Justified by Faith!
In Today's readings (see below) we read of three men who had great faith and shaped the history of our salvation. First, we see King David in Psalm 69, in what we we call a "lament" psalm. David is calling out to God, as he feels like he is sinking and the water is up to his neck. His throat is parched from calling out to God for help. Those who hate him he can't count, and The Lord seems nowhere to be found. Then as we jump down to the last verses, David says these circumstances will not prevent him from giving praise and thanksgiving to God, for God hears the needy and will not despise his people. His faith is that God has a plan for His people and will honor the promises He has made.
Then we have Abram, later named Abraham, who is called the father of faith. Why? Because when he was 99 years old, God said he would be the father of many nations. There was just one problem, he didn't have a son! Then God makes a covenant with Abraham that he will great bless him and his descendants, and he will give them Canaan as an everlasting possession. In those days the ultimate security and sign of prosperity meant having land. For his part Abraham had to do one thing, circumcise all the males, at eight days old. This would be an outward sign of the covenant between God and Israel. In Genesis 15:6 it says, "Abram believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness."
This is a great segue to the apostle Paul, who is teaching the Roman Christians that he had never visited. In this new church there are both Jews and Gentiles, so Paul will have to address both groups, especially in regard to circumcision. This was also an issue in Galatia, and you can read about in Galatians. But Paul's main concern, which also became the keynote for the 16th century Reformation movement is how are we justified? In other words, how are we made right with God? Paul makes the argument that if we are justified with God by doing works it is an obligation not a gift. Then he uses both David and Abraham as examples who had faith and were credited righteousness by faith. So Paul is speaking to the Jews here who would know this history. But then he says does circumcision save us? No, because Abram was credited righteousness before he was circumcised. (See Gen 15:6). So he goes on to say circumcision is a sign and seal of saving faith not the reason for it. Therefore he concludes Abraham is the father of both the circumcised and the uncircumcised by faith alone not by works.
What can this mean for us today? The first question is how do we substitute works for faith? How do we make being a Christian more about what we do for God, rather than what he has done for us by sending Jesus? Most of us would rather do something rather than receive a gift. We think there is a catch in any free gift. But if faith were not a gift, and salvation by faith, were not the grace of God, then Christ would have died for nothing. If we could justify ourselves, there would be no need for Jesus, and maybe no need for even God. It is easy to fall back to a "works" mentality because it is something we can control. To trust God is to give up control. It is trusting in the One who makes the promise. It wasn't easy for Abraham, David or Paul; but it allowed them to be greatly used by God. Where do you need to have faith? Maybe you have never even trusted God for your salvation? Or maybe there is an area you need to give over control to God, trusting that He has the best plan for you?
Psalm 69
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
5 You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
Psalm 69:30-36
30 I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
35 for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.
Genesis 17:1-13
The Covenant of Circumcision
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram[b]; your name will be Abraham,[c] for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.
Romans 4:1-12
Abraham Justified by Faith
4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[a]
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”[b]
9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Footnotes:
Romans 4:3 Gen. 15:6; also in verse 22
Romans 4:8 Psalm 32:1,2
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Then we have Abram, later named Abraham, who is called the father of faith. Why? Because when he was 99 years old, God said he would be the father of many nations. There was just one problem, he didn't have a son! Then God makes a covenant with Abraham that he will great bless him and his descendants, and he will give them Canaan as an everlasting possession. In those days the ultimate security and sign of prosperity meant having land. For his part Abraham had to do one thing, circumcise all the males, at eight days old. This would be an outward sign of the covenant between God and Israel. In Genesis 15:6 it says, "Abram believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness."
This is a great segue to the apostle Paul, who is teaching the Roman Christians that he had never visited. In this new church there are both Jews and Gentiles, so Paul will have to address both groups, especially in regard to circumcision. This was also an issue in Galatia, and you can read about in Galatians. But Paul's main concern, which also became the keynote for the 16th century Reformation movement is how are we justified? In other words, how are we made right with God? Paul makes the argument that if we are justified with God by doing works it is an obligation not a gift. Then he uses both David and Abraham as examples who had faith and were credited righteousness by faith. So Paul is speaking to the Jews here who would know this history. But then he says does circumcision save us? No, because Abram was credited righteousness before he was circumcised. (See Gen 15:6). So he goes on to say circumcision is a sign and seal of saving faith not the reason for it. Therefore he concludes Abraham is the father of both the circumcised and the uncircumcised by faith alone not by works.
What can this mean for us today? The first question is how do we substitute works for faith? How do we make being a Christian more about what we do for God, rather than what he has done for us by sending Jesus? Most of us would rather do something rather than receive a gift. We think there is a catch in any free gift. But if faith were not a gift, and salvation by faith, were not the grace of God, then Christ would have died for nothing. If we could justify ourselves, there would be no need for Jesus, and maybe no need for even God. It is easy to fall back to a "works" mentality because it is something we can control. To trust God is to give up control. It is trusting in the One who makes the promise. It wasn't easy for Abraham, David or Paul; but it allowed them to be greatly used by God. Where do you need to have faith? Maybe you have never even trusted God for your salvation? Or maybe there is an area you need to give over control to God, trusting that He has the best plan for you?
Psalm 69
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
5 You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
Psalm 69:30-36
30 I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
35 for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.
Genesis 17:1-13
The Covenant of Circumcision
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram[b]; your name will be Abraham,[c] for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.
Romans 4:1-12
Abraham Justified by Faith
4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[a]
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”[b]
9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Footnotes:
Romans 4:3 Gen. 15:6; also in verse 22
Romans 4:8 Psalm 32:1,2
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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