We are JUSTIFIED by our ‘FAITH’ in God!
January 5
Bible Reading: Genesis Chapters 13-15
We are JUSTIFIED by our ‘FAITH’ in God!
And behold, the word of the Lord came to
him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from
your own body shall be your heir." Then He brought him outside and said,
"Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number
them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed in the Lord, and He
accounted it to him for righteousness. (Gen 15:4-6)
Abraham is
called the ‘Father of Faith’ as he
exemplifies a person who lived and walked by his faith in God. God had called
Abraham to separate himself from his father’s household and travel to an
unknown land that God promised him (Gen. 12:1-3). Without asking for any
clarifications or explanations, Abraham believed God’s Word and set out to the
unknown trusting that God will take care of him!
When Abraham
became very old, and naturally did not have strength to bear a child through
his aged wife, God showed him the stars and asked him to number them. Then God
gave him a promise that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the
sky. Abraham believed God, and God honored his faith by giving him life and strength
with a son in his old age. "Therefore
from one man (Abraham) and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars
of the sky in multitude--innumerable as the sand which is by the
seashore." (Heb 11:12)
The
statement “Abraham believed God, and it
was accounted to him for righteousness” (v. 6) is mentioned three other times in the Bible.
- In Romans 4:3, 10, it mentions that Abraham believed God when he was not circumcised as the sign of God’s covenant. This is comparable to our salvation experience, where we believe God by faith (Acts 16:31) and confess this faith with our mouth (Romans 10:8-11).
- In James 2:21-23, it mentions that Abraham displayed his faith by being willing to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice in obedience to God. Similarly, we should obey what God tells us by total surrender to His will.
- In Galatians 3:6, 8, it mentions about the great promise given to Abraham that all nations will be blessed through Him (Gen. 12:3b). Similarly, we should be instruments used by God to bless other people through sharing the gospel of salvation with them.
Let us understand
that in our life journey, we “walk by
faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). God sees our “works of faith” as we take Him at His word (1 Thess. 1:3).
Eventually, we are justified by our faith in God alone!
But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them." (Gal 3:11-12)
