And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Romans 4:19-25 (NLT) Have your ever doubted God? We are to use Abraham as example of having faith in God. He never doubted that God would fulfill His promise even though his life was filled by mistakes, sins, and failures as well as with wisdom and goodness. However, he consistently trusted God. His faith was strengthened by the obstacles he faced. His life was an example of faith in action. If Abraham had looked only at his own resources for subduing Canaan and founding a nation, he would have given up in despair. Thankfully, Abraham looked to God, obeyed Him, and waited for God to keep His word. An exchange of attitude takes place when we believe. We give Christ our sins and in return He gives us His righteousness and forgiveness. 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” There is nothing we can do to earn this. It is only through Christ we are able to receive God’s righteousness. Have you ever had a better bargain come your way? Sadly many still choose to pass up this gift to continue enjoying their sin. Elsewhere in the New Testament we find further benefits that Christ’s resurrection brings to us. Here His resurrection specifically obtains our justification – our being declared righteous in God’s sight. By raising Christ from the dead God declared both His approval of Christ’s completed work or redemption and His approval of all who believe and are thereby united with Christ in His resurrection. Our faith frees us to live as never before for the good of others.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 11:45:54 +0000
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