Devotional talk #2 in a series of five talks on the book of Romans given July 19-23 at the Community Hospital of SDA in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

AudioVerse

Norman McNulty

Abraham’s Saving Faith

It's a blessing to share from the book of Romans this week.

Yesterday we talked about the power of the gospel.

And I've been thinking about that ever since yesterday.

What it means for the righteousness of God to be revealed, and what it means for the just to live by faith.

So that's what we talked about yesterday.

Today we're going to speak about the faith of Abraham.

Before we do that, let's bow our heads for a word of prayer.

Father in heaven, thank you for this day.

Thank you for the opportunity to study from the book of Romans again and please bless us and guide us today.

When we looked at Romans chapter 1, 16 and 17 yesterday, 1 of the key concepts that was mentioned in that verse is that the power of God into salvation, which is the gospel, is for everyone who believes.

And what we are going to look at today is what does it mean to believe?

Because in the book of James it says the devils believe and tremble but that doesn't save them.

So just because you believe that Jesus is God does not necessarily mean that you will be saved.

There's a certain kind of quality to the belief that we have that saves us.

What we know is we need to have that kind of belief to be saved.

Because the gospel is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes, whether you are a Jew or a Greek or a Gentile.

And yet when you go past Romans 1, 16, and 17, the last half of Romans 1 shows how wicked the Gentiles are.

Chapter 2 shows that the Jews who know the law are also wicked, because they break the law.

And then you get to chapter 3, and by the end of the chapter we see that all the world is guilty before God and that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Now when you get to the beginning of Romans chapter 3, we're just going to look at a couple of points and then get on to the faith of Abraham in Romans 4.

When you get to the beginning of Romans chapter 3, we're just going to look at a couple of points and then get on to the faith of Abraham in Romans 4.

When you get to the beginning of Romans chapter 3, the Jews in Rome who are reading this letter from Paul are thinking, wow, I thought we were better off than the Gentiles.

And Paul does give them a message in verse 1.

He says, what advantage then has the Jew, or what profit is there of circumcision?

Much every way chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God." As God's people today, when we read the book of Romans, it becomes very clear that we are no better than the people out in the world if we are not following God.

We can know all the truths of Scripture and yet not have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

And yet, there is an advantage to having the oracles of God committed to us.

There is an advantage to knowing what the Bible says, because the Bible gives us the way of salvation.

And of all people who have a knowledge of Scripture, we have no excuse for not following God.

And so we have all the advantages that God could give to us through the knowledge of Scripture.

Continuing on in verse 3 of Romans 3, Paul says, for what if some did not believe?

Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

Now this is an interesting verse in verse 4.

It says, God forbid, yea, let God be true, that every man a liar, as it is written, that you might be justified in your sayings and might overcome when you are judged." In a nutshell, and We could spend a lot of time on this verse in a nutshell What God says is true And It doesn't matter what man says Man can say well, I think this or I think that but Men are liars men are capable of lying but the Bible says In Hebrew 6 that it's impossible for God to lie.

So if God says something, He is speaking the truth.

Now in the context of the book of Romans, what is it that God is speaking that is true?

If you go on down to the end of Romans chapter 3 and verse 26, here Paul says, "...to declare I say at this time, his righteousness, that he, God, might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Here is what God is saying that is true.

When God says this person is just because they believe in me, he's not telling a lie.

Now in verse 4 of Romans 3 what we see is that there is coming a time when God will be justified in His sayings and He will overcome when He is judged.

Now the word for justified in Romans 3 verse 4 also means vindicated.

So in other words, God is putting his name on the line and will be judged on the basis of him saying this person is a just person living by faith.

So if he says someone is a just person living by faith, that is a true saying.

And God is putting His name on the line in the judgment by saying so.

So in verse 3 of Romans 3, even if some don't believe, that doesn't change the faith of God because God will have people who do believe.

And yet you look at that and you say, okay, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God in and of our own strength.

And yet what we saw yesterday is that the word just means innocent, righteous, or just.

And if you are just, living by faith, You have the experience of justification by faith, which means that God says you are innocent.

Now what we saw yesterday is that Jesus is described as being just several times in the New Testament.

We looked at those passages when Pilate's wife said to Pilate, have nothing to do with this just man, and how Peter and Stephen in their sermons said that you killed the holy and just 1.

The word just, which describes Jesus as innocent, just, or righteous, is used to describe God's people who live by faith in Romans chapter 1.

And then God says, by putting his name on the line, yes, these people are just, living by faith, because they believe.

Now when we get to this point, we have to wonder, how is it possible when we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, that God could say that we are just.

And the answer, or the illustration that Paul uses, comes in Romans chapter 4.

And as we recall from Romans 1, if we believe, we receive the power of God unto salvation.

Notice what Romans chapter 4 verse 3 says, for what saith the scripture?

Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Romans chapter 1 says, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation unto all who believe.

Here in Romans 4 verse 3, it says, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.

So Abraham experienced righteousness by faith.

Now when we look at Romans 4 verse 3, we see Abraham believed God.

Abraham believed God, God says you're righteous.

I believe in God, God says okay you're righteous.

So the question is, what was Abraham believing that allowed God to say that he was righteous?

Do you know where in the Old Testament the story comes from?

And Paul is drawing from this story in Romans chapter 4.

So Genesis chapter 15, if you remember the story, God had promised to Abraham that he and Sarah would have a child.

And in Verse 2, Abraham says to God, Lord, you could just use my servant Eliezer.

He could be the child of promise because Sarah's past childbearing age and I'm past childbearing age.

We can't have children, so why don't you just make Eliezer the heir of the promise.

And in verse 4, notice what God says, Behold, the word of the Lord came unto Abraham, saying, This shall not be thine heir, Eliezer shall not be your heir, But he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir." Now, let's just think about this.

An old man and an old woman who are past childbearing age, And God's telling them, no, it's not going to be ill-easier.

You're going to have your own child from you and Sarah, from your own bowels, from your own flesh.

There is no way that Abraham and Sarah can have a child.

Because Abraham hears this, and he's like, A child for my own flesh and Sarah?

Back to Menu

Abraham’s Saving Faith

Transcript

Description

Sponsor

Recorded

Sound Doctrine