[In this article RLW quotes K.C. Moser three times. The source of the quotes have been noted in footnotes.--Bobby Valentine.]

      "For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness." (Rom. 4:3) Paul here quotes Gen. 15:6. In the last article it was shown that this does not refer to the beginning of Abraham's acceptance with God. He was not an alien sinner up to this time, for he had long been a faithful servant of God when that was spoken. It is true that Paul was trying to convince the Jews that this happened before the giving of the law, but he was using this well known fact to offset their claim that a person had to be circumcised after the manner of Moses, or he could not be saved. Their own father, Abraham, of whom they boasted, would be cut off by their arguments for the law.

      An author whom I have been reading quotes verses 3-6 and makes this remark: "Just as Abraham was reckoned righteous, not because of his works, but because if his faith in God, so, the sinner is reckoned righteous because of his faith in Christ."¹ If the author will look a little more closely, he will see that Paul does not say that Abraham was reckoned righteous because of his faith in God. God reckons to a man only that which he has or should have. Abraham believed God, and his belief was reckoned to him, or put down to his account, or considered. Neither does the record say that faith was counted, or reckoned, as if it were righteousness, nor was it counted as a substitute for righteousness. But the record does say that Abraham's faith was reckoned, or counted, to him for (eis, into, or in order to, unto) righteousness. On the grounds of his faith God forgave him of whatever sins he might have been guilty, and so declared him to be righteous. If no guilt attaches to a man, if there is no sin charged against him, he is a righteous man. If a man never sinned, he would be righteous by works; if he sins and God forgives him, removes sin entirely from him, he is then righteous by grace, or by favor. But the man who attains righteousness through forgiveness has no grounds for boasting. For that reason Abraham had no grounds for boasting; for the same reason none now have grounds for boasting.

      Verses 1-3 connect back with the twenty-seventh verse of the third chapter, which says: "Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? Of works: Nay: but by a law of faith." Moffatt's rendering of this verse, as quoted by K. C. Moser, in "The Way of Salvation," cannot justly be considered a translation at all: "Then what becomes of our boasting? It is ruled out absolutely. On what principle? On the principle of doing deeds? No, on the principle of faith."² Much is said about the "principle of faith." Now, faith is an act of the mind, or heart; and a person might as well talk about the principle of thinking or the principle of joy, as to talk about the principle of belief. Such an expression as the "principle of faith" conveys no idea to the mind. If a man's life were as perfect as the Pharisee imagined his to be, he could boast; but if a man sins and is forgiven, there is ground for humility, but not for boasting. "Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt." (Verse 4) The word reckon is met with so often in this fourth chapter that it is well for us to notice carefully its significance. The reward is reckoned to the person that works, because it is his due. Paul is not condemning salvation by works in this verse; he is merely stating a truth. We can rest assured that if we could so work as to bring God in debt to us to the extent of our salvation, he would pay that debt. But for that to be true, a person's work would have to be perfect--he would have to so live as to never sin, never incur any guilt. But if a man sins once, salvation can never come to him as a debt. Such a man can never be justified by works of law. He needs forgiveness, and the law does not forgive; it condemns. No perfection of works will blot out, or forgive, a sin already committed, nor make void grace in the forgiveness of that sin.

      Much random talk has been indulged in on this verse (verse 4), and much of it is very hurtful. It has been made to do service in an effort to prove that a sinner could do nothing in order to be saved. Paul had no such point in view. If we keep in mind his argument, we will have no trouble in seeing his point; but if we switch his language from his line of argument and make his language refer to the conditions on which pardon is offered to an alien, we misrepresent him and lose ourselves in the confusion of our own notions. To me it seems inexcusable that a person should so misunderstand Paul as to draw the following conclusion: "Indeed, it seems to be difficult even at the present time for many to grasp the idea of a righteousness that does not depend on human effort."³ Surely the author did not properly consider the import of his words. If a Universalist or an Ultra-Calvinist had penned such words, we would not be surprised. Not only am I not able to grasp the idea of a righteousness that does not depend on human effort, but I do not believe there is such righteousness in any human being. If a human being is made righteous without any human effort, then why are not all righteous? It is certain that the most of them are not making any effort to attain to righteousness.

      "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness." (Verse 5.) The reader will notice that Paul says nothing about "the one who depends on works," nor "the one who depends not on works." He speaks of the one who works and the one does not work. Works must have the same significance in both cases (verses 4 and 5), for Paul had not changed his subject. Only perfect works, works without any guilt of sin, can bring salvation as a debt. The one "who worketh" is, therefore, the one whose works are so perfect that he has no guilt of sin. But no one has so lived. Hence, to the one whose work is not perfect, but who believes in Jesus Christ, God reckons, or counts, his faith for (eis, in order to) his righteousness--that is, in order that, on the basis of his faith, he may forgive his sins and thus constitute him a righteous person. Let us not be so unjust with Paul as to switch is language from his line of reasoning and make it apply to the acts of obedience required in the gospel. Certainly Paul did not mean to say that God makes the person righteous who will not obey him, the person who simply does nothing. If so, he puts a premium on the very thing from which the gospel is intended to save us, and contradicts other things said by him.

      Paul did not have special reference to the salvation of alien sinners, as will be seen by his quotation from David. The connection in Ps. 32 from which Paul quotes, shows that David had special reference to his own forgiveness. He did not have in mind the forgiveness of alien sinners, but the forgiveness of a servant of God. God counts the man righteous, whose sins are forgiven. To such a man the Lord does not reckon sin, because his sins have been forgiven, and he is no longer guilty. Such a one is righteous.