Romans 4:15-16

For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

V15 — Law brings wrath; there is no transgression where there is no law. Paul again says that the law cannot save us; it can only condemn us. Our hope cannot be in our obedience to the law, because no one has obeyed the law in its entirety, with the exception of the God-Man, Jesus Christ. The law demonstrates that man has violated God’s standards, and it brings wrath. And it’s very interesting to see how a person’s attitude changes when that reality of the law is brought to light. When the law is on someone’s side, they like to speak about the rule of law and appeal to it. But when the judgment goes against them, it’s funny how insignificant the rule of law is to them. They’ll deny its importance. People will give lip service to God’s standards, but apart from grace, nobody likes the law. Apart from grace, all people know that the law condemns; it brings wrath. Before we are saved, the law is our enemy. Afterwards, it is the Living and Active Word of God.

Why does Paul say that “there is no sin where there is no law”? Remember, he’s dealing with Jews who appeal to the law as their justification. He’s reminding them the law’s purpose was never to justify. The purpose was to reveal sin more clearly. Where there is law, there is law-breaking. The law, apart from grace, actually exaggerates that tendency in mankind’s fallen sinful nature to go against God. So what about where there is no law? There was no law prior to Moses and the Exodus. Were the people before that time still sinners? Of course. Romans 5:12-14 helps us see what Paul is saying. And we’ll study it in detail when we get there. It has to do with the imputation of Adam’s sin to our account. Paul’s point is that, while all kinds of sinful attitudes and actions might have gone unnoticed, because there was no specific commandment that was violated, as we saw in Romans 1, the folks without the law still knew what was right. Paul says that the Gentiles who do not have the law are a law unto themselves. Sin was dormant sin before the law was given, and there may have been some vague uneasiness about it; but then the law came, and every vague or questionable act was a specific violation of an explicit commandment.

V16 — The promise is by faith, so that it may be by grace for all who are Abraham’s children. Paul was always addressing hypothetical questions. He knew his audience. He knew what their objections would be. And in v16-17 he answers an objection that is not revealed in the text, but it was certainly there. Paul’s Jewish Christian audience would have asked, “Why is justification by faith alone if God wants us to live a life filled with righteousness and obedience to His law?” Paul gives 3 more answers to this great question, in addition to the many times he’s answered it already in Romans. People just didn’t get it. How could it be? What was God’s purpose? Why, Paul? Why is justification by faith?

First, justification is by faith, because the law brings wrath. The law can’t justify. Second, justification is by faith, because faith corresponds to grace, while works correspond to compensation. Third, justification is by faith, because faith opens the door to the Gentiles. The first 2 reasons have been discussed earlier. Regarding faith corresponding to grace, grace is the guarantee; the only way that our eternal future can be guaranteed is if it rests on God’s grace. Grace is the free and undeserved work of God to bring His people to glory. Grace is the mighty, omnipotent purpose of God to make sure we get our inheritance. But this third one is pretty neat. In order for God to be faithful to His promise to Abraham, justification (and salvation) had to be by grace through faith. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Now if Abraham is going to be the father of many nations, then the way of that salvation can’t be the Mosaic law, because only Israel keeps the Mosaic law. Only Israel has circumcision as the command of Moses. Only Israel has the ceremonial code, the dietary laws, and the various other laws. So if God is going to give the nations to Abraham as his spiritual inheritance, then it’s got to be through some other means that the Mosaic law; and Paul says, “It’s by faith.” The pagan Mark Twain said, “Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, your dog would go in, and you would go out.” Justification is by faith, because it accentuates divine grace. We’re saved by God’s favor, by His mercy, by His gift. We can’t earn or merit or deserve that.