Therefore [it is] of
faith, that [it might be] by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all
the seed; not to that only 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,) before him whom he believed, [even] God,
who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they
were. 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. And being not weak in faith, he considered
not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet
the deadness of Sara's womb: He
staggered not at 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 imputed to him for
righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was
imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on
him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our
offences, and was raised again for our justification. Romans 4:16-25
These
scriptures have spoken to me recently as my husband and I have pressed into our
daughter's healing of a kidney stone and a few bumps and slowdowns in his new
company. Unfavorable circumstances make us stagger in unbelief at the promises
of God, especially when we have our eyes on ourselves and not on Jesus and His
Word. But thankfully, God continues to see us as righteous!
Abraham
is one of my all-time heroes! I can't wait to get an audience with him when we
meet in heaven! As Paul tells us here in the Book of Romans, Abraham stood firm
on the promise that God would give him a son from his body, and yet
his body was as good as dead (impotent) and his wife's womb dead (menopause).
So how in the world was he supposed to have a baby son with these facts staring
him in the face? Answer: by FAITH!
Faith calls those things that be not as though they were! Abraham called himself a father of many nations when he and his wife were naturally far beyond the childbearing years! In today's times, we would be ready to but a couple like that in the insane asylum!
Remember
the account in Genesis 18 of the three visitors who came to visit Abraham and
Sarah before eventually judging the people of Sodom? One was certainly the Lord
in His pre-incarnate form (He ate and communed with Abraham). The Bible doesn't
give much detail, other than that Abraham dwelled in the plain of Mamre (where
there were oak trees) and was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day,
when suddenly the three visitors stood near. I imagine Abraham's tent was near
one of those oak trees, providing shade from the sun and a comfortable place to
ponder and wonder why on earth it was taking so long to have this baby and how
on earth this baby could ever be conceived. Why do I think that? Because
earlier in Chapter 17 when the Lord told him that Sarah would bear a child, he
laughed. And then on this occasion, Sarah laughed!
Wait
a minute! This was the man who Paul described as having staggered not at the
promises of God in unbelief! And yet he and his wife both laughed! Isn't
doubting laughter a stagger? Isn't that unbelief? Answer: God imputed
righteousness to Abraham when he believed the promise years before. Any failure
and setbacks on Abraham's part were not taken into account by God. Under
grace, God only sees His imputed righteousness.
The
same is true of us who are born again in Christ Jesus. On the day we believe
the promise of the Gospel, Jesus's righteousness is imputed to us and God no
longer sees our failures and shortcomings the way we see them. He loves us and
sees us perfect in Christ as His precious children. As we hold fast to His
promises despite our negative circumstances, our faith strengthens as Abraham's
did, and we find ourselves clinging to the hope that Gods promises are sure and
that He will (and is able) to bring them to pass. In Genesis 17, you will see
that Abraham rose up from his doubting laughter and fulfilled the covenant of
circumcision, which most definitely was an act of faith! If he had not believed
God's promise of having a child, he most certainly would not have done such a
thing! And yet, time went on and there was no baby.
Think of how long Abraham
and Sarah had to wait for Isaac! Think of how long Joseph waited to see his
dream manifested, Joshua and Caleb to enter the Promised Land, for David to
become King of Israel! How about for Jesus to begin His ministry at the age of
30? The list goes on and on of our Savior, the prophets, and patriarchs who had
to patiently wait in faith for the manifestation of God's promises! Read
Hebrews 11 for further explanation from Paul.
Abraham's faith is the foundation of all faith in the promises of God which are in Christ. Abraham wasn't perfect in his actions, and yet the Father continued to see him as righteous! Therefore, don't condemn yourself if you slip up and stagger in unbelief or even laugh like Abraham and Sarah did - the Father doesn't see it! Like Abraham, He considers you righteous in Christ! Therefore, rise up from your doubt and unbelief and stand firm in your faith that God's promises to you are Yes and Amen!!
