| Good morning, everyone, Our theme for this month: “Sound doctrine, strong faith” Our Bible verse for today: “For what does the Scripture say” Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.” Romans 4:3 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Amazing faith” In Romans 3:28 Paul wrote, “For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” There Paul uses what is sometimes referred to as “the royal we.” The “royal we” is when the Queen of England speaks of herself in the third person when she says something like “We are very pleased by what we see.” It lends authority and weight to the pronouncement and reminds everyone that the person speaking does indeed have great authority and influence. Paul’s use of the “royal we” is more of an “apostolic we” but it serves the same purpose. It reminds us that he is speaking to us as an Apostle and with the authority of God, and the pronouncement is that God is more impressed with our faith than with our works. Paul knows that example is always more helpful than simple statements of fact, and so now in chapter four he gives us examples of this kind of faith at work in the lives of people we all know and can relate to. He begins with the man Abraham. Abraham was the most influential figure in Judaism, even more so than Moses. As important and influential as Moses was, even Moses looked back to, and up to, Abraham for guidance and inspiration. Abraham was affectionately known as “Father Abraham.” But here’s the thing, he was not just the lineal biological father of the Jews, but also the lineal spiritual father of Christians. Ultimately, the roots of Christianity run all the way back to Abraham. Even Jesus referred to the example of Abraham in some of His teaching. Three of the largest religions in the world all trace their roots to Abraham – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. So, here Paul directs our attention to a lesson that Abraham himself learned and then modeled for the rest of us. Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 that Abraham “believed God” and it was that belief, that faith, that was credited to Him as righteousness. That statement was made in reference to God’s promise to Abraham that God was going to give him a son to be his heir and that ultimately the line of Abraham would grow to be more numerous than the stars in the sky. And although that seemed impossible, Abraham chose to believe the promise of God rather than the apparent impossibility of the circumstances. Paul’s point is that this is the kind of faith God is looking for from us. Despite how impossible our circumstances may seem, God is sovereign over our circumstances. He is all-powerful and He is good, He loves us unconditionally and He has a great plan for our lives. So, are we going to believe God or our circumstances? Abraham chose to believe God. I hope you will too. Abraham’s faith was amazing. I hope yours is too. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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