Romans 4:1–8, 13–17; The Second Sunday in Lent – March 1, 2026

Nothing in My Hand I Bring

Romans 4:1–8, 13–17
The Second Sunday in Lent – March 1, 2026
Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

You know how the world works. You have to struggle to earn a living. Paychecks don’t fall out of the sky. You can’t sit around the house expecting a roasted chicken to fly into your mouth. (Paraphrase of Martin Luther) Your earthly future depends on your work. Performance generally meets with approval. If you don’t work for yourself, you may dread performance reviews. If you do well, you will get a raise, if not… you may lose your job. That’s the way the world works.

We understand how that works. It is in our nature.

“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

That’s the judgment of God over Adam’s sin. It carries over to us. We know what it means.

The problem is that when dealing with God, we assume that spiritual things work the same way. If we try harder, God will bless us. If we live better, God will approve of us. If my faith is strong enough, God will not put us through hard times. God will accept me, because I have earned it.

Romans 4 dismantles all that thinking. Paul makes it clear.

“To the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.” (v.4)

He is talking about good works. If you do good things, you earn it, you deserve it and you claim it as your due. That is a closed fist approach to God. I have improved. I tried to curb my sin. Because I work hard, I deserve a blessing.

But Paul follows up v. 4 with v. 5.

God justifies the ungodly.

It is shocking. God justifies the sinful. He doesn’t account for good works for blessing. He doesn’t bless the improved, the religious, or even the sincere.

God’s law doesn’t reward effort. It exposes sin. Our best efforts still come from sinful hearts. That’s the issue. Sinful hearts produce sinful works. The sin can’t be filtered out of the good stuff. If salvation is dependent on good works, they must be perfect. If salvation is dependent on performance, you are already lost.

When Paul writes, his point is devastating. That’s because we expect God to work within our experience. Paul says he simply doesn’t work that way. He says, look at Abraham.

“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Faith, believing God, is not a work, a contribution, or some kind of spiritual achievement. Believe, the Greek word is πιστεύω — to rely completely on what God promises, even when nothing else supports it. Faith has an object. Faith without an object is useless. Abraham believed God.

In other words, faith is an open hand. It receives from God. Promises are received and believed, because God is faithful. This is saving faith.

According to Paul’s words: when faith is present, righteousness is counted, sin is not counted, and forgiveness is given.

On his death bed Martin Luther scrawled these words on a scrap of paper:

“We are beggars. This is true.”

It was found after his death. We are beggars. A beggar receives without claim, without merit, with an open hand.

Paul continues.

“That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed.”

He answers the question about why God’s way is different. If salvation were based on works or merit, no one would qualify. According to God’s law you must be perfect. We know this is true, but we don’t really want to believe it. If everything depended on your actions, there would be no certainty, because your actions, in the spiritual world are inconsistent.

But, Paul says, because salvation depends on faith, it rests entirely on grace. Because God is faithful, his grace is sure. Salvation is a guarantee. Your salvation is secure because it does not rest on your performance. It rests on God’s promise.

“The God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”

As we step forward in Lent, we look forward to celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. Paul uses resurrection language. God gives life to the dead. He is speaking about your resurrection and mine. God’s ultimate promise.

Paul quotes David.

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven.”

How is it then that God counts faith as righteousness? How is it that He doesn’t count sin? It is because of Jesus on the cross. God counted sin to Christ there. In His suffering, bleeding, dying, and being forsaken by the Father, He has taken our sin.

This is the great exchange. Our sin goes onto Jesus. His righteousness comes to us through faith. God has created the situation. Faith grasps hold of it. Faith is the empty hand that says, “God did that for me.”

Now that empty hand holds forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life.

There are two ways to stand before God: a closed fist or an open hand. The empty hand says, “Give me what You promised.” Faith isn’t strong believing. It is simply:

“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling.”

God does not ask you to bring something to Him. He asks you to come empty — so He can fill your hands with Christ.

Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.