Scripture to Read: Romans 4
God uses Paul, in Romans 4, to help everyone understand that faith is shown throughout the Old Testament through the lives of the saints of old. Abraham is the example that God has Paul use to help everyone see that Abraham’s faith in God is what saved Abraham from the power and penalty of sin. God has Paul quote Genesis 15:6, Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness, in Romans 4:3 to show that Abraham's faith is what made him right before God. Our good works can never put us into a right relationship with God but after placing our faith in God, our works are the evidence (James 2:14–23) that God has saved us and set us free from sin’s power and penalty. Too many immature Christians use excuses for not walking in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ. God had Paul rebuke the believers in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 3:1–3 for being so fleshly and living as immature believers. So, immaturity is nothing new, but all believers must guard against using excuses for not fulfilling the good works God has for all of us to walk in each day (Ephesians 2:10). One other point that God had Paul bring out in Romans 4 was that Abraham was counted as righteous before God before Abraham was circumcised. This was to help the Jews know that Abraham is both the father to the circumcised and the uncircumcised who place their faith in Christ alone for their salvation (Genesis 12:1–3).
Challenge & Application
What must happen for someone to be made right with God?
What is the evidence that someone has surrendered to Christ as Lord, and how do we guard against fleshly living?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!