START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Romans 4:13-25
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OBSERVE:
Here Paul addresses the vital doctrine of justification by faith. He points out that this doctrine is not a new one — that it is rooted and grounded in the story of the great Patriarch of the Hebrews, Abraham himself.
Paul dismisses the notion that obedience to the law brings righteousness or true relationship with God. He will elsewhere clarify the role of the law as the source of conviction that drives sinners to Christ, but here he simply states that the law is insufficient to fulfill the promises of God. Faith is the means that God has ordained to satisfy the requirements of righteousness.
Paul points out that because faith is the means by which we inherit the promises of God, then it is those who are believers who are truly Abraham’s descendants and heirs of the promises of God in Genesis 17:5. He calls Abraham:
the father of us all. As it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations.”
In other words, not only the Jews but also Gentiles may be included as children of Abraham because of their faith, not because of the Law.
Paul points out that Abraham’s faith was lived out against improbable odds — that he and Sarah would be parents despite their advanced years.
The central words here are these:
Therefore it also was “credited to him for righteousness.”
Righteousness, or justification, was given to him as a gift not because of his works, or because of the Law (which hadn’t been given yet!), but because of his faith. Salvation was truly by grace. A gift of God.
Then Paul makes the connection to his Christian readers:
Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone, but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead.
The method by which the Christian receives the promises of God is the same that enabled Abraham to receive God’s promises — faith.
And finally, Paul illustrates the saving work of Jesus in one elegant sentence. It was Jesus:
who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is the central plan of salvation that makes our forgiveness and new life possible.
APPLY:
If we ever wonder about the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets, and how they fit into the plan of salvation, the answer is provided here in Romans 4. The same criteria that applies to our salvation applies to theirs — we are all saved by faith, not by works of the law.
Abraham becomes our role model for faith. When he was old and as good as dead (Hebrews 11:12), and had yet to see even one of God’s promises fulfilled, he still believed God.
He hadn’t yet come into ownership of the land of Canaan, he had no heirs through Sarah, he didn’t have a multitude of descendants. Yet he believed. And it was credited to him as righteousness.
We do well to remember this example when it looks like everything around us is failing, and we wonder what to make of our circumstances. Abraham believed despite his age; and Jesus conquered death despite the cruelty of the cross!
RESPOND:
There have been so many times in my life that I have embarked on a new path, and I was filled with anxiety — going off to college and then seminary, getting married, taking my first church — and then all the other churches subsequent to that.
This passage is a word of comfort for me every time I embark on a new path with God.
Faith is at the heart of the Christian life. Back in the 1880’s, when the famous evangelist Dwight L. Moody invited testimonies from members of the audience during one of his revivals, a young man stood up. He acknowledged his uncertainties about the future, but then he said:
I am not quite sure-—-but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.
This became the inspiration for a song that was co-written by Daniel Towner and John Sammis. In my opinion, the hymn captures the essence of following Christ:
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
The answer to my anxieties lies in faith. Trust God’s promises and obey his word.
Lord, I confess I am prone to doubt and fear. But my very salvation depends not on my accomplishments, but on what you have done for me in Christ! Why not trust you for all the rest of your promises? Amen.
PHOTOS:
"Living by Faith" by victoria louise Slade is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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