Abraham's Hope, Perfected In God

OUR TEXT

Abraham’s Hope in God, Perfected in God

Romans 4: 18, 20-22. [Abraham] (18) Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken [Gen 15], So shall thy seed [offspring] be…. Picking up in vs (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.

TIP OF THE ICEBURG – WHAT IS SEEN TO THE HUMAN EYE

• Abraham & Sarah were childless and beyond the years of bearing children when this promise was made to Abraham in Genesis 15:5… Seed more innumerable than the stars…

• WHY THE DELAY: TO GIVE GOD SPACE TO WORK HIS MIRACULOUS:

o One reason why God delayed in sending Abraham and Sarah a son was to permit all their natural strength to decline and then disappear. It was unthinkable that a man ninety-nine years old could beget a child in the womb of his wife who was eighty- nine years old! (Weirsbe. Romans 4:18).

ROMANS 4 – In a Nutshell Outline

• Salvation–Righteousness Declared (Romans 3:21–5:21)

o Justification explained (Romans 3:21-31)

o Justification illustrated in Abraham (Romans 4)

? He was justified by faith, not works (vv. 1-8)

? He was justified by grace, not law (vv. 9-17)

? He was justified by resurrection power, not human effort (vv. 18-25)

o Justification explained in Adam (Romans 5)

BEFORE WE DIVE INTO OUR TEXT: JUST WHAT IS JUSTIFICATION?

• It is a legal term, used to describe the process of our salvation (the saving of man from the power and effects of sin).

Some OF THE COMPONENTS of justification:

• It is a divine act of God.

• It involves a declaration of innocence (or pardon) from all sin; yet, not sinlessness!

• The result of God’s divine act; and declaration of innocence is what is known to be RIGHTEOUSNESS.

THEREFORE: Justification is GOD’S FORGIVENESS of SIN; and, an IMPUTATION (to credit or ascribe) of Christ’s RIGHTEOUSNESS, into the believers account.

LET’S RETURN TO OUR TEXT

Romans 18a. Who against hope believed in hope… Here we have a picture of something that is AGAINST [para] (meaning beyond/contrary) to hope!.... But, verse 18 moves forward with the idea that even though Abraham’s situation was past hope; Yet, Abraham based his expectation upon hope [an expected promise from God] {Wuest’s Word Studies. Romans 4:18, pg 71).

1) Here is how the TDNT sums up the phrase found in Romans 18a. Who against hope believed in hope…

a) “Hence we have to wait patiently, in hope believing against hope [Romans 4:18], i.e., unable to count on controllable factors and hence thrown back on God.” Ref: Rudolf Karl Bultmann, “??p?? elpi´s [hope],” TDNT 2, 529-35.

See what follows such an expectant hope in 4:18b… that he might become… Friend, a hope in God will always yield the promised result!

NOW LET’S MAKE A PARRALLEL APPLICATION BETWEEN ABRAHAMS

AGAINST Hope (Meaning beyond/contrary) to a hope, a belief of AN EXPECTANT HOPE… THAT IS: one beyond his capabilities and circumstances; and our hope of being saved from our inherited sin nature.

CONSIDER THIS: Is anything impossible with God?

Luke 18:26-27: And they [Jesus’ disciples] that heard it said, Who then can be saved? ²7 And he [Jesus] said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

GOD CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE

Let’s look at one example; Paul is speaking to the early Church of Colossae!

Colossian 2:13, 14: And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh (in an unregenerated state), hath he quickened (made alive) together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (14) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross (making a way to regeneration)

SO HOW DID THESE COLOSSAE BELIEVERS CROSS FROM BEING DEAD IN SIN INTO BEING MADE ALIVE?

THEY EMBRACED ABRAHAM’S MINDSET in Romans 4:18a. Who against hope believed in hope… so in Romans

4:18b. THAT YOU MIGHT BECOME! From a self-hope [impossibility] to a God hope [expectation]!

LET’S LOOK AT ABRAHAMS MIND SET AGAIN WITH THE IDEA OF THE GOSPEL IN MIND

Romans 4: 21-25. And being fully persuaded [to fill completely; or, bring to complete fulness] that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. [Interject the idea of Jesus as propitiation for sin for salvation] (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.