Abraham, The Man of Faith

Last time we met we considered the question, “Is it better to keep the law, or is it better to have faith?”

We discovered that if you think it is better to keep the law then you have a tall order to complete

We talked about God’s standard – The fact that His standard is perfection – God is holy, His heaven is holy, and only holy [perfect] people go there

We discovered that faith and law have different roles – The role of the law is like a mirror – It’s designed to reveal who we are – Faith, on the other hand is the vehicle by which we are justified [declared not guilty] before God

So, law is not the vehicle by which we are declared “not guilty” – In fact the law is the exact opposite of this – The law declares us “guilty” before God – That is its role – That is the purpose for which it was created

Paul says in Romans 3:20, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His [God’s] sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin”

So, the role of the law is to bring “knowledge of sin” – It is to make known what is really there – Just like a mirror does

And just like when we look into a mirror and see who we really are, we then know what we need to do

If I have mud on my face, the mirror will show it to be true – If my nose hair has breached its boundary, then the mirror will show it to be true – I don’t argue with the mirror, but instead take action – I take some water and wash my face – Or, I take some clippers and clean up my nose hair

It is the same with the law and with faith – The law shows me what I must do – And what I must do is accept the free gift of salvation by faith – By trusting God

So, now in chapter 4 Paul is going to build on these truths and communicate that this is always the way it was – Salvation was always by faith, it was never by the law – He will tell us that salvation by faith is not a New Testament concept, but the way it always was

Romans 4:1-12

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? ² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” ⁴ Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. ⁵ And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, ⁶ just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 

⁷  “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, 

and whose sins are covered; 

⁸  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” 

⁹ Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. ¹⁰ How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. ¹¹ He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, ¹² and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 

Tonight, I want us to consider an example of this truth

Just like we appreciate examples to help understand something, so it was in those days

Paul, is going to say, “Okay, you want to see an example of this truth – You want to see an example of righteousness by faith, let me show you, let me tell you about Abraham”

First of all, who is Abraham?

Well, Abraham is known to the Jews as “Father Abraham”

Why is this?

Because Abraham was the person God chose to make a nation out of – Every single Jew living today could say that Abraham is their father because the entire Jewish race comes from Abraham

In Genesis 12 God says to Abraham [Abram], “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” Genesis 12:1-2

Now, something you should know about Abraham is that when he was called by God to leave his country and go to the Promised Land he was 75 years old!

I don’t about you, but if I were 75, I would not be expecting to be a new father!

But more than this I would not be expecting my wife who is 65 years old and barren to get pregnant either!

But God tells Abraham, “Go from your country… to the land I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation” Genesis 12:1-2

God is telling old Abraham that he will not only be a father, but that he will be the father of a nation – Wow!

It’s interesting to note here that before this happened Abraham’s name was “Abram” – “Abram” literally means “exalted father” or “high father”

But God changes his name from Abram to Abraham – “Abraham” means “father of a multitude”

Can you imagine Abraham’s response to this, “Uh… you want my name to be father of a multitude……? How about just one?”

Again, let’s not forget he is 75 years old, and his wife is 65

In Genesis 17:4 God says to Abraham [father of a multitude], “⁴ “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.” Genesis 17:4-5

In Genesis 15 God tells Abraham, “’Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be’” Genesis 15:5

So, what happens next?

Although God promises Abraham a son, it does not happen for another 25 years

What does Abraham do this whole time?

Well, the Bible tells us that he is faithful, no matter how unlikely the reality was that he would become a father at age 100, he believes it anyway – He believes it although it makes no sense

Genesis 15:6 says, “And he believed the Lord, and He [God] counted it to him as righteousness”

Abraham is known as the father of faith

Why?

Because he consistently believed what God said

Later, when, God fulfills His promise and Isaac is born, He tests Abraham and tells him to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice to Him

How does Abraham respond? – Does he argue with God? – Does he refuse to carry out His demands? – Nope. He proceeds to do exactly what God tells him to do – He doesn’t even argue

The text tells us that Abraham “rose early” the next “morning, saddled his donkey,” “cut the wood for the burnt offering” and “went to the place of which God told him” Genesis 22:3

Now this is faith! To do what God says even when it makes absolutely no sense

To highlight this great faith we read these words in verse 5, Abraham says to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you”

The “come again” here is written in the plural – Abraham is saying, “We will both return to you”

He doesn’t know how, he just knows that God is good, and would not ask him to do this for no reason.

In other words, he knows that God is for him, and not against him – He chooses to act on the basis of his faith and not his emotions, or his logic – He chooses to trust God even when it makes no sense

Abraham is called the “father of faith” because his faith was tested by God and was proven reliable – This is why Paul says (quoting Genesis) “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” Romans 4:3

Okay, back to Romans

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? ² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:1-3

In other words, Paul is saying, “If you need proof that righteousness is not gained by doing good things but rather by simply believing God, just look at Abraham!”

Abraham was declared righteous not on the basis of his good works, but on the basis of faith

Basically, what God is saying to Abraham here is, “Abraham, because you believe me, I am declaring you not guilty, you are righteous in my sight, you are justified!”

Again, to be justified simply means “to be declared not guilty” and to be made righteous basically means the same thing – You are made right in the eyes of God, because you have been justified

Well he goes on, ⁴ “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. ⁵ And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” Romans 4:4-5

In other words, “Those that do good works earn something – They are owed something, its their due, they’ve earned it, but the Bible teaches that salvation cannot be earned – It teaches that salvation is a gift – And gifts cannot be earned, they can only be received”

When we go to work, and do what we have to do for two weeks, at the end of that two weeks we all expect to be paid – We expect it because we’ve earned it – It’s our due

Our employer has to pay what he agreed to pay – If he doesn’t, he would be a thief

But the Bible teaches that God does not owe anyone anything – Anything He gives is based solely on his grace, it can’t be earned – “Grace” is God’s unearned favor

Hypothetically speaking, if we could make it to heaven based on our good works, we could say to God, “God, you have to let me into heaven, you owe me!” – We can demand salvation

God forbid!

Who is God in this example? Is it Him, or is it us? – We don’t get to tell God anything – He is the Creator, we are the created – He is the infinite, all knowing God, we are just people

So, salvation was, and will always be a free gift that is given by God to those that believe in Him – Those that have faith

To highlight this further, Paul goes on to talk about circumcision

⁹ Is this blessing [righteousness] then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. ¹⁰ How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? Romans 4:9-10

You see, the Jews believed that along with doing good works, you had to be circumcised if you hoped to get into heaven – Or another way to put it would be, “You have to keep the law, and the law says you have to be circumcised”

Well, Paul responds to this and says, “It was not after, but before he was circumcised. ¹¹ He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised” Romans 4:10-11

In other words, “Abraham was declared righteous before he was circumcised – The circumcision he received was only a sign of the righteousness that God gave him”

You remember what God said when He called Abraham? – In Genesis 17:4 God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations” Genesis 17:4

In calling Abraham, and declaring him righteous, God is also making a “covenant” with him – A “covenant” simply means to make an agreement with someone – God is making, and committing to an agreement with Abraham

Basically, it is God saying to Abraham, “Because you believe me, I am declaring you righteous, and because you are righteous, I am going to make an agreement with you, and this agreement will go forward to every single human being who has your kind of faith”

God is making a covenant with Abraham, based on his faith – And the sign of the covenant will be circumcision

But circumcision has no power in and of itself – It’s just a sign

It’s kind of like baptism – We know that baptism doesn’t save us – But is just a sign that points to the inward reality of our faith – It’s to show the world that “I believe in Jesus, and I am going to live the rest of my life for Him”

Okay, what is the purpose of all this?

Verse 11, “The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well” Romans 4:11

In other words, “The purpose was to show everyone that saving faith is not found in rituals, or doing good works, but by believing God, how Abraham believed God” – It’s an open invitation to all people to have faith in God and receive salvation, just like Abraham did

But this invitation is not only to the uncircumcised but to the circumcised as well – Not only to the Gentiles, but the Jews as well – It’s to everyone

Verse 12 says, “¹² and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.” Romans 4:12

You see, Paul is saying that Abraham, the father of Judaism was not declared righteous because of what he did, but what he believed

What Paul is saying is, Old Testament faith was never built on the basis of good works, but was always built on faith – And Abraham (the founder) is the perfect example of this

You see, the Abrahamic Covenant was the precursor to the New Covenant

The New Covenant is what we live under today

The New Covenant is what Jesus has ushered in

And the New Covenant is built on the same foundation as the Abrahamic Covenant – That is faith, or belief

We find this everywhere in the New Testament

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life. John 3:36

²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. John 5:24

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:40

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? John 11:25-26

I can go on and on – I only quoted from the Gospel of John, but you could find these kinds of references throughout the entire Bible

You see, the Bible teaches that the only way to God is by believing in what Jesus did – It never was, and never will be by doing good works

According to the Bible, the only way to please God is to live a life of faith – Hebrews tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” and that “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” Hebrews 11:1, 6

And this is what Paul is telling us as well

So, my hope and prayer is that we live this way – That we wouldn’t be people who try and make it by our own merits – But people who rely solely on the grace that is offered us in the person of Jesus Christ

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Written on the Heart

In Romans chapter 1 the Apostle Paul begins his letter to the Romans reminding them of the condition of the world – The condition of all people

He reminds them that the world is broken – He reminds them that they too are broken – All of humanity is broken

He tells them that although everyone knows that God exists and know that they ought to worship Him – They do not

The creation is self-evident and points to a Creator, but humanity’s natural inclination is to ignore this evidence

Paul tells us that we do this by “suppressing the truth” that is plain to us (Rom. 1:18)

In chapter 2 Paul tells us that not only are the Gentiles guilty before God because of their suppression of truth, but the Jews are guilty as well

The Gentiles are guilty because they suppress the truth that is found in creation, the Jews are guilty because they suppress the truth that is found in the Law

The Jews are guilty because they know what God expects of them (because they have the Law) but they do not do it – Instead they judge the Gentiles and do the same things they do – They are Hypocrites

So, Paul tells us that the Gentiles are guilty because of their suppression of General Revelation (i.e. the creation and the conscience)

And the Jews are guilty because of their suppression of Special Revelation (i.e. the Law and the Scriptures)

Do you see what Paul is doing here?

He is showing his readers that no one is righteous before God

God has “revealed” Himself to all humanity in some way – And instead of responding correctly and adequately, humanity suppresses this revealing – And in the process incurs the judgment of God

So, now we reach the second half of chapter 2, and Paul is going to elaborate on this (specifically he will be addressing the heart and the conscience)

We will be asking the question, “What role does the heart and conscience play in all this?”

Romans 2:12-29

¹² For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³ For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. ¹⁴ For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them ¹⁶ on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. 

¹⁷ But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God ¹⁸ and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; ¹⁹ and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹ you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. ²⁴ For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” 

²⁵ For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. ²⁶ So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? ²⁷ Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. ²⁸ For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. ²⁹ But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. 

What I want us to consider tonight is this:

Is it better to hear and not do, or is it better to do and not hear?

Paul begins this section to continue what he has been saying in regard to the Jews and the Gentiles

He says, ^12 “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law” Romans 2:12

In other words, no matter the who you are, either Jew or Gentile you will be judged on the amount of revelation that you were given – The amount of light that you were given – If you have been given the Law, you will be judged by the Law, but if you have been given the creation and the conscience (and not the Law) you will be judged based on the creation and the conscience

What Paul is doing here is telling us that there is no excuse before God

There will not be a single person, past, present, or future that will be able to say, “I didn’t know”

The ones in the jungle will not be able to say, “I didn’t know”

The Gentiles living in Old Testament times cannot say, “I didn’t know”

The Jews are not able to say, “I didn’t know”

And we today, are not able to say, “I didn’t know”

We may live our whole lives ignorant of the Bible, but not one of us can look up into the sky and not consider what God has done in the heavens – In the creation – In all that we see around us

Remember what Paul says in chapter 1, ^20 “For his (God) invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived (understood), ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” Romans 1:20

Well, Paul goes on in chapter 2, he says, ^13 “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” Romans 2:13

I believe this is the main verse for this section, Paul is referring to the Jews and he’s saying that just because you have the Law it doesn’t mean you are righteous, and just because the Gentiles don’t have the Law it doesn’t mean that they are unrighteous

What matters is if you do what the Law requires

^14 “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.” Romans 2:14

In other words, it’s not the Law-holders that are right in the eyes of God, but the Law-doers that are right in the eyes of God

It’s the difference between someone always reading the Bible, but never doing what the Bible says, and the person who does not read the Bible but does what it says

So, is it better to hear and not do, or is it better to do and not hear?

I think what Paul is emphasizing here is that it is better to do – It is better to do what the Law requires than to know what it says

This is the problem the Pharisees had – They knew the Law – They knew it better then anyone  – But they did not do what the Law required

What did Jesus have to say about them?

In Matthew 23 we read of the seven “woes” directed to the Pharisees

Jesus said, ²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” Matthew 23:23-24

Do you guys know what Jesus is referring to here? “You tithe mint, dill, and cumin, but have neglected the weightier matters of the Law” or “You strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel?”

He’s referring to the fact that the Pharisees had begun to major on the minors, when they should have majored on the majors and minor on the minors

Let me explain, the Law stated that the people were to tithe all of their possessions, this was supposed to be an act of faith – When I (if I was living in those days) harvested my crop I would give the first 10% of it to the Lord – This showed my trust in God for providing for my needs – Since God is the one who has blessed me with the crop, I would acknowledge this, and give 10% of it back to Him

But God doesn’t need anything, so this 10% was designated for the Levites (the Levites were one of the twelve tribes that did not inherit any land, they instead were put in charge of the temple, they were priests, so they had no way of providing for themselves)

You can find this Law in Leviticus 27:30 and Numbers 18:21-24

The Law was intended to supply the Levites with food so that they would not go hungry; it was primarily directed to the “field” – The crops of the field (wheat, barley, etc.)

But the Pharisees went as far as to tithe from the spice gardens

Now this is not bad in and of itself – But it is bad when you neglect the more important things that the Law says to do – In this case provide “justice, mercy, and faithfulness”

You see, what they were doing is “straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel”

A gnat is a bug – Bug’s are small – We don’t like eating bugs! – But according to Jesus they were swallowing a camel (something very big)

They were majoring on the minors and minoring on the majors

Jesus tells them, “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others” Matthew 23:23

Before the seven woes, in the beginning of the chapter Jesus told his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.” Matthew 23:2-3

In other words, do what they tell you,because they know the Law, but don’t live your life like them

It’s better to not know what the Law says and do it, then to know what it says and not do it!

I think this is what Paul is saying here

¹³ For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. ¹⁴ For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them. Romans 2:13-15

What Paul is saying here is that when Gentiles do what the Law says to do (even though they don’t have it), they are doing what God requires of them – They show that the “Law is written on their hearts”

What does Paul mean by this? – Now stay with me, this may get a little heady

Well, when the Bible uses the word “heart” most of the time it doesn’t refer to the organ that sits in our chest – But is talking about something else

It’s the Greek word kardia – Does it sound familiar? This is where we get the English word “cardiology” – The study of the heart – Or the word “cardiologist” – A doctor that specializes on the heart

Anyway, along with “heart” it could also be translated as “inner self” or “inside”

And it refers to three things: 1. The Mind 2. The Will 3. And the Emotions

So, when Paul says, “the Law is written on their hearts” what he is saying is the Law is written on their “inside,” on their “inner self,” – Their mind, their will, and their emotions

If you think about it, these three things comprise who we really are – This is the real us – This is the us without the body

If we were to leave our bodies, we would be conscious, we would be able to make decisions, and we would be able to feel (Mind, Will, and Emotions)

So, what Paul is saying is, the Law is written on the Gentiles true self (inside) – They are able to understand it because the heart thinks – They are able to act, because the heart is able to make choices – And they are able to discern what they are doing, because the heart is able to feel

In other words, the heart is the control center of the whole person

And the conscience helps to make right decisions in the control center – The conscience is what tells us what is right and what is wrong

Paul says that “the Law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness” Romans 2:15

So, what does any of this have to do with anything?

I think that God is telling us that He has given us a very powerful tool to make right decisions – And the one big decision that we must make is concerning His Son Jesus Christ

Will we use our heart to seek after Him?

Will we use our heart to live a godly life?

Will we use our heart to do what God has created us to do?

Or will we suppress the truth?

Will we suppress our conscience?

You see, the Jews thought they were okay with God simply because they were Jews – Because they were the chosen people

And what Paul is doing here is telling them that this is not the case, that it doesn’t matter whether you are a Jew or a Gentile – What matters is that you do what God requires

It doesn’t matter what’s on the outside – It’s what’s on the inside that matters

In verse 28 Paul says, ^28 “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. ²⁹ But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” Romans 2:28-29

You notice the words Paul uses here?

He says, “No one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly (physical), nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart”

We see the inside nature here

The Law of God is written on the heart – It’s written on the inside

I think what this passage is teaching us is that all people must have the Law of God written on their hearts – It is not enough to have the Law or the Bible in our hands – It must be in our hearts

It has to move from our head down to our heart – If it never makes it to the heart it will never change us

So, how do we make it come down to our heart?

Well, first of all, before it can make its way to our heart, it must first make its way into our head

How’s this going to happen?

Well, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out –It happens by reading

It’s not going to get there any other way! – If we love God and we want to know who He is then we should be reading His Word all the time – We should be seeking Him with our whole heart

King David is a good example for us – He knew this – He lived this – What is the name that God gave him? – “A man after my own heart” Acts 13:22

In Psalm 119 (the longest Psalm in the Bible) David says these words

Verse 2: “Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart”

Verse 10: “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments”

Verse 11: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you”

Verse 34: “Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart”

Verse 36: “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain”

Verse 58: “I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise”

Verse 69: “The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts”

Verse 80: “May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame”

Verse 111: “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart”

Verse 112: “I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever”

Verse 145: “With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes”

So, I hope and pray that we would be a people like David – A people that follow after God with their “whole heart”

I hope and pray that we would be a people that have our command center totally focused on Jesus – That our hearts would be inclined to the Lord – That all that we do in this life would bring Him glory!

Link to Translations