“Abraham Believed God”
“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”
(Gen 15:6; Romans
4:3)
This single verse is the gospel in
a nutshell. In fact, if we can understand this verse, we understand the gospel. In this one verse we see
the essence of what it means to be a Christian. But what does it mean to “believe God”? In Romans 4 Paul presents Abraham
as a case study of real, living, saving faith for us to follow. Today’s
scripture tells us what it means to have saving faith in three ways.
Trusting God’s Character
First, saving faith is to trust God’s character. Abraham trusts God who justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5).
Abraham wasn’t saved by just believing in
God in general. He believed God as Savior in particular. Many people have faith
that God exists. Many believe that God is loving and merciful. Many believe
that the Bible is God’s holy word. In fact, the Bible says that even the demons
believe God and shudder! (James 2:19) But that’s not saving faith.
Saving
faith comes from knowledge – relational, experiential knowledge of God. We
learn to trust the character of a person by getting to know that person. In the
same way, before we know God’s character, we are afraid to trust him. We learn
to trust God by getting to know his character. In Hosea 4:6 the Lord says to
his people, “My people are destroyed because they lack knowledge of me!” So prophet
Hosea cries out to them, “Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD!”
(6:3) Here the word “know” and “knowledge” is from the Hebrew word yada. This same Hebrew word is used in
Genesis 4:1, “Adam yada Eve.” Adam knew Eve. It means that Adam knew Eve in
the most intimate of ways. He knew her sexually. When we know God personally
and intimately, we are able to trust him and his character. Abraham yada God. He knew God intimately. In
fact, he was called a friend of God (James 2:23). So when he intercedes for
Sodom and Lot, he has an intimate conversation with God and pleads with God for
6 times. And God hears his cry. Abraham knew God and did trust God’s character
in times of trouble.
Nowadays Grace is my buddy, my best
friend. She knows me, so she trusts me. She doesn’t know how to swim. She
doesn’t care about how deep a swimming pool is. When she sees me, she just
jumps from the edge of the pool. She does the same thing at home. She jumps
from the stair. She jumps from the chair. She jumps from the table. She jumps
from everywhere. She jumps because she knows that her daddy will catch her. She
knows me, and she trusts me. Yes, we believe God. But the more important
question is: who is this God you believe?
Do you know God and his character intimately? Let us know, Let us press on to
know God!
Trusting God’s Promise
Second, saving faith is to trust God’s promise. Abraham believed “that God
was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4: 21). “Believing God” is not
simply thinking about God, but trusting his word even when feelings and common
sense seem to contradict his promise. God promised to Abraham when he was 99
years old, “Your wife Sarah will have a son about this time next year” (Gen
18:10). But at that time Abraham saw two painful facts. He knew that he could
not beget a child anymore. His body was already as good as dead. He also knew
Sarah could not conceive a child. Her womb was already dead. All the
circumstances said “No, it is impossible.” But his faith did not weaken.
Instead, he looked at what God said, and let that define reality for him. He
did trust God’s promise. And he glorified God by letting God be God, who gives
life to the dead and calls into existence things that don’t yet exist!
God
wants us to trust and act on his promises even when it is hard. When
Abraham was 99 years old, even before Isaac was conceived, God wanted him to
change his name first from Abram to Abraham, father of a multitude. Faith is living as if God’s promises are
true. In Genesis 13 when Abraham and Lot could not occupy the same land
because their herds were to many, Abraham did trust and act on God’s promises
and did the beautiful thing. He said, “Take whatever part of the land you want
and I will take what’s left.” Lot lifted
up his eyes and chose the well-watered Jordan valley where Sodom and
Gomorrah were. Abraham took the less fertile land. But immediately after this
loving act of faith, God said to Abraham, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward
and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will
give it to you and to your descendants forever” (v. 15). Faith is living as if
God’s promises are true. For example, we give sacrificially, although that may appear
economically risky, because of his promise to care for the generous giver
(Malachi 3: 9-10). We tell the truth and take our stand on Christ and his truth
even though it may cost us a friend or favor with particular circle, because we
know it pleases the God who has power to do what he has promised. Faith is
acting and standing on his promises, doing what he is calling us to do today.
By this we give glory to God.
Trusting God Who Gave Jesus
Third and last, saving faith is to trust God who gave Jesus.
In verse 23 Paul says that when God counted Abraham as righteous it wasn’t just
for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too. And then Paul
defines most accurately what it means for
us who live in the 21st century to have saving faith. It is to believe in God who raised Jesus our Lord
from the dead (v. 24), and to trust
God’s promise that Jesus was handed over to die for our sins and was raised to
life to make us right with God (v. 25). We believe in God through Jesus. We trust God through Jesus (1 Peter 1:21). The
gospel, good news is Christ himself. Christianity is Christ. Saving faith is to
trust God who gave Jesus and to follow Jesus. Our one task is to live and to
present Christ Jesus our Lord. And our life becomes simplified - but not just
simplified, but also vitalized.
E. Stanley Jones was a 20th-century
Methodist missionary to India. He was called “Billy Graham of India.” After
eight years of ministry in India he was suffering from nervous exhaustion and
brain fatigue. There were several collapses in India. In the midst of the
strain of the meetings his old trouble kept coming back. His health was
shattered. He was going through one of the darkest hours. While in prayer, a
Voice seemed to say, “Are you yourself ready for this work to which I have
called you?” He replied: “No, Lord, I am done for. I have reached the end of my
rope.” The Voice replied, “If you will turn that over to me and not worry about
it, I will take care of it.” I quickly answered, “Lord, I close the bargain
right here.” In his book Mr. Jones said, “A great peace settled into my heart
and pervaded me. I knew it was done! Life— abundant Life— had taken possession
of me. I was so lifted up that I scarcely touched the road as I quietly walked
home that night. Every inch was holy ground. For days after that I hardly knew
I had a body. I went through the days, working all day and far into the night,
and came down to bedtime wondering why in the world I should ever go to bed at
all, for there was not the slightest trace of tiredness of any kind. I seemed
possessed by Life and Peace and Rest— by
Christ himself!”[1] Since
that time, he found that all the questions in heaven and earth were being
settled at the place of Jesus. Jesus was the one question and answer that
settled all others. Stanley Jones always said, “Christianity must be defined as Christ, not the Old Testament, not
Western civilization, not even the system built around him in the West, but Christ himself and to be a Christian is to
follow him.”[2]
Many people in India came to Stanley and said, “Stanley, what is it? I wish I
had what you have. I wish I had it.” Stanley
said, “It is not it. It is him.” And
he presented Christ to them.
The Bible says, “He who did not
spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with
him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) God promised he will give
his children all things, along with Jesus. Do
you have all things? Do you have life and peace and rest? Most importantly,
do you have Jesus? When we accept
God’s radical, outrageous love revealed in Jesus, we are transformed. We no
longer live to earn God’s favor, so that we may be righteous. Instead, we trust
God who makes the ungodly, you and me, right with him. And we live, we give, we
sacrifice, we commit, we surrender, out of deep love and gratitude toward Jesus
Christ our Lord. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as
righteousness.” Trust God and follow Jesus today. To God be the glory forever.
Amen.
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