Imagine sitting down with one of your friends, and you were talking about heaven, and how one might know whether they would be able to get to heaven when they die. Some people, actually quite a few people, feel that they can gain entrance to heaven by their works, things that they do, and that God would be impressed and grateful, thus granting them entrance. In our Scripture today we will see just when God made His promise to Abraham, whether he merited the promise due to what he did, or what be believed.
As we know, the Bible clearly teaches that God’s promise of eternal life does not come to us by our works, but by our faith, by believing and accepting what the Lord Jesus did for us. In the days of the very early Church, there were a group of some of believers of Jewish background who went around to all the churches that Paul and other of the apostles had started, telling the new Gentile believers that they needed to be circumcised and meticulously follow the Law of Moses in order to truly be saved. This teaching by those who came to be called Judaizers, was contrary to all that God taught through several of the New Testament epistles. Today’s Scripture from Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome is one where the Lord makes clear that it is not through works that we obtain God’s promises, whether works of keeping of the Law of Moses which those early Jewish believers wanted the Gentiles to follow, or works that some in church today want us to keep.
Both Christians and Jewish people consider Abraham as the Father of their Faith. One thing that God’s Word commends Abraham for was that he believed God, and that was accounted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6-9). Abraham was not justified by anything that he did, not by circumcision or by keeping the Law of Moses, two things that the Jews prized so highly (vs. 13-15).
Abraham pleased God through his faith alone, long before the ritual of circumcision was given to him to follow. This was also centuries before the Law was given to Moses. Both in the days of the early Church, and also today, we are saved by faith plus nothing. We are not saved by any rituals we might follow, nor by doing any good deeds. We are saved only through faith in Jesus Christ, trusting Him to forgive our sins. Justification is through faith alone.
God gave the Law to Moses several centuries after the days of Abraham, and not fulfilling all of the Law has a penalty, which is the wrath of God. However, Jesus satisfied the Law, and thereby took away that penalty for all who believe and trust in Him. God will declare all believing sinners to be righteous, even though they are not, by imputing Jesus’ righteousness to them (vs. 17). If only those who keep the whole Law (which no one can fully) receive the promises of God, then faith has no value.
Only those who have the same type of faith that Abraham did, that of trusting in God, and not trusting in any works of their own, are the spiritual heirs of Abraham, whether they are of Jewish or Gentile background. Anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior have become part of His spiritual Body, the Church, and become heirs of the promises of God.
What are you trusting in? What have you put your faith in? If your faith and trust is in the good works you do, or in any religious rituals you are following, then that cancels out what Jesus has done for us (vs. 14). The object of our trust is important. If we are putting our trust for salvation in our works, or in some false, pagan god, we are doomed. If we are placing our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His death on the cross, we will be saved, just like Abraham was. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Believe, don’t work.
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