⁴ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

Justification by faith is not just a unique experience for Abraham. Paul now generalizes the example of Abraham. In other words, if this justification by faith was true for the titular patriarch, then it is true for all people. He begins with an earthly example of earning wages. A man is due his salary because he has worked for it. His wage is not a gift. When he deposits his paycheck in the bank, it is something he earned, he deserves it; he has a right to it. This income reflects on his efforts, his labors—his work.

Justification doesn’t work that way. Why not? Because, as we have already seen, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). We have all failed at the works-based effort at living right. So it is impossible to gain righteousness that way—not because the expectations of God are too high, but because the ability of us humans falls short. There has to be another way.

That way is through faith. Paul puts it in stark form by addressing “the one who does not work.” In other words, take the epitome of a person who does absolutely nothing in terms of good works or efforts to live a righteous life. If he has faith in God then, like Abraham, “his faith is credited as righteousness.” So faith is the necessary and sufficient requirement for justification.

But what is the content of that justifying faith? It is faith “in Him who justifies the ungodly.” Skeptics mock this as implying you can sin all you want if you have your free ticket to heaven. This is a gross misunderstanding of the argument. The point is not to give license to sin (and Paul does address this very point later in Romans) but to provide a way out of the sin problem altogether. The sin problem is that we are simply unable to live according to God’s satisfaction; it is absolutely impossible.

If we are going to believe anything about God, it must begin with the fact that we are undeserving. Our good works simply cannot earn us righteousness. There is only one way to gain it, and that is through a God who justifies not those who live well enough to deserve justification (because none of us do), but those who do not live well enough (that’s all of us). In fact, Paul puts it all out on the table. The validity of justification before God would require a God who justifies the ungodly. At the risk of over laboring the point, if God is not that kind of God, then no one could ever be justified before God; we would be left to wallow in hopelessness.

Lord, I believe You are a God who justifies ungodly sinners, just like me.