Faith is designed as the way to get connected with the righteousness of God because it's the only thing in justification that accords with grace and grace is the only power that can make the promise sure for you. If God left it up to

you for your salvation and your inheritance to be firm, it wouldn't be firm.

You're fickle. God is not fickle. Grace is not fickle. It is almighty power.

So what is the relationship between our faith and God's grace?

In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper turns to Romans 4, 16 to 25, to explain how faith and grace relate.

This sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on October 10th, 1999.

Gracious Heavenly Father, we come now and seek your help once more for the ministry of the word from this great book of Romans, the greatest letter ever written in the history of the world.

Who is sufficient for these things?

Come, Father, I pray and give us your help. Grant to those who are listening a sweet,

attentive, docile, understanding, mind and spirit, I pray.

And grant to me an anointing from the Holy Spirit that will make my words more than mere human words, that

would be life-changing and hope-giving and pride, pride humbling and God exulting and church unifying and

missions mobilizing and family healing.

And a thousand needs to be met, Lord,

that I can't even imagine.

We love your word. It is like five loaves and two fish in the hand of the Savior able to feed expanses of people who are not even in this room.

So Lord, minister now this word in power

for your glory and our joy in Jesus.

I pray. Amen.

Remember the first question I raised last week

was, if we're justified by faith alone apart from works as

this chapter has been teaching why is it faith in particular that God ordains as the means by which we get right with God.

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