Righteousness Only By Faith.

After Jesus died and rose, and returned to heaven, the disciples and apostles continued the work through the Holy Spirit. Try as they might the people chosen by God as a group prior to Christ's arrival, the Jewish people, did NOT want to believe their Messiah had arrived- not as a corporate whole. Jesus even said this--

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 

Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 

Mat 23:39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

Their house was left unto them desolate.  Still, the apostles and disciples all tried to bring truth to them and when they were unsuccessful they did taketh gospel truth to the gentiles, the non-Jewish people. When they began to do this there was a big deal over whether or not the new comers to Christ, to God the Father, to the Holy Spirit should have to be circumcised in order to prove their commitment to Christ.

The Jewish religion made a HUGE deal over being circumcised, it was a HUGE part of their religion, so when we read the following, basically what is being asked is whether or not Abraham- the father of those who became God's chosen- had faith counted to him as righteousness before or after he was circumcised.

Rom 4:10  How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 

Rom 4:11  And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also

The TRUTH- BEFORE CIRCUMCISION. It wasn't circumcision that made Abraham righteous! 

And just as it wasn't circumcision that made Him righteous there is NO thing we do that makes us righteous other than FAITH IN CHRIST and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.  You can't follow rules and regulations and expect them to make you righteous. You are righteous ONLY by CHRIST and those rules and regulations, those commandments and all that you follow- you do so as a result of the righteousness you receive.

Rom 4:12  And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. 

Rom 4:13  For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 

The promise was through FAITH the RIGHTEOUSNESS of FAITH.

Rom 4:14  For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 

Rom 4:15  Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 

Rom 4:16  Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 

Rom 4:17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 

Rom 4:18  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 

Rom 4:19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: 

Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 

Rom 4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 

Rom 4:23  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 

Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 

Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. 

We too only have righteousness through Faith- believing in our Savior.

Please Lord, we would believe- HELP THOU OUR UNBELIEF! 

All in the name of our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ now and forever!!!!!!!