Week 10 - Thursday

How Abraham Believed the Gospel

Now not for his sake only was it written, that it was reckoned to him, but for our sake also, (Romans 4:23-24a)

The good news of the gospel is that God came into the world in the person of Jesus Christ and died on the cross to pay the penalty for all mankind's sins. Jesus then rose from the dead, proving He is God. Anyone who believes this and receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be saved. God will forgive their sins and give them eternal life. This the gospel message. It is what you must believe to be saved. Even Abraham was saved by believing the gospel. Although their full meaning was not revealed to Abraham, the words of God that Abraham believed, were about Jesus Christ. (Gal. 3:16).

God promised Abraham that he would have a son. God said that through his son, Abraham would have so many descendants they couldn't even be counted. God was not referring to his natural descendants (the Jews) but to all the future believers in Christ. God also told Abraham that his descendants would become heirs of the world. By this God meant that they would receive eternal life and be heirs of God with Jesus. God also promised that through Abraham the entire world would be blessed. Here God was referring to Jesus, the one future descendant of Abraham, through whom the entire world would be blessed (Matt. 1:1). When he was put to the test, Abraham was willing to take his own son's life because he believed God could raise him from the dead. God did not require Abraham to take his son's life but God was showing what He would later do. God would sacrifice His own Son and then raise Him from the dead. This is how the gospel was preached to Abraham.

The things that are written in the Bible are not just intended for the times in which they were written. They are for our sake also. They are meant to teach spiritual truths to people of all ages. Because Abraham had such great faith in God, there are many things we can learn from him. But the main lesson we should learn from Abraham is that salvation cannot be earned by any kind of human works. No amount of good deeds or religious activities can make a person right with God because no matter how good a person is they are still separated from God by their sins. In order to be forgiven for our sins, God says we must believe in Jesus Christ. God preached the gospel to Abraham. Abraham believed God and God reckoned it to him as righteousness. It's no different for us today. We have had heard the gospel and God will reckon righteousness to us too, if we believe.

Readings for today: Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11; Gal. 3:11; John 8:24; Gal. 3:8-9