Romans 4:16-25
Abraham set a worthy example for all who seek to live by faith and be saved by faith.
On one occasion when the reformer Martin Luther was having devotions with his family, he chose to read the account of Abraham offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. The full account can be read in Genesis 22.
Luther speculated about how devastated Abraham must’ve been when God commanded him to take Isaac atop a mountain in the Moriah range. How confused he must’ve been because God had previously told him that Isaac, and no other, would be the fulfillment of God’s promises to make a great nation out of Abraham’s descendants.
Think about the conflict in his heart and mind! Worse, Abraham could not discuss it with anyone, for everyone would have done anything to stop him, to spare the boy’s life. Even Isaac himself had no idea what was going on, even as the altar was prepared, he was tied up, and his father laid him upon the wood for the fire.
Despite all that, the text makes it plain that Abraham obeyed God. He got up early the next morning and made all the preparations himself. Once upon the mountain and all was made ready, Abraham raised his hand with the knife in it.
At that moment, an angel of the LORD called out and said, “Don’t lay a hand on the boy! Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son!”
At his point Luther’s wife Katie interrupted the reading, objecting, “I do not believe it. God would not have treated his son like that."
"But Katie,” answered Luther, “he did."
And there you have it. Because God required His Son to sacrifice His life on the cross, our sins are forgiven, our debt paid. By His sacrifice, we can have fullness of life in this world and eternal life in the next. All that becomes ours by means of faith. We need to trust God and have faith in the same way Abraham trusted God, having faith in Him.
1. Abraham’s faith was fixed on God’s promises. (16-21)
Because of Abraham’s faith, God promised he would FATHER MANY NATIONS. (16-17) Paul referred to Abraham to teach about the nature of God’s promises. He wrote that they are a FREE GIFT – they cannot be earned nor are they deserved and they are RECEIVED BY FAITH. God’s gifts have no value for us until we receive them. He offers everyone salvation but only those who receive it by faith obtain it. We are to follow Abraham’s example of faith because he is THE FATHER OF ALL WHO BELIEVE (cf 11-12). We know this because God told Abraham, “YOU ARE THE FATHER OF MANY NATIONS (Genesis 17:5).” MANY NATIONS, not just the nation of Israel.
This is why Hebrews 11:6 says, AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD WITHOUT FAITH. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO COME TO HIM MUST BELIEVE THAT GOD EXISTS AND THAT HE REWARDS THOSE WHO SINCERELY SEEK HIM. There is your definition of faith. Abraham BELIEVED IN THE GOD WHO BRINGS THE DEAD BACK TO LIFE AND WHO CREATES NEW THINGS OUT OF NOTHING. This is a reference to v. 19, where Abraham FIGURED HIS BODY WAS AS GOOD AS DEAD, at least as far as child-bearing was concerned.
Paul also taught about the nature of faith. It is possible for ALL people to have FAITH. Having FAITH is not the same thing as keeping the LAW OF MOSES.
Seemingly contrary to God’s promise, Abraham’s situation denied he would father anyone. (18-19) It is impossible to have innumerable descendants when you don’t have even one! There was NO REASON FOR HOPE. Being 100 years old, Abraham had no physical reason to think he could still father a child. (He was 75 years old and childless when God made him this promise.) His wife Sarah being nearly as old and having never given birth, Abraham had no biological hope she could have a baby.
Years earlier they’d given up hope and had a son through Sarah’s maid servant, Hagar. That son, Ishmael, was not the heir God had chosen. That decision is the origin of the violence in the Middle East today. Genesis tells us the promise of MANY DESCENDANTS went unfulfilled for 25 years.
Despite his circumstances, Abraham’s faith grew stronger. (20-21). Paul praised Abraham, saying his belief in GOD’S PROMISE NEVER WAVERED. This statement needs to be interpreted in context. Paul presented an idealized, summarized view of Abraham to make his point about Abraham being the example we are to follow.
Reading the whole Bible, we also take into account Genesis 17:17, THEN ABRAHAM BOWED TO THE GROUND, BUT HE LAUGHED IN DISBELIEF. “HOW COULD I BECOME A FATHER AT THE AGE OF 100?” HE THOUGHT. “AND HOW CAN SARAH HAVE A BABY WHEN SHE IS 90 YEARS OLD?” The use of the word DISBELIEF describes a cynical laugh. This, and focusing on their ages sounds a bit like “wavering” to me. Paul assumed we’d know that there was nothing superhuman about Abraham, which is good. The faith Abraham had was a faith we can have too, by God’s grace.
More than that, Abraham’s faith became STRONGER. This statement also assures us that Abraham was just as human as we are. As I like to say, the biggest room in every home is “room for improvement.” Paul explained what NEVER WAVERED meant in v. 21 – HE WAS FULLY CONVINCED THAT GOD IS ABLE TO DO WHATEVER HE PROMISES. The result was Abraham brought GLORY TO GOD. May the same be said of us.
2. God counted Abraham as RIGHTEOUS. (22-25)
God declared Abraham to be in right relationship with Him because of his faith. (22) According to v. 20, one result of Abraham’s faith was God’s GLORY. In v. 22, a second result is Abraham being COUNTED AS RIGHTEOUS. Abraham had faith and on the basis of that faith, God declared they were in right relationship with each other.
God’s declaration was good news for Abraham and for all of us too. (23-24) What’s great is that although they had a personal relationship, it was not exclusively personal. Because Abraham is our SPIRITUAL FATHER (11), his righteousness is for our BENEFIT too.
How does Abraham’s righteousness BENEFIT us? It shows us the way we can be counted as righteous too, by having a faith like Abraham’s. That would be a faith that does not waver and grows stronger even though one is already fully convinced.
However, unlike Abraham, the focus of our faith is not a son, but God’s Son. (24-25) Abraham believed God’s promise to give him a son. We believe God has delivered on His promise and has given us His only Son, Jesus Christ. Paul explains the significance of belief in Jesus Christ in these verses.
God the Father is the One who RAISED OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD. In so doing, He utterly defeated death. By faith in Him, we share in his victory. We also will live again. Why did it have to happen this way? Paul answered that question in v. 25: HE WAS HANDED OVER TO DIE BECAUSE OF OUR SINS, AND HE WAS RAISED TO LIFE TO MAKE US RIGHT WITH GOD. Each of us is the reason Jesus gave His life on the cross. Every one of us is guilty of sin and deserving death. The Good News is that Jesus did not stay dead but was RAISED TO LIFE. His resurrection makes us RIGHT WITH GOD. It is possible for us to be saved because we are in right relationship with God.
Abraham set a worthy example for all who seek to live by faith and be saved by faith.
Commenting on this passage, Roger Mohrlang wrote, “And what is true faith? Faith is the ability to trust God to do the seemingly impossible – just as Abraham, almost 100 years old, with an 87-year-old wife who was unable to bear children, was able to trust God to give him a son, as God had promised. As Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” (Mohrlang, p. 85)
Faith is trust that God has brought us along and He will continue to do so until our life ends. Faith centers on God and glorifies Him. Faith does not depend on us understanding or approving of our present circumstance. Faith is assurance that though we don’t know the route through life, we are thoroughly certain of the destination.
The alternative is to take the wheel and trust your own driving. That is a choice so foolish it should not require any further commentary. Surrender control to God. Give up your preferences, politics, pride, and preparations. There is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
RESOURCES:
Luther story was retrieved from https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1997/september/838.html on 13 September 2024.
Roger Mohrlang, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol. 14, Romans, 2007, pp. 75-87.
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