Justification - A Case Study

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, Romans 4:5 (ESV) Recently, I've had a little bit of "windshield time." During these drives I enjoy listening to podcasts especially those that explore a story. My most recent listen involved an experiment to understand the most complex issue involved in space travel, humans. This case study explored the interactions of six people simulating life on Mars for a full year by being sequestered to a living space no bigger then a two-car garage. Sound fun? These case studies provide data and allow researchers to develop general principles from specific incidents. This week we are going to look at a case study of Justification by Faith. In the text of Romans 4, Paul takes us out of the clouds. He displays how God worked out the principles, we have seen in Romans 3 in the life of Abraham, the father of faith. If the last few weeks have felt a bit 'ivory-tower' theologically-speaking, get ready for a some on-the-ground theology as we journey with a guy who struggled to understand and trust the promise. What does this tell us about justification? How can we see his faith? How does this help us live a life of faith? To prepare your heart and mind for Sunday, I'd encourage you to take some time and read through Romans 4 and why not invite a friend to join you?