JUNE 17 READING…ROMANS 4
How was Abraham righteous before God? Was he just a better man than all the other men around him? Did God compare him to all humanity and said, “Abraham just stands head and shoulders above everyone else”? Paul makes sure we know that Abraham’s righteousness was imputed to him by God, the same way our righteousness is imputed to us. It was not because of Abraham’s good works that he was righteous…it was a result of his faith in God. Abraham believed God. God has called us to the same thing. True biblical faith is based on the fact that not only do we believe in God, but we also believe God. They are not the same thing…every demon in hell believes in God, their problem is they did not believe God. Abraham and his family were the first to be circumcised as a sign of the covenant with God…but the act of circumcision did not make him right with God. In like manner we in the church are baptized…but baptism does not make us right with God. It is by faith in God that we are made righteous. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant…it was not the covenant. Baptism is a picture of our redemption and the new covenant in Christ…it is not our redemption. Abraham was not right with God because he kept the law of God…and we are not right with God because we keep the commandments. Abraham and we are able to keep the commandments because God has made us right with Him. On our own we have no righteousness, neither did Abraham. Without God imputing His righteousness to us, we would remain in our unrighteousness.
Please share your thoughts.
TOMORROW’S READING…ROMANS 5
Comments