Abraham is Paul’s test case. Was he justified by works? No. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. Paul makes sure you notice the timeline: the faith came before circumcision, not after. Circumcision was a seal of a righteousness Abraham already had by faith. That matters because it means the promise belongs to everyone who shares Abraham’s faith, Jew and Gentile alike. God justifies the ungodly.

The Rev. Joshua Heimbuck, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Ashland, OR, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Romans 4:1–25.

To learn more about Grace Lutheran, visit gracelutheranashland.org.

Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel impossible? Why do feelings of guilt follow us even when we've been forgiven? These aren't new questions. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans for a church he had never visited, and yet he addressed the struggles every Christian knows firsthand: the weight of the law, the persistence of sin, the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ. Romans covers enormous ground. Paul moves from the universal problem of sin through justification by faith, the role of baptism, the war between flesh and spirit, God's faithfulness to Israel, and the shape of life together in the body of Christ. There's a reason the Reformation was born in this letter. Join us on Thy Strong Word as we open up Romans, weekdays at 11am or on-demand anytime, at KFUO.org.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.