Abraham’s Faith in the Promise of God

Transcript

GR 1421
02/28/10
Abraham's Faith in the Promise of God
Romans 4:13-22
Gil Rugh


We're studying the book of Romans together and we're in chapter 4. We're talking about justification by faith. This is the most foundational truth of biblical Christianity, how can an individual be right before God, how can an individual be credited as righteous in the courtroom of God. And what is being unfolded for us is the fact that it has always been by faith, it is only by faith, and salvation is by faith alone. This started in chapter 3, we picked up with verse 21 and this whole subject of God's provision of righteousness. Then in chapter 3 verse 27 he emphasized that we receive God's righteousness credited to us by faith. The point he made at the end of chapter 3 is “there is one God,” verse 30, “since indeed God is one.” There is only one God, there can only be one way of salvation. He's dealing with a problem the Jews had, even Jews that professed faith in Christ. They claimed that in addition to faith in Christ you must also be circumcised, you must also keep the Mosaic Law. Paul is demonstrating that that would nullify faith.

He has shown in verses 1-8 of chapter 4 that Abraham was justified by faith, not by works. The key here in verse 3 is the quote from Genesis 15:6, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Abraham is obviously the foundational figure in Israel's history. In fact, Abraham is mentioned in the New Testament more often than any other Old Testament figure, if you exclude when it says Moses said this and he is quoting something from the Law. So he is a very prominent figure. And what Paul is doing is taking Abraham, the father of the Jews and showing how he was saved. He was justified by faith. So verse 3 goes to Genesis 15:6. That is what is permeating all the way down through the rest of the chapter. Verse 22 will tie it all together and then he'll have some application more broadly. But you'll note verse 22 of chapter 4, “therefore it was credited to him as righteousness.” So what he has declared in verse 3 he has spent almost all of chapter 4 demonstrating so he can wrap it up in verse 22, “therefore it was credited to him as righteousness.” He's demonstrated that point, that Abraham was saved by faith apart from works. That was in the first 8 verses, he showed that that faith was apart from works.

Then he picked up in verses 9-12 to show that Abraham was justified apart from circumcision. Circumcision very important to the Jews, circumcision to the Jews antedated the Mosaic covenant by about 500 years because Abraham and the male members of his family were circumcised in Genesis 17. But Paul's point was Abraham was declared righteous in chapter 15. It's over fifteen years later that Abraham is circumcised. Therefore circumcision cannot be necessary for salvation because, back to chapter 3 verse 30, “God is one and the one God has one way of salvation.” That's the point. You look at Abraham, how was he declared righteous by God? By faith. Was he circumcised? No. Then circumcision cannot be part of salvation. Was it by works? No. Then works can't be part of salvation.

Paul is continuing this theme in verse 13 as we pick up. “For the promise to Abraham.” And you'll note that it begins with the word for. So we're continuing that same line. Verse 12 “was he's the father of circumcision to those who are not only of the circumcision but who will follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.” So what is true of Abraham is true not only for Jews who practice circumcision, but it's true for others, the Gentiles who are not part of the circumcision.

For, verse 13, the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law but through the righteousness of faith. Key statement here. “The promise to Abraham or to his descendants,” the promise given to Abraham and to his descendants that he would be heir of the world. There is the promise. Now there is no passage in the Old Testament that says to Abraham you will be heir of the world. What he is talking about here is the Abrahamic Covenant, and the substance of the Abrahamic Covenant is that Abraham would be heir of the world. Abraham and his descendants would be heir of the world. All the other nations, rulers would bow before Abraham and his descendants. So we're talking about the Abrahamic Covenant.

We're going to go back and spend some time looking at the Abrahamic Covenant as given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Given to Abraham, reiterated to Isaac, reiterated to Jacob. We must understand the Abrahamic Covenant and its provisions. It is important not only for Jews but also for Gentiles. There are provisions in it that are only for Jews, physical descendants of Abraham, but there are provisions in it that include also non-Jews. And our salvation is part of that provision.

If this is new to you jot down three things—land, seed, blessing. Those three things are contained in the Abrahamic Covenant. The promise to Abraham and his descendants of a land; the promise to Abraham of a seed, descendants; the promise to Abraham that there would be blessing for him and for all nations. All the other covenants of scripture are elaborations on aspects of the Abrahamic Covenant. So you follow land, seed and blessing and as we read these passages you'll note some passages will mention all three of these things, other passages will mention one or two. But they are the three key provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Come back to Genesis 12. This is the initial call of Abraham. He was a man who was from Ur of the Chaldeans. He moved to Haran then he comes into the land of Canaan. “Now the Lord said to Abram,” his name is Abram and later God will change his name to Abraham, “Go forth from your country, from your relatives, from your father's house to the land which I will show you.” And note what he's going to do, he's going to go to the land which I will show you. That becomes key. “I will make you a great nation, I will bless you.” Blessings for Abraham and his descendants and that will be expanded. “Make your name great and so you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed”. So here you see Abraham, the covenant God is going to make with Abraham will include blessing, it will include a seed, descendants, and those who come after him. He's going to be a great nation, that means he'll have to have descendants that come from him, he's the father of the nation. And he's going to be directed to the land because God is going to promise to give him that land.

Turn over to chapter 13. Abraham is in the land of Canaan now. Verse 14, “the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward, westward, for all the land that you see.” Here's the land. You'll notice the physical land. Lift up your eyes, your physical eyes; look in all directions, “for all the land that you see I will give it to you and to your descendants.” That word translated descendants is literally the word seed and that means descendants. Remember land, seed, you'll have descendants. I'll give it to your seed, your descendants for a time. No, it says forever. “I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth.” Back here to elaborate on the seed, the descendants. “So that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can be numbered.” The emphasis on the seed and your descendants.

“Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth for I will give it to you.” Not only see it, but you can walk on it. We're talking about a physical land. That's why we call Palestine the Promised Land. Why? God promised it to Abraham and his descendants. So you see the land and the seed particularly stressed in chapter 13.

Look at chapter 15. The chapter begins, “after these things the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision saying, do not fear, Abraham, I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great. Abraham said, what are you going to do for me? I'm childless.” I mean, Abraham has possessions, he has servants. But you know what? He has no one to pass it on to. He said my heir will be Eleazer, my servant. What happened in those times, if a man and a woman never had children then the chief servant in his house became the heir and all that he had passed on to a different family line. Lord, what will you give to me? I have everything I need and I don't have any descendants to pass anything on to. The Lord said to him, verse 4. “The word of the Lord came to him saying, this man will not be your heir but one who will come forth from your own body will be your heir.” You will produce the heir.

“He took him outside and said, now look toward the heavens and count the stars.” Remember earlier he was told if you could count the dust, now He uses the stars. On this clear dark night the multitudes of stars if you could count them. “So shall your descendants be.” There is the seed. That's the great promise we're building on in Romans 4:6. Here is Abraham, no children, a wife who is barren and God said you're going to have so many descendants you won't be able to count them. And Abraham believed God. This becomes key. What did he have? He had the promise of God, he believed what God said and God credited it to him as righteousness. This becomes the foundational passage we're building on in Romans 4, here's how righteousness was credited to Abraham. What did he do? He simply believed what God said. You will be the father of innumerable descendants. In other words, from you, you'll father them and the end result of that line is going to be people more than could be counted. Verse 7, “He said to him, I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans,” note this, “to give you this land to possess it.”: So here again not only promised seed, he's promised land, a specific land. Verse 12, God tells him about the Egyptian bondage and then they'll come out of that bondage with many possessions. Come down to verse 17. What has happened here is to make a covenant, review for you, they would take two animals or birds and split the animals in two. Then lay them down, one on each side with a path in the middle. And the way you finalized the covenant is the two parties to the covenant would walk between those animals. Just like we would maybe go to attorneys, sign the documents, have them notarized and they become official and legal documents. Well in biblical times you would have split those animals, had the path, you both would have walked through it, that is legally binding. So you'll note what happens here in verse 12, “a deep sleep fell upon Abram.” After he cuts the animals and gets them ready, the Lord puts him into a deep sleep. And then in verse 17, “it came about when the sun had set that it was very dark and behold there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed through these pieces.” God represented by the oven and the torch passes through the pieces. You know what He is saying? This covenant is confirmed and I take it fully upon Myself to guarantee its provisions. It is not partially dependent upon God or partially dependent upon Abraham. It is fully dependent upon God, He confirms it, takes it all on Himself. Abraham doesn't have to sign the papers, so to speak, God signs them. Guaranteed.

Note what he says, verse 18, “on that day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham saying, to your descendants.” Here we have that he has seed. “I have given this land.” Here he has land. “From the River of Egypt as far as the great river, the River Euphrates.” And He tells who is living in this land now, the different people. Now note this continued stress on the land. Some people when they get to the New Testament think, well all these promises to the Jews in the Old Testament now, there is not a literal, physical land. How many times does God have to say you are getting this land. This land. You wonder what land it is? It's the land that these people are living on right now. You want to know where it goes from? It goes from the River of Egypt to the River Euphrates. I mean, how many times does He have to say, this is yours. But what if Abraham fails? He didn't sign the covenant, God did. Guarantee that Abraham won't fail. You see the provision of the covenant here and the emphasis in it.

Look over in chapter 17. Time is going by. You know we have promises and sometimes we say, Lord, I'm waiting. Even so come, Lord Jesus. Verse 1,” now when Abram was 99 years old.” What do you think has been going through his mind these years? “God promised me descendants, I wonder if He knows what is happening to me. I'm not getting any younger.” The Lord appeared to him again and said, “I am God Almighty.” That puts it in perspective, doesn't it? “Walk before Me and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you.” Now here we go. “I will multiply you exceedingly.” There's the promise of the seed, descendants. “I will multiply you,” you are going to have descendants. “Abram fell on his face and God talked with him. God said, as for Me, behold My covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations.” Not only THE nation, Israel as it comes to be known, but of a multitude of nations. That is still all part of the seed promise, right? Because to be a father of a multitude of nations you have to have physical descendants. “Your name will no longer be called Abram but your name shall be called Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.” Keep that emphasis on the multitude of nations here because it is going to come up in Romans 4. He'll be the father of a multitude of nations. “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, I will make nations of you and kings will come forth from you.” This is all elaboration on the seed promise. For this to happen Abraham has to have some physical descendants. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant.” Is the Abrahamic Covenant in force today? Well, is everlasting still going on? I take it it is. We complicate our reading of scripture. I wonder is there any future for Israel, I wonder whom the land belongs to, I wonder ............ Well stop wondering. Read it. “I will give to you,” verse 8, “and to your descendants,” your seed, you see the emphasis on the seed, “after you.” “The land,” there is the emphasis on the land, “of your sojourning, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Then He mentions his seed again in verse 9. “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you.” I'm 99, we have a problem here, Lord. This is the promise of God. Abraham may have a problem, God doesn't have a problem. “Throughout their generations.”

Then the sign of circumcision was given. Remember Abraham was declared righteous back in chapter 15. Now he is getting circumcised in chapter 17. Is circumcision necessary to be credited with righteousness before God? No. And we've talked about the implications of that for our day as well.

Come down to verse 16. Sarai's name is changed to Sarah and God says, verse 16, “I will bless her and give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings will come from her.” Does God know He's just multiplying the problem? You not only have this old man, now you have an old man and an old woman and this woman has been barren her whole life. If she couldn't bear any kids when she was 20 or 25, how in the world is she going to do it when she is almost 90? I mean, let's bring a little bit of practicality here. And the end result is there are going to be nations. You see the seed, the seed, the descendants. And God reiterates His promise and reminds them in verse 19 that “Sarah your wife will bear a son, I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” The seed goes on, the promise is an everlasting covenant so it will be passed on to descendants. Verse 21, “My covenant I will establish with Isaac” because the line of the major promise, if you will, as far as Abraham's descendants is for Abraham, Isaac his son, and then Jacob the son of Isaac, and so on.

Go to chapter 21. Remember back in chapter 16 Abraham fathered a son with a servant woman, Hagar. Ishmael was the son. Well now the promised son, Isaac, has been born to Sarah. Now as these two boys are getting older you can see the tension coming and Sarah says Hagar and her son can't live in our household any longer. So they have to go. God says, Abraham, don't worry about it. Listen to your wife, Sarah. Sometimes we men have to be told to listen to our wives. The end of verse 12, “for through Isaac,” your seed,” your descendants shall be named.” Now there will be blessings for Ishmael as a descendants of Abraham, but the line of the promise comes through Isaac. Your seed, more emphasis on the seed.

Chapter 22, and here is the account where God takes Isaac now, the son that Abraham and Sarah waited so long for. Now he is growing up and God says, now you take him out and make him a sacrifice to Me. And you are familiar with the account and Abraham's obedience to God. Pick up the reiteration of the promise in verse 15, “Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven. By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord. You'll note this, by Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord.” That doesn't depend on anybody but Me. Verse 17, “indeed I will greatly bless you, I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, as the sand of the seashore.” We have had them compared to the dust of the earth for number, the stars of the heavens, the sand of the seashore. God making clear that your descendants are going to be huge in numbers. “Your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.” So emphasis on the seed here. Now you'll note, “possess the gate of their enemies.” I mean, they will be sovereign over all who oppose them. Getting here to where you see that he'll be heir of the earth because anybody who opposes him will be defeated by him. They will be sovereign over them. “In your seed all nations of the earth shall be blessed.” Important promise, it will come up in Romans 4. Land, seed, blessing. Here is the blessing. Not only a blessing for Abraham personally, not only a blessing for the nation Israel that will come, but “in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” Now there is blessing that is encompassing all, not just the Jews who comprise “the nation,” but for all the other nations, the non-Jews. There are blessings in the seed of Abraham. So land, seed, blessing.

Come over to chapter 24 and Abraham is sending his servant back to his homeland to get a wife for Isaac. And he tells the servant, verse 7, “the Lord, the God of heaven who took me from my father's house, from the land of my birth, who spoke to me and swore to me saying, to your descendants,” there is the seed, “I will give this land,” there is the land. So Abraham is confident. God swore to me, He took an oath, He guaranteed it. Your descendants will have this land. The land and the seed emphasized here.

Come over to chapter 25. Chapter 25, Abraham dies in verse 7, all the years of Abraham's life that he lived were 175 years. But note the first six verses. After Sarah's death Abraham takes a second wife, Ketura. Had six sons. These sons become the fathers of their own nations. Interestingly enough, we don't have time to look through all them, but verse 3, Sheba and Dedan. And you could look at some of the other nations here as well. When you go to Ezekiel 38 you find those people there, and that coming final collection of nations, conflict in Ezekiel 38-39. So he has other sons and furthermore he not only has these sons by his second wife, Keturah, he has other children by his concubines. Verse 5 tells us, he gave all that he had to Isaac and Isaac is the heir. Now the other children get gifts and then are sent away. Verse 6, “but to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, sent them away to the east.” That's where some of these prior nations become interesting, Saudi Arabia and so on. But you'll note what happens here, Abraham has fathered a multitude of nations. There will be others that come out of the line that break off that aren't part of the line of the Jews. But Abraham fathers a multitude of nations, his descendants. And even Sarah will because the line through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, there will be other nations that come out of that, that break off. But the line will stay for the promise to the nation continues on in the Jews.

Come to chapter 26. Abraham is gone, he has died. We saw that in chapter 25. What happens to the promise? Well pick up with verse 2. Isaac is the subject here. Verse 2, “the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt, stay in the land which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants,” there is the seed, “I will give all these lands.” There is the land. And I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham,’ the covenant I made with Abraham is passed on now to you, you are the descendant that inherits the covenant. “I will multiply your descendants,” your seed, there is the seed. “And will give your descendants all these lands,” now note this here comes the blessing. “And by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” So the land, the seed and the blessing are reiterated to Isaac now to carry on the Abrahamic Covenant.

In chapter 27 you have the son of Isaac who is Jacob, and in the process of deception you have the promise passed on from Isaac to his son, Jacob. We're not interested in the details right now, but the passing on of the promise. This is given to Jacob in verse 28. Isaac says to Jacob, “Now may God give you the dew of heaven, the fatness of the earth”, that's the prosperity here. “An abundance of grain and new wine. May people serve you and nations bow down to you.” Why? Because that's part of the Abrahamic Covenant. We get the idea when we say Abraham will be heir of the earth, because the other nations are going to bow down before him and his descendants. “Be master of our brothers, May your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, blessed be those who bless you.” So the covenant and its promises are passed on from Abraham to Isaac, now from Isaac to Jacob.

Come to chapter 28. Jacob lies down, goes to sleep and has a dream. We call it Jacob's ladder. Verse 12, “He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham, the God of Isaac.” You see here, God is faithful to His promises. The covenant I made with Abraham, the covenant I made with Isaac because the covenant I made with Abraham passes on to Isaac. And I made it with Abraham and his seed. “The land on which you lie, I will give it to you and your seed.” Here we go, the land and the seed. Are we talking about a physical land here? Well it says “the land on which you lie.” Jacob had lain down and gone to sleep. Is this a physical promise? Well, is he lying on the land or is he floating in the air? “The land you lie on I will give to you and your seed.” Land and seed. “Your seed will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, to the east, the north, the south, and in you and your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed.” You'll note, to Abraham land, seed and blessing. When Isaac picks it up in chapter 26 God reiterates the covenant—land, seed and blessing. Now here God picks it up with Jacob and I tell you, land, seed and blessing. The covenant stays intact. Well Abraham is dead, I guess we'll change the provisions of the covenant. No, no, no. There may be some elaboration on the covenant, but there will be no changes in the covenant. Land, seed and blessing. Verse 15, “Behold I am with you, will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I won't leave you until I've done all I've promised.” I mean, land, seed and blessing are promised.

Chapter 32 verse 12, we're almost done in Genesis. God's promise to Jacob. Verse 12, Jacob is reiterating the promise God has made to Jacob. So here is the promise he has received. God said to him, “I will surely prosper you, make your seed as the sand of the sea which is too great to be numbered.” Chapter 35 verse 10, “God said to Jacob, your name is Jacob. You shall no longer be called Jacob but Israel shall be your name. Thus he called him Israel. God also said to him, I am God Almighty, be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will come from you. Kings shall come forth from you. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. And I will give the land to your descendants after you.” You see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then Jacob is going to have the twelve patriarchs that become the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. Is the Abrahamic Covenant in force today? Of course it is. And we get to Revelation 7, who do we read about? The twelve tribes of Israel. What do we read about in Revelation 14? The twelve tribes of Israel. What are we going to find out at the end of Revelation? The ultimate, final realization of the promises and provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant. Nothing has been deleted, nothing has been changed.

So you come back to Romans 4. He would be heir of the world, that's a summary of what is entailed in the Abrahamic Covenant because when all is said and done and that is fulfilled, all the nations of the earth will be subjected to the descendants of Abraham. And in particular the nation Israel will be the key nation on the earth, ruling over the nations, the Jewish Messiah ruling from Jerusalem. So Abraham promised to be heir of the world, that's the Abrahamic Covenant summarized. Now all the details we've read to see what's included in that.

Look a little bit at Romans 4, just to highlight some of these verses, then we'll be picking up some of this in our next study. “For the promise to Abraham and his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law but through the righteousness of faith.” That goes back to the foundational promise, verse 3. “Abraham believed God.” I mean, the seed. How could you fulfill anything else? How can I pass on the land to my descendants if I have no descendants? How can all the nations of the earth be blessed in me when there is nobody after me? Because the promise dead-ended because Sarah and I didn't have any children. So the promise was through the righteousness of faith. So the point to understand here, the Abrahamic Covenant was given and received by Abraham by faith. For if those who were of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified. If you have to keep the Mosaic Law, then faith is canceled out. He could have dealt with this back in verses 4-5, the contrast between works and faith.

Why would the promise be nullified? Maybe Abraham kept the Law. Well verse 15 tells us the Law brings about wrath. So where there is no law there is no violation. He has already made clear, if we read the first three chapters of Romans, that by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. The Law was never given as a way of salvation. So if the promise had been given to Abraham on the basis of his keeping the Law, remember this is what some of the Jewish rabbis taught, even though the Law wouldn't be given to Moses for 500 years, Abraham kept the Law perfectly even before God gave it. Ridiculous. We try to develop a theological position in conflict with the word of God. “Abraham believed God, God credited it to him as righteousness.” What does it mean then, the Law brings about wrath. For where there is no Law there is no violation. Now be careful here, he doesn't say, where there is no Law there is no sin. We get into chapter 5 verse 13 he'll tell us, before the Law there was sin. If you're familiar with the opening chapters of Genesis you know there was sin in the world before the Law because in chapter 6 we have Noah. And the sin of men was so terrible on the earth that God wiped out the human race with a few exceptions. So there was sin in the world before the Law was given. So when he says, the law brings about wrath, we're talking about the Law multiplies and magnifies our guilt. Where there is no law there is no violation. He doesn't say there is no sin. The word here means trespass, transgression. If there is no specific law, you're not breaking a specific law. Doesn't mean you're not a sinner. But the giving of the Mosaic Law with its 613 commandments, as they are usually counted, just magnified the guilt. Because not only now a sinner in rebellion against God, but a sinner rebelling against the specific commands of God. And remember greater light brings greater responsibility. He who knew his master's will and didn't do it is beaten with many stripes. He who didn't know his master's will and didn't do it is beaten with few stripes. There is equity in that sense.

So what the Law came to do was reveal the magnitude of sin and that's why it brought about wrath. Now the Jews were doubly guilty, not only of sin but of overt rebellion against the specific commands of God. But the Law never was a way of salvation. So if the promises given to Abraham depended on his keeping the Law, there would be no promise to be realized. He would have failed. That's why he says in verse 14, “those of the Law are heirs.” If that's what is required, keeping the Law, of what God promised to Abraham, faith is made void. Now it's on the basis of works. Back in verses 4-5 of chapter 4, you've nullified faith, you've made it on the basis of works. Then the promise is nullified, rendered void, inoperative. In effect it is canceled because if it depended on keeping the Law, nobody keeps the Law. He has already proved that in the first three chapters. Therefore it has to be by faith.

Verse 16, “for this reason it is by faith in order that it may be in accordance with grace.” Important connection. I hope you have that underlined or highlighted in your Bible. “It is by faith in order that it may be in accordance with grace.” When you add works to faith, you nullify grace. We'll come up with it later in Romans, if it is by grace there can be no works, if it is by works there is no grace. So it has to be by faith to be by the grace of God. That's why it seems subtle, well just add circumcision to faith. Is that a problem? Yes, because you destroy grace. Now we're back on a works system, and you can't be saved on that basis. It is by faith in order that it be in accordance with grace. Faith is not a work, faith is simply the reliance upon the work that God has done, the promise God has given.

So that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, the Jews, they were the people given the Mosaic Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Now be careful here. Later revelation never nullifies or changes the prior revelation. I mean, God has promised that if I die He will raise my body from the dead and glorify it. I can be sure that promise of God will not be nullified or canceled by a later revelation from God. Now a later revelation may give more insight into that, but it can never change that. So the Abrahamic Covenant and its provisions, there is more clarification and understanding given, but that later revelation doesn't cancel out. People think God is done with Israel because here it says that Abraham is the father of us all. So now there is one people of God, so it's not that they are specific promises to Israel because we're all the descendants of Abraham. Well everyone who believes in the promises of God, and he gets specific on the promises for us at the end of chapter 4, the work of Christ, are descendants of Abraham. He's the first one that is declared. He is not the first one to have faith, remember, but he's the first one of whom it is declared “he believed God and God credited to him as righteousness.” And when we believe we enter into the promises that God gave to Abraham.

Look at this, “he's the father of us all.” “As it is written,” verse 17, “a father of many nations I have made you.” He's showing that there is not only a physical promise there, but there is a spiritual promise associated with that physical promise. Doesn't change the physical promise, but it shows the breadth of what is involved in being the father of many nations, the breadth of what is included when he says that in you all nations of the earth will be blessed—the promise of salvation. For those who have the faith of Abraham receive the blessings of the salvation that God promised to Abraham and his descendants who have like faith. That in no way nullifies the promises given. Israel will some day possess that physical land that God promised them. Later revelation does not change or cancel what God promised, otherwise we'd be sure of nothing.

So, verse 17, it is written he is a father of many nations. So that goes on that everyone who believes, I'm a Gentile, I believe the Word of God concerning His Son. I've become a spiritual descendant of Abraham. Then you replace the Jews. No, that was already included in the covenant, remember? In you all nations of the earth will be blessed. I have entered into the salvation blessings that God has provided. Does that mean Israel is ever going to get the land? Of course they are going to get the land. I hope so, because if God canceled out that provision, maybe He'll decide to cancel out the salvation blessing provision and then where will any of us be. We don't want to play off the Word of God against itself as though God fulfills the promise, in you all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Therefore, He is going to strike out the promise to Israel that they'll inherit the land. You understand the Abrahamic Covenant is a package that God guaranteed Himself and it is in force. So there is nothing new here. There is just a further clarification of it that I understand the breadth of that promise, in you all the nations of the earth will be blessed. The New Covenant is an expansion of that provision, the Palestinian Covenant was an expansion of the land promise, the Davidic Covenant was an expansion of the seed promise. So none of that changed anything, it further elaborated and clarified. But it in no way altered the prior revelation.

Now he had the faith. Remember his point here is on the faith of Abraham. Verse 16, “those who were of the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all.” The context here is those who have faith become spiritual descendants. There are physical descendants of Abraham, but there are those who are of the faith of Abraham.

He had this faith in the presence of Him whom he believed. So who is that? God. “God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” He's not talking about God creating the world out of nothing back in Genesis. The dead in this context, talking about Abraham's body, Sarah's body. These old shriveled up prunes, they are dead as far as ability to produce children. And God gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. He's going to call into existence a whole line of descendants to Abraham, and Abraham and Sarah when you have nothing.

Verse 18, “in hope against hope he believed.” This is what Abraham did. He doesn't go into all the details. We could look at and elaborate and evaluate, but he just gives the overview of Abraham's life. He's a man of faith. And in this promise in hope against hope he believed. I mean, what's the likelihood that a man who is 99 and woman who is 89 who have never produced a child together are going to now produce descendants and they'll end up being like the sand of the seashore and so on. Zero, minus, it’s hope against hope. But Abraham believed. Hope against hope, anticipating God would do what He promised.

“So that he might become a father of many nations according to what had been spoken, so shall your descendants be.” That goes back to the original passage in Genesis 15:6, what he believed God. And God made that promise. So this is the kind of descendants you are going to have. There is not much hope of that, but against hope Abraham had hope because he believed.

Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body now as good as dead, since he was about 100 years old. Remember Genesis 17 told us he was 99 when God came and said, now I'm about ready to do it. And the deadness of Sarah's womb. That goes back to the end of verse 17, “the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence that which does not exist.” What's the dead he's talking about? The deadness of his own body in its ability to produce. He had no more ability to produce a child at this stage than a dead man does. Sarah had no more ability humanly speaking to conceive a child than a dead woman does. But God has the ability to give life to the dead and call into existence that which doesn't exist—children from these two as good as dead people.

Yet with respect to the promise of God he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God. This is what our faith does. When we believe the word of God He is given glory, He is honored as God. I'm believing something that makes no sense. That's hope against hope. I mean, if I die and I'm buried and the worms eat my body, is God going to raise it? I'll be buried in the grave, some worms will eat my body, someone will catch the worms and put it on a hook and get a fish and the fish will eat the worm. Later somebody will catch the fish and eat the fish. How in the world is God going to put that body back together? Let's be practical. Now I have hope against hope. Have you ever seen a resurrected body? Not even one, but I've been to a lot of funerals. Have you ever seen a glorified body? Not even close. But you believe it? Yes. But I don't have blind faith. Be careful here. Abraham did not have blind faith, Abraham had faith in the promise of God.

Be careful here, this is how the health and wealth preachers catch people. Look at the great faith of Abraham and look what happened to him. If you have great faith God will do it to you. Believe God, believe God will prosper you. You have cancer and illness? Believe God will heal you. No, that's faith in my faith. Abraham didn't have faith in his faith, he didn't just believe that God is going to give me a child. He believed the promise that God gave that God would give him a child. That's different. I believe my body will be resurrected and glorified, not because I believe it. I believe it because God said it. My faith is in the promises of God, right? I believe you are saved by grace through faith because God said, believe in Me, My promises regarding salvation and I will credit you with righteousness. I believe it. You have blind faith. No, I have faith in the promises of God.

“So with respect,” verse 20, “to the promise of God he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God. Being fully assured that what God had promised He was able to perform.” I don't have to be able to explain it. How could Abraham at 99 and Sarah at 89 sit down and explain how they could have a child and multitudes of descendants and nations from them and how it all could work out. They couldn't. They didn't have to, they believed the promises of God. That's why Hebrews 11 says that without faith it is impossible to please Him. You have to believe in Him, you have to believe His word.

“Being fully assured that what God had promised He was also able to perform.” Therefore. We're back to the beginning, back where we started in verse 3 of chapter 4, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Abraham believed the promise of God, was fully assured, that's what it means to believe, that what God had promised He was able to do. Doesn't mean that I understood how He was going to do it. I just believe what God promises He will do. I don't have to be able to explain how a body burned to ashes could be raised from the dead, but God said He'll do it. I believe it. You have blind faith. No, I have faith in the promises of God.

“Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.” You see this whole thing is to back how you are credited with righteousness before God. That will be the application that we will pick up next time. It's through faith alone, not faith plus baptism, not faith plus works, not faith plus church membership, not faith plus sacraments, not faith plus (fill in the blank). It's faith, when you believe in the promise of God. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” I believe Jesus Christ the Son of God died to pay the penalty for my sin, was raised from the dead. My confidence and trust is in the promise of God. You have blind faith. No, I have faith in the promise of the God who keeps His word. That's why Abraham is my spiritual father, your spiritual father. And we have our hope in the provision that God has made in the covenant with Abraham for us as well as the physical descendants of Abraham.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your word. Lord, the beautiful simplicity that salvation is by faith in the promises you have given. Lord, what confidence we can have as we simply trust what you have said. You are the God who does not fail, the God who cannot fail, the God who will always do what He has promised. We thank you for our salvation, we thank you for the example of Abraham. And Lord, we are so thankful that you bring righteousness to our account by faith alone. And that is our hope and our confidence. In Christ's name, amen.