Day Four: By Faith Alone

Scripture Reading: Romans 4
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Devotional:
Just because Paul has laid out God’s plan for saving us doesn’t mean that everyone is going to have buy in. He knows some will object to this good news, so he’s going to need some proof.

In Chapter 4, Paul makes a strong case for his position. The basis of his argument is Abraham, the founder of three monotheistic (one God) religions-Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Whether you are reading the writings of the Old Testament Hebrew prophets, the New Testament Christians or the revelations of Muhammad, each religion refers to its founder, Abraham.

If anybody’s works were good enough to satisfy God, Abraham’s were. His works were so numerous that there was enough for everybody else. So if Paul could show that Abraham came into a right relationship with God through faith and not by works, then he can prove his case that the rest of us need to be saved by faith alone.

And what exactly is this faith? The writer of Hebrews summed it up this way: “It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.”

Key Verse(s):
What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ~ Romans 4:3

Questions to ponder:

• What must a person do to have his/her sins completely forgiven?
• How does God’s relationship with Abraham help us to understand His workings in our own lives?
• Paul talks about circumcision in the Old Testament as a sign that Abraham already had faith and God declared him to be righteous or “right with God”. In the New Testament, we have the sign of baptism. Baptism doesn’t save us but it is a sign that we are “right with God”. If you haven’t taken the step toward water baptism, is it possible that the time is now?