"To Him That WORKETH Not"

“To Him That WORKETH Not” (Romans 4:5)

These 5 words, though frightening to all self-righteous religionists, are words of comfort, encouragement, and peace to every justified, redeemed, regenerated and converted sinner. It is an absolute FACT that God effectively saved ALL HIS ELECT through Christ’s accomplished work of redemption at Calvary - ”Who HATH SAVED (an act ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED) us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”(2 Timothy 1:9) We must not seek to undermine the Holy Spirit’s purpose through the glorious words He moved the Apostle Paul to pen for His children. Robert Haldane wrote on this verse: “This verse means what it literally expresses, namely, that the person who is justified DOES NOT WORK AT ALL for his justification. It is not that he does not perform all the works that he ought, but that for justification HE DOES NOTHING. It is true that he works, BUT NOT FOR JUSTIFICATION.” All one has to do is read the very next phrase in this verse to understand this is EXACTLY the Spirit’s purpose in writing these words for our learning - ”but believeth ON Him (not “in Him”) that justifieth (to DECLARE righteous) THE UNGODLY.” Truly “His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.” God alone was capable and willing to justify (declare legally righteous) ungodly sons and daughters of Adam through the imputation of their sin to His precious Son, as well as through the imputation of His precious Son’s righteousness to their account. He alone could accomplish this glorious feat in a way that glorified and honored every attribute of His character as “a Just God and a Savior”, that honored and exalted the Son as the ONLY SAVIOUR AND REDEEMER of sinners, and excludes all boasting in human flesh. It is in this way that God gets all the glory!

Now God’s redeemed do work, but their works are not the works of slaves driven by a horrible task-master, i.e., the Law - Read Romans chapter 7. Our works are the works of adopted sons and daughters, those compelled by love and devotion to Him “who loved us and gave Himself for us.” “We LOVE Him, BECAUSE He first loved us” - (1 John 4:19) “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourself: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD. Not of works lest any man should boast. For we ARE His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto GOOD WORKS, which God HATH BEFORE ORDAINED THAT WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM.”(Ephesians 2:8-10) Any works produced by any other method or agency are “dead works” and exhibit that sinner to be serving “in oldness of letter”, not “newness of the Spirit.”

- by Pastor Richard Warmack, Grace Baptist Church of Ruston, Louisiana - found at Total Doc Converter (sermonaudio.com)

 

Yes, the reprobates, not God's elect. God's elect have already been judged in Christ and found not guilty.

 

Nope. I think Augustus Toplady expressed it well in a hymn he wrote:

"From whence this fear and unbelief,
If God, my Father, put to grief
His spotless Son for me?
Can He, the righteous Judge of men,
Condemn me for that debt of sin
Which, Lord, was charged to Thee?

Complete atonement Thou hast made,
And to the utmost farthing paid
Whate’er Thy people owed;
How, then, can wrath on me take place,
If sheltered in God’s righteousness,
And sprinkled by Thy blood?

If Thou hast my discharge procured,
And freely in my place endured
The whole of wrath divine;
Payment God will not twice demand,
First at my bleeding Surety’s hand,
And then again at mine.

Turn then, my soul, unto thy rest;
The merits of thy great High Priest
Speak peace and liberty;
Trust in His efficacious blood,
Nor fear thy banishment from God,
Since Jesus died for thee."

- Augustus Toplady

 

Being nothing more than a worm of a man, I am probably not expressing myself correctly. So, I will rely on Robert Hawker:

"For while all unawakened, unregenerated, and unrenewed men, must stand awfully condemned before God; we are expressly told, that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus: for they are passed from death to life, and are freely justified in the grace which is in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1; 1 John 3:14; Acts of the Apostles 13:39. Sweet thought! God's people are saved now, with an everlasting salvation. Their right, and title, to all Covenant blessings, and mercies, is founded in Christ. So that, as they are justified now, they cannot be condemned then. They must all appear indeed before the judgment seat of Christ; the righteous as well as the wicked: him that feareth God, as well as him that feareth him not. But with very different views. The wicked, the Scripture saith, shall be turned into hell, with all the people that forget God, Psalms 9:17. But the ransomed in Zion are said to return with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, Isaiah 35:10. They are to have the whole Covenant transactions laid open to their view, and not only their acquittal from all law charges, all demands of justice, and all claims of obligation, proclaimed before a congregated world of men and angels; but their acceptance in Christ, their oneness, and right of union with Christ, most fully established, and confirmed forever, And oh! what inconceivable rapture, will then break in upon the soul, when Christ shall own his Church, his Chosen, his Segullah, as the gift of his Father, the purchase of his blood, and the conquest of his Spirit. When he shall say: Behold I, and the children whom thou past given me! Isaiah 8:18."

- from Robert Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:6-11

 

No. Only the reprobates will be judged by their works. God's elect plead Christ's perfect works as the Lord their Righteousness.

The reprobates have no righteousness as all they have is filthy rags works. God's elect have the perfection of Christ as their righteousness.

 

Isaiah 45:24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.

Now, I am not sure what tack you are taking on this subject of works, but just in case you are going down the path(I am not saying you are, but to save time I am going to go ahead and deal with the idea) that Christians are to have a mercenary attitude toward good works(I really don't understand what those who think that way think they are working for - a larger mansion, a spot closer to the throne?), I will quote from Vincent Cheung's Systematic Theology:

"As Paul writes:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)

The Christian is to actively take his part in sanctification, and deliberately pursue a life of obedience to God "in fear and trembling." Nevertheless, the passage explains that even the working out of our salvation is in fact a work of God: "It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Our choices and actions remain under God's control after regeneration. Therefore, although a person is conscious of his efforts and struggles in sanctification, in the end God receives the honor, and the Christian still has no basis to boast of his achievements."

(emphasis mine)

 

Also, in case you want to see the phrase, "The Lord our Righteousness", it occurs in two verses in Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE Lord OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Jeremiah 33:16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.

 

No. The finished work of Christ on behalf of God's elect as the Lord our Righteousness is what is imputed(credited) to them.