The Faith of Father Abraham
Justification is the act of God whereby He forgives the unsaved person’s sin and imputes/credits/assigns to them the righteousness of Christ when through faith they believe.
1. Faith Receives God’s Promise
Romans 4:13-15 ESV
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
Galatians 3:29 ESV
And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
Romans 4:15a ESV
For the law brings wrath
Romans 4:15b ESV
…but where there is no law there is no transgression.
Romans 3:20b ESV
…through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Romans 5:20a ESV
Now the law came in to increase the trespass…
Romans 4:16 ESV
That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
Romans 4:17-20 ESV
as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations" —in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
2. Faith Calls Attention to God’s Character
Romans 4:21 ESV
fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Hebrews 12:2a NIV
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity
“Because of God’s purpose. He has appointed this grace to be justifying; and he does it, because faith is a grace that takes a man off himself, and gives all the honor to Christ and free grace.”
Psalms 34:3 ESV
Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
Romans 11:36 NIV
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 4:21 NIV
being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Romans 4:18 ESV
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be."
Romans 4:19 ESV
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.
Romans 4:20a ESV
No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith…
Romans 4:21-22 ESV
fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."
3. Faith Counts Us in on God’s Goodness
Romans 4:23 ESV
But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also.
Romans 4:24-25 ESV
It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Romans 4:24b-25 NLT
…God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
