20250909 [새벽묵상] 하나님께 의로 여기심을 받는 사람의 복 | The Blessing of Being Counted Righteous by God (롬/Rom 4:1~8)

4:1 그런즉 육신으로 우리 조상인 아브라함이 무엇을 얻었다하리요

4:2 만일 아브라함이 행위로써 의롭다 하심을 받았으면 자랑할 것이 있으려니와 하나님 앞에서는 없느니라

4:3 성경이 무엇을 말하느냐 아브라함이 하나님을 믿으매 그것이 그에게 의로 여겨진 바 되었느니라

1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

4:4 일하는 자에게는 그 삯이 은혜로 여겨지지 아니하고 보수로 여겨지거니와

4:5 일을 아니할지라도 경건하지 아니한 자를 의롭다 하시는 이를 믿는 자에게는 그의 믿음을 의로 여기시나니

4:6 일한 것이 없이 하나님께 의로 여기심을 받는 사람의 복에 대하여 다윗이 말한 바

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

4:7 불법이 사함을 받고 죄가 가리어짐을 받는 사람들은 복이 있고

4:8 주께서 그 죄를 인정하지 아니하실 사람은 복이 있도다

7 “Blessed are those

    whose transgressions are forgiven,

    whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the one

    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

                어제 우리는 복음이란 하나님의 의를 드러내는 것이라고 말씀을 드렸습니다. 복음의 주체는 철저히 우리가 아니라 하나님이신 것입니다. 그런데 여기에 복음의 신비가 있습니다. 우리는 우리의 구원을 위하여 복음을 믿습니다. 우리는 우리의 구원을 위하여 복음을 믿는데 그 복음을 믿음으로 말미암아 하나님의 의가 나타난다는 것입니다. 죄를 범하여 하나님의 영광에 이르지 못하는 우리가 복음을 믿을 때에 영광스러운 하나님의 의를 나타내는 일에 동참하게 되는 것입니다. 바로 이 것, 우리 자신의 구원보다 하나님의 의를 나타내는 일에 동참 하게 되는 것이 복음의 더 큰 비밀이며 축복인 것입니다. 그리고 그 핵심에는 우리의 행위가 아니라 믿음을 의롭다고 여겨주시는 하나님의 은혜가 있습니다. 복음을 통하여 하나님의 의를 나타내시는 것처럼 복음을 통하여 우리를 의롭게 여겨주시는 것입니다. 그것이 복음을 믿는 자의 복이며 하나님께 의로 여기심을 받는 사람의 복입니다. 오늘은 하나님께 의로 여기심을 받는 사람의 복이라는 제목으로 말씀을 전하기 원합니다.

Yesterday, we discussed how the gospel reveals the righteousness of God. The subject of the gospel is not us, but God. Yet, here lies the mystery of the gospel: we believe in the gospel for our own salvation, and in doing so, the righteousness of God is revealed. We, who have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, participate in the glorious work of revealing God's righteousness by simply believing the gospel. This—participating in revealing God's righteousness rather than just securing our own salvation—is the greater secret and blessing of the gospel. And at its core is God's grace, which counts our faith, not our works, as righteousness. Just as the gospel reveals God’s righteousness, it is also through the gospel that God counts us as righteous. This is the blessing of those who believe the gospel and are counted as righteous by God.

Today, I want to talk about the blessing of being counted righteous by God.

                하나님께 의로 여기심을 받은 사람의 복, 바울은 아브라함으로 그 예를 들고 있습니다. 아브라함이야 말로 행위가 아니라 믿음으로 하나님께 의로 여기심을 받은 자 라고 합니다. 자 그렇다면, 이 로마서의 말씀을 처음 읽었던 로마 교회의 유대인들에게 아브라함은 어떤 의미였을까요? 1절 함께 읽겠습니다. “그런즉 육신으로 우리 조상인 아브라함이 무엇을 얻었다 하리요.” 그들에게 아브라함은 육신의 조상, 즉, 자신들의 정체성과 신앙의 근간을 형성하는 인물이었습니다. 하나님께서 아브라함을 선택하여 부르시고 아브라함에게 후손들과 가나안 땅을 약속하셨지요. 이스라엘 민족은 아브라함의 자손으로서 이 하나님의 선택과 약속을 받은 자들이었습니다. 유대인이 누구인지를 대표하는 사람이 바로 아브라함이지요. 그런데 바울이 아브라함을 지금 로마서 4장에 언급하는 또 다른 이유가 있습니다. 앞에서 우리는 율법과 할례가 중요한 것이 아니라 행위가 중요하다는 말씀을 드렸었습니다. 그런데 또 인간은 행위로는 하나님의 의롭다는 인정을 받을 사람이 없다고 말씀하셨어요. 그렇다면 어떻게 해야하냐? 무엇으로 하나님의 의롭다 함을 받을 수 있느냐? 그 답은 믿음이라고 어제 말씀드렸습니다.

Paul uses Abraham as an example of someone who received this blessing. Abraham, Paul says, was counted as righteous by God not because of his works, but because of his faith. So what did Abraham mean to the Jewish people in the Roman church who first read this letter? Let's read verse 1 together: “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?” To them, Abraham was their fleshly ancestor—the figure who formed the very foundation of their identity and faith. God chose and called Abraham and promised him descendants and the land of Canaan. As Abraham's descendants, the Israelites were the recipients of this divine choice and promise. Abraham represented who a Jew was.

But Paul had another reason for mentioning Abraham in Romans chapter 4. Yesterday, we discussed that works are what matter, not the law or circumcision. And yet, no one can be justified by God through works. So what can we do? How can we be justified by God? The answer, as we discussed yesterday, is faith.

그리고 그 믿음을 대표하는 사람으로 오늘 바울은 아브라함을 예로 들고 있는 것입니다. 여기에는 몇가지 이유가 있는데 첫번째는 아브라함은 유대인의 시조이지만 유대인은 아닙니다. 아브라함은 갈대아 우르에서 태어나 하란을 거쳐 가나안 땅으로 이주했지요. 그는 엄밀히 따지면 유대인이 아니라 이방인입니다. 그의 손자인 야곱으로부터 이스라엘이라는 이름이 시작되지요. 즉 믿음에 대해서 이야기 할 때에 아브라함은 유대인만을 대표하는 것이 아닌 것입니다. 두번째는 아브라함은 율법시대 이전의 사람입니다. 아브라함이 있었을 때는 율법이 없었습니다. 율법은 400년이 넘는 시간 이후에나 등장하지요. 할례 또한 마찬가지입니다. 언약이 먼저이지 할례가 먼저가 아니었습니다. 율법과 할례가 존재하지 않는 시대를 대표하는 인물이 아브라함인 것입니다. 세번째, 아브라함은 죄가 많은 인물이었습니다. 우리는 아브라함을 믿음의 조상이라고 부르지만 그의 삶은 우리가 알다시피 실패와 죄의 반복이었습니다. 그는 남편으로서 아버지로서 형편없는 인물이었지요. 정리해보자면 유대인이 아닌, 아직 율법도 할례도 존재하지 않는 세상에서 죄 많은 아브라함이 무엇으로 의롭다함을 받을 수 있겠습니까? 그 질문에 대한 대답이 오늘 말씀 2-3절인 것입니다.

And today, Paul uses Abraham as a representative of that faith for a few reasons. First, Abraham is the ancestor of the Jews, but he wasn't a Jew himself. Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldeans, traveled through Haran, and moved to the land of Canaan. Strictly speaking, he was a Gentile, not a Jew. The name “Israel” only began with his grandson Jacob. When speaking of faith, Abraham does not represent the Jews alone. Second, Abraham lived before the Law. The Law did not exist in Abraham's time; it would appear more than 400 years later. The same is true for circumcision. The covenant came first, not circumcision. Abraham is the figure who represents the era before the Law and circumcision existed. Third, Abraham was a man full of sin. We call Abraham the "father of the faith," but as we know, his life was a cycle of failures and sins. As a husband and a father, he was a terrible man.

To summarize, how could Abraham—who was not a Jew, who lived in a world without the Law or circumcision, and who was full of sin—be counted as righteous? The answer to that question is found in verses 2-3 of today’s passage.

아브라함은 율법의 행위로써 의롭다 하심을 받은 것이 아니었습니다. 3절 말씀 함께 읽어보겠습니다. “성경이 무엇을 말하느냐 아브라함이 하나님을 믿으매 그것이 그에게 의로 여겨진 바 되었느니라” 여기서 중요한 것은 아브라함이 하나님을 믿었다는 것입니다. 5절 말씀에 “경건하지 아니한 자를 의롭다 하시는 이를 믿는 자에게는 그의 믿음을 의로 여기시나니”라고 말씀하고 계십니다. 아브라함이 하나님을 믿었다는 것은 죄 많은 그를 의롭다고 하시는 하나님을 믿었다는 말입니다. 이 말씀에서 너무나 중요한 부분은 바로 누가 의롭다고 하냐는 것입니다. 의롭다고 말씀하시는 그 주체가 누구입니까? 하나님이십니다. 하나님이 의롭다고 하십니다. 칭의의 주체는 하나님이십니다. 우리는 그것을 믿을 뿐인 것입니다. 우리는 경건하지 아니한데 하나님께서 우리를 의롭다고 말씀하시니 우리는 그것을 믿는 것입니다. 하나님께서는 우리의 그 믿음을 의로 여기신다고 하십니다. 이것이 은혜이고 이것이 복인 것입니다. 우리의 어떠함이 아닌 것입니다. 이것은 전적인 하나님의 은혜인 것이지요.

그래서 오늘 말씀 6-8절은 죄인이 의롭다 여김을 받는 것이 얼마나 복된 것인지 다윗의 시를 인용하여 설명하고 있습니다. 7-8절 함께 읽어보겠습니다. “불법이 사함을 받고 죄가 가리어짐을 받는 사람들은 복이 있고 주께서 그 죄를 인정하지 아니하실 사람은 복이 있도다 함과 같으니라” 우리는 일한 것이 없습니다. 우리는 경건하지 않았습니다. 그런데 하나님께서 우리의 불법을 사하시고, 우리의 죄를 가리셨으며, 우리의 죄를 인정하지 아니하셨습니다. 바로 이것이 우리의 복입니다.

Abraham was not justified by works of the Law. Let's read verse 3 together: “For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.'” What is important here is that Abraham believed God. In verse 5, it says, “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” Abraham believing God means he believed in the God who justifies the ungodly, a God who would count a sinful man as righteous.

In this passage, the most crucial part is who declares righteousness. Who is the subject of justification? It is God. God declares us righteous. The subject of justification is God. We simply believe it. We are ungodly, but God declares us righteous, so we believe it. God says He counts our faith as righteousness. This is grace, and this is the blessing. This is not about our merit or our works. This is entirely God's grace.

That is why verses 6-8 explain how blessed it is for a sinner to be counted as righteous, by quoting a psalm of David. Let’s read verses 7-8 together: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” We have not worked. We were ungodly. But God forgave our lawless deeds, covered our sins, and will not count our sins against us. This is our blessing.

말씀을 맺습니다. 오늘은 하나님께 의로 여기심을 받는 사람의 복에 대해서 말씀을 나누었습니다. 우리는 늘 우리에게 촛점을 맞추어 삽니다. 우리가 의롭게 되었다. 우리가 구원 받았다. 그러나 오늘 말씀은 복음의 주체가 하나님이심을 분명히 말하고 있습니다. 복음은 우리에 대한 것이 아닙니다. 우리는 아무런 일도 한 것이 없습니다. 하나님께서 모든 일을 행하셨습니다. 그 하나님께서 우리를 의롭다고 하십니다. 우리는 불법을 행하고 죄를 지으며 경건하지 않았는데 우리를 의롭다 하시니 우리는 우리를 의롭다 하시는 하나님을 믿는 것입니다. 그 때에 그 믿음을 의로 여기신다고 하십니다. 그렇기에 복음은 하나님의 전적인 은혜입니다.

I'd like to conclude with this. Today, we talked about the blessing of being counted righteous by God. We often focus on ourselves. We were justified. We were saved. But today's passage clearly states that God is the subject of the gospel. The gospel is not about us. We did nothing. God did everything. God declares us righteous. We committed lawless deeds and were ungodly, but He declared us righteous, and so we believe in the God who justifies us. At that moment, He counts our faith as righteousness. Therefore, the gospel is entirely God's grace.