firm conviction that God would do what He promised He would do (make Abraham’s descendents as numerous as the stars of the heavens and make Abraham the father of many nations), God credited that faith to him as righteousness. That is, it was marked in God’s record book next to Abraham’s name giving him credit for being righteous. He didn’t earn it; it was simply credited to him as a gift.

This is the crux of what we call salvation. God tells us that we are sinners condemned to suffer eternally in Hell. He tells us that we need salvation and that the only way for us to obtain salvation is to accept the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross in payment for our sins. So, first a person has to believe that he or she is a sinner. Next, we have to believe that we are going to be judged for our sins and that the punishment for our sins is eternity in hell. But how do we know these things? We know them because that’s what God tells us in the Bible. If we don’t believe the Bible is God’s word, then we don’t believe what God tells us in the Bible and there’s no reason to believe in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

However, if we believe that we are sinners who are going to hell, then we must believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. How do we know that He is the Son of God who died on the cross to pay for our sins? We know this because God tells us in His message to mankind, the Bible. When we believe that we are sinners and that Jesus’ blood was shed on the cross as payment for our sins, as a result of our faith, God credits righteousness to our account.

Application

We don’t earn salvation by believing; God simply gives us credit for it when we believe His message. That is, He credits us with righteousness. He doesn’t owe it to us. It’s His gift to us. That’s grace!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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