Romans 4:20-25 (KJV)

20. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21. And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
23. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24. But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25. Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Suppose you were sitting across the table from a coworker drinking a cup of coffee and you wanted to begin a conversation with him about he gospel. Where would you begin? C.S. Lewis observed that in centuries past people had no problem understanding that they were sinners, they just wanted answers on how to overcome their sin; but in our modern day there is very little understanding of sin, and Lewis observed that only condemned sinners care anything about a Savior. Do you start with a discussion of sin? Or maybe you have to begin by overcoming the bias your friend has toward Christianity and the church due to his bad experiences with Christians. The gospel is like a foreign language.

In our text, there are five key words that form the foundation of the language of the gospel. Any person who understands these five words will be able to share the good news of Christ to a person in need of a relationship with God.

FAITH (v. 20) -- also to "believe" (v. 24), to be "fully persuaded," (v.21,) "to trust."

The essence of Christianity is faith in God ("to believe on him"). This is opposite of what every single religion in the world teaches, but it is at the heart of a true religion. "Faith is reason at rest in God," C.H. Spurgeon. The soul, by nature, trusts only works! The one thing God requires is faith.

IMPUTE (v. 22) -- means "to credit" or "count in an account."

Just as you keep a record of the things that are precious to you, so the Lord keeps a record of your life. He never misses a detail, He never forgets an action. He never ignores a deed. He is in charge of the books of your life. Perfect righteousness wins his approval, while just one sin earns His condemnation; and the bad news is that one sin occurred before you were even born (Romans 5:17-19) and your sins only add to it.

RIGHTEOUS (v. 22) -- means "right" or "as it should be" or "perfect."

The Bible is clear that "there is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10; Psalm 14:1). However, if you, like Abraham, place your trust in Him, "who raised up Jesus from the dead" then your faith in Him is "imputed for righteousness." God cooks your books!

DELIVERED (v. 25) -- means to "send" or "to give."

Jesus Christ our Lord was  delivered for our offenses (v. 25). God delivered for sinners His Son. Jesus Christ died on Calvary as a gift for the ungodly who will believe on Him. God loved you before you ever loved Him. He delivered His Son to deliver you.

JUSTIFICATION (v. 25) -- means "a declaration of perfect righteousness."

The Bible says that "God justifies the ungodly" (Romans 4:5). God declares ungodly people perfectly righteous -- in Christ, "who was raised for our justification." Understanding these words brings a whole new meaning to Scripture (Philippians 3:4-9). God, who gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins, counts my faith in Him as righteousness, because He considers me perfect in Christ, my Savior and Lord.