The Jews to whom Paul was writing were caught up in their history. Every part of their worship was given to them through their historical experience. This was how God worked in human history to gather the community of Israel to himself. But their religious practices had become so far removed from God's original plan for worship that they had diluted and distorted true worship.
Paul challenges this approach to worship by pressing home that our righteousness from God can only come by faith. It doesn't come through any physical action, sign or seal on our part. Paul throws a questions to his readers that gets their minds going as they consider was Abraham, the great father of the Jews, made righteous before or after he was circumcised? On top of this Paul reminds them that Abraham lived before the law was given so he was made righteous through observation of that law.
Being made right with God then, as it is now, only comes through faith and for us it is faith in Jesus Christ as the one who took the punishment for our sins.
Romans - The heart of the Gospel is a teaching series from Annalong Presbyterian Church. Find out more at www.annalongpc.org/sermons.
