God Will Impute His Righteousness To Those Who Believe In Him And His Words And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (James 2:23) I Believe - https://youtube/watch?v=9DYrqOUKLtA What a powerful message from the Lord. Without faith it’s impossible to please God. Without the kind of believe that Abraham exercised righteousness will never be imputed unto us. The Bible reminds us that before Abraham acted He believed God. The Strong’s Concordance defines the Greek word for “Believed” as 1. “to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in”. 2. “in a moral or religious reference - to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith.” It was the trust that Abraham had developed in God which propelled Him to leave His Father’s country and to move to a country that God did not show to Him at the time He was required to me. What would have given Abraham such confidence to act? The writer of the lesson this morning is drawing to our attention that God doesn’t expect us to act without giving us a reason to act. You see my friend; Abraham had developed a relationship with the Lord. He spent time in the presence of God. It was during these times of meditation and discussion with the Lord that Abraham developed a strong trust in Him. So when God asked Him to sacrifice Isaac, while it seemed to have gone against the promise God made to Him, Abraham acted knowing that God was in control. Many of us want to have the same strong kind of belief as Abraham. Many of us want to see the Lord working in our lives and on our circumstances in miraculous ways. Are we willing to spend the same about of quality time that Abraham spent at the feet of Jesus? Abraham’s belief did not come overnight. It didn’t happen suddenly. It did not occur without Abraham having daily devotions with the Lord. My friend; unless we are willing to put aside the things of the world, we will never develop the kind of believe that will result in living faith. This morning the Lord is reminding us that if we let go of self, as Abraham did, He can give us the strength to believe the same way that Abraham believed. Then the Lord will be able to impute His righteousness to us and make us justified in His sight. I pray that we will continue to allow the Holy Spirit to help us to develop the kind of believe which will lead to eternal life with God. The apostle James saw that dangers would arise in presenting the subject of justification by faith, and he labored to show that genuine faith can not exist without corresponding works. The experience of Abraham is presented. Seest thou, he says, how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? Thus genuine faith does a genuine work in the believer. Faith and obedience bring a solid, valuable experience. There is a belief that is not a saving faith. The word declares that the devils believe and tremble. The so-called faith that does not work by love and purify the soul will not justify any man. Ye see, says the apostle, how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Abraham believed God. How do we know that he believed? His works testified to the character of his faith, and his faith was accounted to him for righteousness. We need the faith of Abraham in our day, to lighten the darkness that gathers around us, shutting out the sweet sunlight of Gods love, and dwarfing spiritual growth. Our faith should be prolific of good works; for faith without works is dead. Every duty performed, every sacrifice made in the name of Jesus, brings an exceeding great reward. In the very act of duty, God speaks and gives His blessing. (Signs of the Times, May 19, 1898 – Ellen G. White) Genuine faith will be manifested in good works; for good works are the fruits of faith. As God works in the heart, and man surrenders his will to God, and cooperates with God, he works out in the life what God works in by the Holy Spirit, and there is harmony between the purpose of the heart and the practice of the life. Every sin must be renounced as the hateful thing that crucified the Lord of life and glory, and the believer must have a progressive experience by continually doing the works of Christ. It is by continual surrender of the will, by continual obedience, that the blessing of justification is retained. Those who are justified by faith must have a heart to keep the way of the Lord. It is an evidence that a man is not justified by faith when his works do not correspond to his profession. James says, Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was his faith made perfect? (James 2:22). The faith that does not produce good works does not justify the soul. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only (James 2:24). Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness (Romans 4:3). (Selected Messages, bk. 1, pg. 397 – Ellen G. White) In order for man to be justified by faith, faith must reach a point where it will control the affections and impulses of the heart; and it is by obedience that faith itself is made perfect. (Selected Messages, bk. 1, pg. 366 – Ellen G. White)
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 10:38:17 +0000
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