Romans 4:1-12
Wednesday, 24 August 2022
“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3
The epistle to the Romans is written by Apostle Paul as a well-organized and carefully presented statement of Christian faith. Like a skilled lawyer, he establishes the foundation of Christian faith for the strengthening of believers in every age. Some of the basic concepts he puts across in this epistle:
All have sinned (Rom 3: 23);
The penalty of our sin is death (Rom 6: 23);
Jesus Christ died to forgive us our sin (Rom 5: 8);
We are made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 3:21,22);
To receive forgiveness, we must believe and confess that Jesus is Lord (Rom 10: 9-10).
The Jews were proud of themselves to be known as children of Abraham. Paul uses the example of Abraham to demonstrate one who was saved by faith. Was it the merit of his works that prompted God to accept him? The answer is “NO!” because that would leave a room for boasting (Vs.2) Abraham was comfortably well-settled in the land of Ur, from where God asked him to move to an unknown place. He had a choice to make— he had to decide between the security and comfort he enjoyed in his home and the uncertainty of traveling with family to an unknown foreign land under God’s direction.
Abraham’s obedience impacted the history of the world. His decision to follow God resulted in the development of a nation that God chose as His own to which He came to earth as a man. God was pleased in his faith. It was the result of his belief in God which was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15: 6). We never know the lasting impacts of our decisions. Let’s take them wisely in accordance with God’s will, so that God is glorified through us. God always expects from us dependence, trust and faith in Him alone and not on the world.
Abraham’s faith is recorded not to commemorate him but as an example for us to follow. We walk in the steps of Abraham when: i) for our salvation, we believe in our heart that GOD raised Jesus from the dead and gives eternal life to as well through Him (Rom.10:9); ii) we appropriate the promises of GOD for our lives in unwavering faith.
A man who is justified by faith in Christ only will enjoy the peace with God (Romans 5:1). We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Jesus grants us salvation as a gift because He loves us. We cannot receive this on account of our works, but through Faith in believing and trusting in Jesus Christ – trusting His sacrifice on the cross and reaching out to receive His greatest gift, “SALVATION.”
Have you missed out on this greatest gift that you can get in this universe free of cost? –it just placing your trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross to save you and inviting Him into your life. If you haven’t, now is the time, as you may miss the opportunity if you put it off. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “….Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Heroes of faith like Abraham teach us how to put our faith in God and also hold on to GOD even in the most negative circumstances of life. When tests of faith and the many circumstances to weaken our faith come our way, we can look up to the example of Abraham who was convinced that GOD was faithful to fulfill what He promised. When faith fills the heart, doubts will take wings!
Thought for the Day: The righteous will live by faith…. (Romans 1:17)