Romans 4 - Abraham, The Father of Faith!
Abraham Justified by Faith
4 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 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: 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.”
We often call Abraham, “The Father of Faith”. Abraham came to faith at age 75, when God called him to a distant land. He left his family and home to follow God by faith.
Why else would Abraham be called the "Father of Faith?"
Abraham exhibited great faith when at an old age when he believed in God's promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. The only problem was he already 75, and God would not fulfill this promise for another 25 years. That’s faith. Most notably Abraham exhibited faith when God asked him to sacrifice his only son, Issac. You can see why he is called the. “The Father of Faith!"
In the last two chapters Paul has been writing about the fact that we are, "Justified by faith in Jesus not based upon the works of the law." Though we have no righteousness of our own (read yesterday's blog), we have been credited righteousness through faith. While we might think this is a New Testament concept it started with Abraham and is also spoken of by King David.
Paul is quoting from Genesis 15:6,
"Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
And he is quoting David in Psalm 32:1-2 when he says,
“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.”
King David of the Old Testament knew what it was like to be a guilty sinner. He knew the seriousness of sin and how good it is to be truly forgiven. He knew the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. If David were judged on works alone, the righteous God must condemn him; nevertheless he knew by experience that blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven. - Guzik
Another definition of faith is, "Trusting in God's promises". Abraham and David trusted in God's promises for their lives and looked forward to the day Jesus would be a fulfillment of God's promises. This is why we are going to see Abraham and David in heaven. They were justified by faith in God's promises, which were fulfilled in the New Testament by Jesus Christ.
Although faith in Jesus is a gift given to us by God, we come to believe in that gift as we put faith into practice like Abraham? Where is God calling you to put your faith into action?
As the writer of Hebrews says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God!"
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of faith. We thank you for the gift of our Father Abraham, whose faith became a model for our own. Help us to step out in faith like Abraham did, even if we do not know where this might lead us. Help us to be patient like Abraham was to see Your promises come true! We know that as we exercise faith it pleases you, because it shows you that we trust in you with our life's most important decisions. We thank you that you are a God who ALWAYS keeps us his promises! Amen.
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