Week 10 - Sunday

Abraham, Justified By Grace

For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with grace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (Romans 4:16)

God's standard for righteousness is absolute perfection. But even great men of God, like Abraham and David, had times when they failed miserably. If a person's salvation depended upon their being able to keep the Law, all of God's promises would be nullified by an impossible condition. But God knows what people are like (Rom. 3:10, 23). God knows that they are all sinners. God knows too, that without His grace, no one would ever be saved. The reason why salvation is by faith, is so that it might be in accordance with grace. The word grace means undeserved favor. That means those who receive salvation have done nothing whatsoever to deserve it. It is entirely a gift from God. No religious ceremony (such as circumcision or baptism) can make a person right with God. No one will ever be justified by keeping the Law either because no one is able to keep it perfectly. A person might think (even though they know they haven't kept all of God's Law) that they deserve to be saved because they made a decision to believe in Jesus Christ. However even their believing in Christ was a gift from God. No one believes because they are any better or any smarter than anyone else. People believe because God gave their faith to them (Eph. 2:8). But even if a person's faith was not entirely a gift from God, even if they could take some credit for believing in Christ, their faith still wouldn't have any power to save them. Remember God's standard for righteousness is absolute perfection and because everyone has sinned, no one meets that standard. The penalty for sin is death and eternal separation from God. If God did not forgive a person's sins and give them (as a gift) the perfect righteousness they need to be saved, they would still end up being condemned for their sins. Faith has no power to save. The power of salvation is in the grace of God. Were it not for God's grace, a person's faith would be of no value to them at all.

Another reason salvation is by faith is so that God's promise might be available to everyone. The Jews believed that because they were the descendants of Abraham, they were assured of salvation. They also liked to think that salvation was reserved for them alone. If the Jews had their way, no Gentile would ever be saved. But because salvation is by God's grace, and not by a person's heritage, it is available to everyone who believes. Abraham is not just the father of those who are of the Law (meaning the Jews), Abraham is the father of us all. God called Abraham while he was an idol worshiping pagan living in the city of Ur. Abraham believed God, and God reckoned it to him as righteousness. However at the time that Abraham was justified by God, Abraham was neither a Jew or a Gentile. There was no such thing as Jews or Gentiles yet. It was the future descendants of Abraham who would become known as the Jews. Hundreds of years later, people who were not Jews, would be called Gentiles. Abraham is the spiritual father and role model for every believer. He was an ungodly sinner who believed the promises of God. He did not rely on his own works to save Him, but he put his faith in the promises of God. In this way Abraham is the father of all who have faith in God, whether they are Jew or Gentile.

Readings for today: Psalm 103:10-14; James 1:18; John 6:44; Acts 15:11; Gal. 3:28-29