1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What were his experiences concerning this question of being saved by faith? 2 Was it because of his good deeds that God accepted him? If so, he would have had something to boast about. But from God’s point of view, Abraham had no basis at all for pride. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous.” 4 When people work, their wages are not a gift. Workers earn what they receive. 5 But people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work. 6 King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of an undeserving sinner who is declared to be righteous:
7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord.”
9 Now then, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it for Gentiles, too? Well, what about Abraham? We have been saying he was declared righteous by God because of his faith. 10 But how did his faith help him? Was he declared righteous only after he had been circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? The answer is that God accepted him first, and then he was circumcised later!
11 The circumcision ceremony was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous – even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are made right with God by faith. 12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13 It is clear, then, that God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendents was not based on obedience to God’s law, but on the new relationship with God that comes by faith. 14 So if you claim that God’s promise is for those who obey God’s law and think they are “good enough” in God’s sight, then you are saying that faith is useless. And in that case, the promise is also meaningless. 15 But the law brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
16 So that’s why faith is the key! God’s promise is given to us as a free gift. And we are certain to receive it, whether or not we follow the Jewish customs, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in God who brings the dead back to life and who brings into existence what didn’t exist before.
18 When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed Him. God had also said, “Your descendents will be as numerous as the stars,” even though such a promise seemed utterly impossible! 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred and that Sarah, his wife, had never been able to have children.
20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything He promised. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God declared him to be righteous.
23 Now this wonderful truth – that God declared him to be righteous – wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. 24 It was for us, too, assuring us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.
Jesus’ message to the world was simple: “Have faith”. Every person, with whom He made contact, was tested on their faith. When He healed the sick, it was because of their faith. And in the case of the “rich young ruler” found in Luke 18, faith was again the subject.
Jesus was asked what was required to have everlasting life. He simply said to obey the commandments. The rich young man told Jesus that he had obeyed the commandments since he was a child. “There is still one thing you lack,” Jesus said, “Sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” (Luke 18:22 NLT) When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he was very wealthy.
As Paul had explained earlier, the law was given to show that we are sinners. And the more we try to obey the law, the more obvious it becomes that we are breaking it. God’s plan is to continually draw us closer to Himself. Jesus knew this mans heart, and He knew what was important to the young man. By telling the man to give up all he had, Jesus was showing that this young mans wealth was the god of his life, and that the young man was, in fact, breaking the first of the Ten Commandments – “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. Do not worship any other gods besides me.” (Exodus 20:2-3 NLT) By telling the young man to give up his possessions, Jesus was asking him, “Do you have enough faith to put God first in your life?” There is nothing spiritually wrong with being rich. The problem is when your wealth takes priority over your faith in God. Money is not the root of all evil, “…the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” (1Timothy 6:10)
In Chapter 4, Paul puts to rest, once and for all, the notion that the Jews had something over the Gentiles when it comes to faith in God. He started by making the statement that Abraham was the founder of the Jewish nation, and then followed up by asking his readers a series of questions: What was Abraham’s experience concerning being saved by faith? Was he saved because of his good deeds? Answer – Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous.
Continuing to build, Paul asked if God’s blessing was only for the Jews or was it intended for anyone? Paul answered with more questions: How did Abraham’s faith help him? Was he declared righteous after he was circumcised or before? The answer – God accepted Abraham first, and then he was circumcised as a sign of his faith in God. So, Paul concludes that Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith in God – whether or not they have been circumcised.
In verse 13, Paul surmises that God’s promise to Abraham was for the whole world, through a new relationship with God that comes through faith and not by obeying any religious laws.
The Gentile Christians most likely breathed a collective sigh of relief, when they heard Paul’s words. But, as you can imagine, the orthodox Jewish Christian believers must have gasped at the thought that all of their religiosity was truly meaningless. In verse 14, Paul addressed those orthodox believers directly. In very specific terms, Paul tells them that if they claim that God’s promise is for those who obey God’s law and think they are good enough on their own, their faith is useless. And conversely, that would make God’s promise meaningless.
From their perspective, Jesus was the reason that they spent their entire lives following the Jewish religious laws. All of the sacrifices that they made in fulfilling the law were now justified because Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. In their minds, they were like “Super-Jews”! And now, this Paul guy sends them a letter and tells them that it was never about being a Jew? This is crazy! Then, in verse 15, Paul makes the bold statement that the law brings punishment on those who try to obey it, because the only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break.
Paul was right. It was not about being Jewish, it is all about being Christian. It is about believing in Christ. It is about making Christ first in your life.
Paul said in verse 16, “So that’s why faith is the key! God’s promise is given to us as a free gift. And we are certain to receive it, whether or not we follow Jewish customs, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.”
How can you tell which perspective you embrace? We need to ask ourselves this question: Is my faith based on getting something from God, or giving something to God? We need to be honest with ourselves when we ponder this question. Think of it this way: do you go to church on Sunday to fulfill an obligation and receive God’s blessing, or do you go to pour out your heart in worship of our Lord and Savior? Do you pray before meals because you somehow feel the food might be tainted if you don’t, or are you truly thanking God for providing everything that you need in life? When you pray, is it based on the hope that your wish will be granted, or do you pray as an outward expression of faith that God will provide all things according to His will and timing? God deserves our worship, He deserves our praise, He deserves our trust, and He deserves our faith.
Abraham’s faith never wavered, although his wife Sarah’s did. Abraham’s faith grew stronger in the Lord, and he was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything He promised.
In verse 23-25, Paul summed up the good news by explaining this wonderful truth: when God declared Abraham righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s sake, it was for all of us. We are all called righteous when we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and God raised Him from the dead. Are you “absolutely convinced” that God was able to do that, as Abraham was?
Study Questions
Which faith perspective do you embrace?
Is your walk of faith nothing more than a fire insurance policy? Look inside yourself and determine your perspective. Is your faith about what you get from God, or what you give to God? Are you a Christian because you go to church, or do you go to church because you are a Christian?
Do you have faith like Abraham’s?
It takes a lot of courage to have a solid, unwavering faith like that of Abraham. Abraham’s faith grew stronger in his walk with God. Has yours? Can you say that your faith is stronger now than it was when you first gave your life to Christ? Special faith is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Ask Him for it, and see what He does in your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment