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Romans 4:1-12 Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. - Romans 4:4 I once heard a Jewish Rabbi in Jerusalem say that the Apostle Paul was perhaps the most brilliant thinker in the history of Judaism. He went on to say that this wasn’t his opinion, but was one held by many Jewish theologians and scholars today. Romans 4 is an example of Paul’s mastery of Biblical theology. Paul uses a tool of biblical interpretation called gezerah shevah, where two passages are linked through use of one key word and together partner up in explaining a truth. Here in Romans 4 Paul takes Genesis 15.6 and links it to Psalm 32.2 because of the word logizomai (in the Greek translation). In English it is the word for credit or reckon. So Abraham was credited (logizomai) righteousness. And King David wrote in Psalm 32 that “blessed are those whose sin would never be counted (logizomai/credited) against them.” The point Paul makes is that salvation is not located in human effort, but in divine reckoning (logizomai). Righteousness didn’t come to Abraham because he did the right things, but because God gave it to him. Sin was not held against King David because he tried to avoid it, but because God wouldn’t hold him to account for it. God doesn’t justify a person working for a reward, but rather the one who believes His promises. Righteousness and forgiveness of sins are a gift. They are God’s credit (logizomai) to a person. And so God reckons (logizomai) that person to be righteous. Salvation comes from God’s act of declaring, acquitting and creating. In other words, salvation looks a lot like creation in Genesis 1. In creation God simply declared something to be, and it was. “Let there be light,” and there was light. God created ex nihilo – out of nothing. With salvation, God creates righteousness in believers where there was none. The question on our judgment day will not be accrued righteousness, but that we are reckoned (logizomai) righteous because God has declared it so. This is where we find our identity as God’s people. This is how we are children of Abraham. God said, “let there be light,” and when Jesus, the light of the world” shines on us, God reckons that light is now our own despite the fact we are creatures of the dark.