All are seeking righteousness and fall in one of two camps: They either seek it through faith or through works. In Romans 9:30-33 we learn that the sand of human righteousness cannot save the soul, but only faith on the rock of Jesus Christ, faith that God implants in the heart of man. Faith is not salvation, to be clear; it is the vehicle that gets you there. It is the only channel through which God’s blessings of new life may be received. So do you have faith that saves? Or are you resting on your works which can never make you righteous? 

Scripture Reference: Romans 9:30-33

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/674d4da37306b796a738d88c

 

The focus of our text is Romans 9, 30 through 33, and it is a shift from the previous verses. The previous verses focused on the sovereignty of God in salvation, but these verses focus on the responsibility of man. Here's what the Apostle Paul is saying. There are only two kinds of people who are seeking righteousness. All are seeking righteousness.

Some seek it through faith and some seek it through works. And the big question in this passage that we are asked is, do you know what saving faith is and do you have it? And so it's very important that you know what it is and what it is not, what salvation by works is and what it is not. Now let's pull back a little bit. Many people have said there are really only two religions that are in the world.

One is based on faith. In other words, nothing in my hand I bring. The other is works-based. Something in my hand I bring. This would be true of Mormons, Hindus, Muslims, Spiritists.

These are all works based religion. And what the Apostle Paul is arguing against is salvation by works. Here's an illustration. About a decade ago, my son and David and my son-in-law visited the grave of George Whitefield. It was the place where he delivered his last sermon And he was speaking of the insufficiency of works of merit in salvation.

He was 55 years old, he'd been traveling, preaching many sermons, he felt sick. He came into Newburyport, Massachusetts, And he wanted to go straight to bed, but when he arrived in Newberry Port at the church there, he found that the people had erected a platform for him to preach on and They were begging him to preach as the afternoon wore on. And he preached and he had a candle that lit the platform. It finally went out. He retired into his room and he died there that night.

But there was a man in the crowd that day who recorded that his message was about the insufficiency of works, and that he said, works, works, a man can get to heaven by works, I would as soon as think of climbing to the moon on a rope of sand. Now that's what Romans 9 30 to 33 is saying, that it's not the sand of human righteousness that saves the soul, but it's faith. And what is faith? Faith is not salvation. Faith is the vehicle that gets you to salvation.

Faith is like a car that transports you from point A to point B. It's like a bullet train that takes you to the Lord Jesus Christ. So the Apostle Paul makes it very clear that there are only two types of people, only two types of religions. Which religion are you in? Are you just simply playing by the rules?

Or do you have a transformed heart by faith that has led you to complete dependence on Jesus Christ? The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.