How Abraham and David were justified by faith and not by the law
According to Romans the fourth chapter, we are saved through faith in Jesus and not by our adherence to the law. This is the same case for Abraham. He believed God and it was credited to him for righteousness (Romans 4:3). At that time, Abraham was not circumcised. Abraham had a covenant with God and was therefore justified before he was circumcised. God promised Abraham a son and although he it had not come to fruition, he still believed. He and Sarah were up in age and it didn’t seem like their promise was going to come to pass. Abraham believed in God’s ability to change circumstances by calling those things that do not exist as though they did exist (Romans 4:17). Abraham had an authentic faith that did not deny that there was an obstacle, but believed that God was greater than the obstacle. There was no pretense where he was concerned. On the other hand, if Abraham was justified by the law, it would have been for what he had done and not his faith. He would have something to boast about (Romans 4:2). Justification would have been according to his flesh. The Jewish people esteemed him highly and put him on a pedestal. They put him close to God and he could do nothing wrong. They believed that he followed the law perfectly and that was the reason for his justification. The entire premise as it relates to Abraham is that because he believed, God imputed righteousness on him. His salvation and eternal forgiveness was because of his faith.
David was also highly esteemed among the Jewish people. But David, in his own selfish behavior had committed some heinous acts such as murder and adultery. He knew that under the law, he himself should have been put to death. If he had been given what he deserved, he would have died and would not have been declared righteous. David had a relationship with God and the guilt of his actions had overtaken him. He was very sorrowful for his actions. Although the sin was against Uriah and Bathsheba, he knew that the offense was against God. All sin is against God regardless if the sin was committed against a person(s). It had been a year since the sin occurred and David cried out to the Lord for mercy. He asked God to forgive him of his sins. Because of his relationship with God, he had faith that God was going to forgive him. He believed on the One that justifies the ungodly and his faith accounted for his righteousness (Romans 4:6). Because David believed God, the sin was not imputed to his account but rather righteous was imputed.