Romans 4:14
14 For [gar] if [ei] they which are of [ek] the
law [nomos] be heirs [kleronomos], faith [pistis] is made
void [kenoo], and [kai] the promise [epaggelia]
made of none effect [katargeo]: KJV-Interlinear
14 For
if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and
the promise is void. ESV
There are two approaches to God. The first is through
your own works or effort, and the second is through faith. Each rejects the other. You cannot have it both ways.
And here in this verse we have that principle.
For those who believe that they can live by the law,
there is no faith option.
For those who look to God in faith, there is no works
option.
Abraham received a promise from God. Actually he
received several promises.
Now, if God made a promise, then it is a given. It is already in place. You do not have to do anything to earn that
promise, because the promise has already been made.
So, if you work for the promise, then you in effect
reject the promise and are therefore excluded from the promise. You do this by yourself, by deciding that you
need to do something to earn the promise.
Meaning that you are looking to your own self, to earn something that
God has already made available for free.
And furthermore, anyone who looks to or claims the
law, doesn’t really know what they are doing, doesn’t really understand the law
or what it stands for. They seem to want
to restrict the law to only the ten commandments, but in fact the law
encompasses the whole personal effort, thoughts, intents and so forth, concept
of ones life.
You cannot say that you have not murdered anyone or
stolen anything, and claim adherence to those commandments, when in fact any
anger directed at anyone, any pattern of life wherein you believe that you
deserve something that God has reserved for others who do comply with His plan,
are not yours to claim. So in effect you
have stolen, or murdered through your own attitude of rejecting Gods plan and
by placing your own beliefs in that place.
And failure in the rest of the commandments follows the same principle.
The greatest error of them all, is the belief of not
needing any instruction in Gods word, and thereby presuming that whatever it is
that you are doing, is acceptable to God as a valid substitute for His
mandates.
So, looking to works, means rejecting Gods promises.
God has promised salvation to all who believe.
God has promised spiritual growth to all who learn
through instruction.
God has promised production to all who live their life
in fellowship.
So, rejecting faith, rejecting instruction, rejecting
confession, means that you lose all of the spiritual benefits of that which you
have rejected. That is, no faith in
Christ, then no salvation. No daily
study through instruction, then no spiritual learning or growth. No confession
on a regular basis, then no functional spiritual life, which by the way shuts
down all spiritual learning, use, growth, etc.
Pursuing works, means faith or the promises of God,
which are based on faith, are void as far as your life is concerned.
God made no such promises based on works. There are no benefits for works.
