Abraham Believed God

Today we continue in the book of Romans 4:1-12 where the Apostle continues his message concerning the believer’s justification through faith in Jesus Christ apart from works of the law.

When we think about our daily lives much of what we experience is performance driven. If we do this, we will get this. At our jobs we must meet certain goals to have a good performance review which is connected to wither or not we get a raise.

There is nothing wrong with this when it comes to working for our wages at our jobs because you shouldn’t expect to get a raise if you’re not putting in the effort to meet or exceed those goals set by your employer.

In politics those who do not serve their constituents with integrity, with fear of God, and with justice should not think to be re-elected. This is normal in our fallen state but when it comes to humanities salvation and justification, this we cannot work to achieve.

There is no performance before God that can satisfy the demands of heaven for our sin. To us this is counter-cultural because all we have ever known is performance/works rewards. When it comes to our eternal salvation the issue is we are sinners by nature and by our own choices.

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—” Romans 5:12

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5

As result we need something outside of ourselves to be saved and justified from the wrath of God. Heaven’s price for sin is death. This was a debt we could not work to pay off! We are powerless to pay this debt we owe God for our sin.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

This brings us to Paul’s example of Father Abraham who believed God to explain justification has always been by faith.