Welcome back once again to Daily Bread. Our study of Paul’s letter to the
Romans continues as he explains some things that are very important about
Faith, but first let’s talk about a couple of things that keep people from
taking the path of Faith into Christianity.
Do you know anyone
who thinks it’s just too hard to be a Christian because there are too many
rules? Well, nothing could be further from the TRUTH, as you found out in
the last chapter that having Faith frees you from law.
It’s very simple.
God doesn’t want us to turn somersaults to become a Christian. He doesn’t
want us to work hard or meet a quota or anything like that in order to win
His Love. All we have to do is believe that Jesus, His Son, paid the price
for our sins on the cross and that God raised Him from the dead. Other than
that, He just wants us to tell others this great news, which is called the
Gospel.
Do you know
someone who seems to think that the things they’ve done in the past are too
awful to ever make up for? They feel like they’d have to do sooooo much in
order to ever be found worthy, that they’ve given up hope and surrendered to
the enemy. That doesn’t mean that they go around murdering or stealing or
lying. They can go through life being quite good people, but their lack of
Faith, is just enough for them to be satan’s tool. See, they influence
others into thinking that they can get through life without the Lord just
fine, but I ask you this . . . What happens after that?
Oh, yeah, and
there’s another little thing that keeps so many away too, it’s called
righteousness. Righteousness can be inconvenient to people sometimes. It
gets in the way of their “fun” so that’s enough to convince them that being
a Christian isn’t the path for them. If it’s fun they’re looking for, the
end of the path they’re on, is anything but fun.
What do these
three things have in common? They all require works, which is exactly what
Paul is trying to tell us that we don’t need in order to be saved. Just
Faith. Let’s read more of what Paul has to say about Faith and works. He
uses Abraham as an example for us to show how faith is what really counts.
What can we say that Abraham learned, concerning works?
Because if Abraham was justified by works,
he has something to be proud of,
but not in the presence of God.
But, what does the scripture say?
Abraham
why God chose him.
Now to the person that does works,
his reward is not considered to be of Grace, but of debt.
But to the person that doesn’t do works,
but believes in Him that justifies the ungodly,
his Faith is counted for righteousness.
Look at it this
way. Let’s say you get a special loved one a gift. Now if they pay you for
that gift, it becomes - no longer a gift, and in fact, you’d be quite
offended by the implication that you wanted or needed to be paid back. God
doesn’t want your “payment” for His Grace in the form of works either. That
doesn’t mean He doesn’t want you to do good works. He just doesn’t want you
to think of them in any way as a payment for His Grace or that you do them
so you won’t be obligated in any way, and that’s certainly not what Grace is
all about. Grace is free of debt. Can you see how hurtful it could be to
Him? He just wants your Faith and love. By the way, what we owe Him, we can
never pay back. We owe Him everything.
Even as David also describes the blessedness
of the man of whom God counts righteousness without works,
saying,
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin
(Psalms 32:1,2).
Is this blessedness granted to the Jewish only, or upon
the Gentiles also?
For we say that Faith was counted as righteousness for
Abraham.
How was it counted then? When he was in circumcision, or
in uncircumcision?
Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
And he received the sign of circumcision,
a seal of the righteousness of the Faith which he had,
before he was circumcised,
that he might be the father of all them that believe,
though they be Gentiles,
that righteousness might be counted to them also,
and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the
circumcision only,
but who also walk in the steps of that Faith of our father
Abraham,
which he had before he was circumcised.
The promise, that he should be the heir of the world,
was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law,
but through the righteousness of Faith.
Because if they which are of the law were made the heirs,
Faith is made void, and the promise is made of none
effect,
because the law works wrath, because where no law is,
there is no sin.
So, it is of Faith, that it might be by Grace,
to the end (concluding that) the promise might be
guaranteed to all the seed,
not to only that which is of the law,
but to that also which is of the Faith of Abraham, who is
the father of us all,
(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many
nations, Genesis 17:5)
before Him whom he believed, even God,
who gives back life to the dead,
and calls those things which be not as though they were
(and makes things happen that seem impossible).
Who against hope believed in hope,
that he might become the father of many nations,
according to that which was spoken,
So shall thy seed be (Genesis 15:5).
And being strong in Faith, he considered not his own body
now dead,
when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the
deadness of Sarah's womb, he didn’t doubt the promise of God through
unbelief,
but was strong in Faith, giving glory to God,
and being fully persuaded that, what He had promised,
He was able also to perform.
And therefore it was counted to him for righteousness.
Now it wasn’t written for his sake alone, that it was
counted to him,
but for us also, to whom it shall be counted,
if we believe in Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from
the dead,
who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again
for our justification.
Because of
his Faith, Abraham is the father of the faithful, no matter what
nationality. And the promise of eternal life and God’s Grace is given to all
of us who are faithful children.
There’s another
thing that I want to point out to you, because there’s a monster out there
called doubt that can sneak in and play terrible tricks on your Faith, and
that can put distance between you and God that you really don’t want to
happen. If you look back several lines, you’ll see where Paul says that God
calls those things which be not as though they were, which means that God
makes things happen that seem impossible. It was 25 years after God made His
promise to Abraham, that Isaac was born. We have to be strong in Faith like
Abraham. That means being patient, and not giving up hope. When something
seems hopeless, you have to remember Abraham, and how his Faith was counted
for righteousness. We have to leave things in God’s hands, because we can’t
make the impossible happen without Faith. Be patient. Trust in God, and
watch the miracles begin to unfold in your life.
Join us again real
soon as we continue with Paul’s letter to the Romans, right here at Daily
Bread.
