Faith is a very necessary element in order to receive the good things that God has said that we could have. Romans 4, uses Abraham as an example to show us how faith brings the power of God into our lives.
JUSTIFIES THE BELIEVER
Verse 3 says, “...Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” This is a key verse in this section, which makes the point that we are counted righteous by God in the same way that Abraham was.
I have heard preachers misinterpret the book of James to say, “One must do works in order to be saved.” James 2:24 says, “You see how a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” I can tell you this: anytime it looks there might be a contradiction in the Bible, it is just a signal that you need to study it more. Romans is talking about justification in the sight of God, whereas, Romans is talking about justification before your fellow man, and to your own heart. Romans is talking about “in order to be saved,” and James is talking about “because you are saved.” I give you that at no extra charge! I love the simple, straight-forward answer Paul and Silas gave the Philippian jailor, in Acts 16:31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved...” As Jerry Clower used to say, “Ain’t God good?”
REWARDS THE FAITHFUL
Verse 13 says that Abraham and his seed were promised something. They were promised that they would be heir to the world! Man, that’s a good promise! But, they weren’t going to get through the law, they were going to get it by faith.
Galatians 3:29 says, “If you are Christ’s, you are Abraham’s seed.” That means we are included in this great promise that God made to Abraham. To be heir of the world means that we have been given the rights of possession and the authority to rule what we possess. It has always been God’s plan that mankind have dominion over the earth. We see that in Genesis 1:28, but we don’t have to read far, until we see where man messed it all up through his rebellious disobedience. In Luke 4:6, Satan was tempting Jesus in the wilderness, and he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and said, “If you will worship me, I will give You all of these and their glory, because they have been delivered to me.” Who delivered them to Satan? It wasn’t God, it was Adam and Eve. But, the good news is, Jesus got it back. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Then, He said, “Therefore, you go...,” meaning we are now to operate our lives in His authority.
The reward of faith is that the faithful, or those who operate their lives in faith, can receive the promises of God. There are many things that are of concern to us, that we need to stop asking God to give us, and instead, start thanking Him for giving it to us. Anything that God says is ours, is ours!
DISREGARDS THE IMMEDIATE APPEARANCE OF THING
It sure didn’t look like Abraham and Sarah were going to have a baby, but God said they would. Verse 17 says that God calls things that are not as though they were, and through faith, He has given us the right to do the same thing. That’s exactly what Abraham did.
We need to understand that everybody has faith, according to Romans 12:3. We demonstrate that in many ways; for instance, when we come to traffic light that is green for us, we have faith that those cars on the red side of that light are going to stop. It’s not that we don’t have faith, but the problem is, most Christians apply their faith more to what they see, hear, and feel, than they do to what God has said. Some people think they don’t have enough faith, but Jesus that mustard seed sized faith could do mighty things. Where, or in Whom, we place our faith is the all important thing.
Abraham believed God’s promise, and God accounted it to him for righteousness. Jesus said if you can believe, all things are possible to you. Verse 20 says that Abraham didn’t waver at God’s promise, even though all natural evidences made it look impossible. Abraham wasn’t just believing for something that he wanted to happen, he was believing what God had said, and that’s where our faith finds its power. We need to find out what God has said concerning our health, finances, relationships, and everything else, including our eternal well-being.
Look at verse 23-24: “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us...” God says that you are righteous, if you have believed on Him through faith in Christ. You are not an old sinner saved by grace, you used to be an old sinner, but now you are saved by grace! There is a tremendous difference.
God is perfectly within His right to condemn sinners, according to chapters 1-3, but according to chapter 4, and following, He is perfectly within His right to justify every one of them, who turn to Him through faith. Are you in that number?
