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Abraham Justified by His Faith
Abraham Justified by His Faith
Paul uses Abraham to show that one can be justified by his faith apart from the Law. First, it must be observed that whatever Abraham did is was 'apart from the Law' for he lived long before Moses (who was his descendant) and thus long before the giving of the Law. In Romans 4:3 Paul quotes from Genesis 15:6: "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." However, we 'meet' Abraham long before this event in Genesis.
- 12.4 – God commanded 'go' - so he went.
- 12.7 – he built an altar.
- 12.8 – he built and altar and called upon the name of the LORD.
- 13.4 – again called upon the name.
- 13:18 – he built an another altar to the LORD.
- 14.19 – Melchizedek blessed him saying: "blessed be Abram by God Most High…".
- 14.22 – he lifted his hands (prayed/vowed) to the LORD….
- 15.1 – God said: "I am your shield; your reward shall be very great…"
By the time we read Genesis 15:6, we have seen Abraham serving, obeying, worshiping, and trusting God for many years. Abraham's faith was not a moment of believing a fact, but a life lived by trusting God. Hence Paul had said "the righteous shall LIVE by faith" (Rom. 1:17).
Paul ends the chapter saying: "But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. 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 4:23–25). Hugh DeLong
