Romans 4:13-15: Why not the Law?

Romans 4:14-15.. "For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression."

In the last couple devotions, we have been looking at how we are justified by faith and not by works. But why? Why is being justified by works not a good way to gain salvation? Paul certainly alluded to this already, but he summarizes his argument in the verses above. Let us look at them.

Paul goes so far to say that "if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs [in other words, "to be saved" or "justified"], faith is null and the promise is void." To put it in a different way, Paul is quite literally saying that the gospel is useless if we are justified by works. If we are saved by our deeds, the entire story of the gospel (that is, the "faith" of believers and the "promises" of God) is "null" and "void." How so? How could Paul say such an outrageous thought? Look at verse 15: " For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression." What does this mean? Let me bring you back to Romans 3:20 where Paul puts it in other words: "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in [God's] sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." Paul is saying here that since all men are sinners (as we have thoroughly looked at), all men are condemned by the law, and it therefore cannot bring them salvation. The law brings condemnation and wrath, therefore we must be saved in a way in which "there is no law" (Romans 4:15). Enter Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice, that makes his righteousness accounted to our account through faith in him, without regard to how much we have disobeyed the law. Amen.

But why is this so important? Why does Paul lay this down so hard? For many reasons, but here are two. Firstly, it is so important to truly understand that we are saved by faith and not by works because that is what seperates Christianity from every other religion in the world. Being saved by faith and by faith alone is a concept only known to Christianity. Other religions may claim that they do the same, but at the heart they do not. Every other religion has a "ladder concept" (meaning that you have to climb to the top in your own strength), whereas Christianity has a "cross concept" (meaning that you couldn't get to the top on your own, and you needed Christ to do it for you). Being saved by faith and not by works is what makes Christianity legitimate, as it accepts the fact that human beings are unrighteouss men unable to gain salvation on their own. Secondly, understanding that we are saved by faith alone enables us to remain pure in our Christianity. Look at the Jews: they started to fall astray because they started to believe that they were saved by their works. They started boasting because of their righteousness, and therefore Paul had to write three entire chapters reminding them how sinful they truly were. Thinking that we are saved by works and not by faith alone is to give the devil a foothold, therefore we ought to treat this doctrine with full respect, as it truly is the foundation for the Christian faith.