The common understanding of justification among most Christians is this: we are sinful, God is righteous and holy, and there is no way for us to contact Him or for Him to contact us. Thus, Christ died on the cross and accomplished redemption by shedding His blood. Under His blood we are redeemed, and God has a righteous position to justify us. All of this is absolutely correct. However, the Apostle Paul did not conclude the section on justification at this point, which is reached at the end of chapter 3. When I studied the book of Romans as a young Christian, I thought that chapter 4 was unnecessary. It seemed to me that justification had been completely covered at the end of chapter 3, that chapter 5 should have been connected to chapter 3, and that chapter 4 should have been eliminated. Later I realized that the Apostle Paul was not that superficial. His concern was deeper than redemption—he cared about God’s purpose. Redemption is not God’s purpose; it is a process to reach God’s purpose. In Romans 3 we see redemption bringing forth God’s justification, but we do not see God’s purpose. What was God’s purpose in justification? In answering this question, Paul used Abraham’s history as an example, as a picture to explain what no human words can explain. If we study the picture in chapter 4, we will realize that it is deeper, more profound, and more far-reaching than chapter 3.
We thought that justification was merely a matter related to sins. However, when we read Genesis 15 where Abraham’s faith was reckoned by God as righteousness, we find no mention of sin. Sin was not involved. The concern was over a seed which would become a kingdom for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. Abraham was not called out by God simply because God had mercy on his sinful condition. God did not say, “Abraham, you are so pitiful. I do not want you to go to hell. In My mercy I come to call you out of your fallen state.” That was not the issue at all. In Genesis 1 we are told that God made man in His own image to express Himself and that this man was a corporate man, not an individual man. God created a corporate man that included both male and female. According to Genesis 5:2, both Adam and Eve are called Adam, signifying that God created a corporate man to express Him and exercise His dominion. In other words, God wanted to have a kingdom as a sphere in which to express His glory. Although this was God’s purpose, man fell away from it. Once man had turned away from God, had been distracted from God’s purpose, and had been occupied with other things, he fell deeply into sin. Nevertheless, the involvement in Genesis 15 is not sin, but how God’s purpose can be fulfilled. It is not a question of being saved, but of accomplishing God’s purpose. As long as you are involved in the fulfillment of God’s purpose, you will be saved.
Christianity is superficial, concerning itself with the salvation of man, not with the purpose of God. God’s justification is not primarily for man’s salvation; it is for the fulfillment of His purpose. Why has God chosen you? He did not choose you primarily for salvation, He chose you for His purpose. Why has God called you? He has not called you for heaven. He has called you for the fulfillment of His purpose. As long as you are involved with God’s purpose, your salvation is secure. However, if you only care for your salvation, you may miss the mark of God’s purpose. Salvation is not an end in itself; it is for God’s purpose. Thus, God’s justification is for the fulfillment of His purpose.
There is no mention of sin in Genesis 15. God told Abraham, “Look at the heavens and count the stars. Your seed will be like the stars in the sky.” Abraham believed, and his faith was counted by God as righteousness. God’s justification of Abraham was unrelated to sin. It was totally involved with God’s purpose, with having a seed to produce a kingdom for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. This is why the Apostle Paul in Romans 4, after referring to Genesis 15 where Abraham’s faith was reckoned as righteousness, mentions the promise given to Abraham and his seed of inheriting the world (4:13). What does inheriting the world have to do with justification? Why does Paul mention this in chapter 4? Abraham and his heirs must inherit the world for the sake of God’s kingdom, and God’s kingdom is for His purpose. Romans 4 tells us that God’s justification is not for going to heaven or merely for our salvation. Justification enables Abraham and all his believing heirs to inherit the world and to exercise the dominion of God on this earth as mentioned in Genesis 1. If we only had Romans 3, we would say that God’s justification, based upon Christ’s redemption, is for our salvation. Chapter 4, however, clearly unveils that God’s justification of His chosen ones is not merely for their salvation; it is purposely for them to inherit the world that they may exercise God’s dominion on the earth.