Jim McDonald

In Romans 4:11 Paul showed that circumcision was given to Abraham as a seal of the righteousness of faith he had manifested in his uncircumcision. He would become the father of all believers, whether circumcised or uncircumcised. He had, before both the Law and his circumcision, walked in faith, pleasing God who reckoned unto him righteousness through his faith (Romans 4:11-12). This foundational understanding of faith is crucial, as it underscores God’s grace that transcends cultural and religious boundaries. Thus, the question arises, was Abraham justified by faith, serving as a testament to the belief that righteousness is credited not through adherence to the Law but through trust in God’s promises? This principle has echoed throughout the ages, highlighting that true belonging in the family of God comes from faith, not ethnic or ritual identity.

The greatness of Abraham’s faith is astonishing. Through his faith he had left home and country to go, according to God’s command, into a land God would show him. It was not just to believers (whether Jew or Gentile) that he was to become the father of, he was also promised that he would become literally the “father of nations.” At a time in his life when he had already dwelt many years in Canaan (having gone there the command of God), he reminded God of His promise and that he as yet, had no children. It was at that point that God showed him the heavens lit up by the countless blinking stars, and told him that his own seed would be as numberless as the stars which he could see. That promise literally came true and while the Jewish people are small in number (as men record it), they do not constitute all of Abraham’s seed. The Abrahamic accord made among the different nations of the Middle East show others who descended from Abraham.

On Abraham’s part, God’s promise seemed impossible. But God “who giveth life to the dead and calleth the things that are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17), had promised and Abraham “in hope believed against hope … and without being weakened in faith he considered his own body, now as good as dead (he being about 100 years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Romans 4:18-21). Abraham “in hope believed against hope.” At his age he was past the time of bearing children and Sarah was barren, having never been able to conceive and bear a child. Should such a couple at 100 and 90 years have a son? All “reason” said “no”, but God said “yes” and Abraham believed God. He did not waver in faith nor shrink back in unbelief. And so, Abraham did become “a father of many nations” just as God had promised.

Believers today are tested by something else regarded as “impossible”. God has asked us to believe that one day His Son will return, speak, and all the dead will come to life once more. They who died in a mortal body will be raised in an immortal one, and all those who live when that glorious moment occurs will equally be changed. With a word, Jesus will speak our world out of existence. With believers, while such is impossible (contrary to all rhyme and reason), they believe that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). After all, do not the Holy Scriptures affirm that “He spake, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9)? After all, since God spake the world into existence by a word, why regard it impossible that He should speak it out of existence with a word (John 1:2, 10)?

Such an expectation challenges credibility! Yet that expectation is one every faithful believer holds dear to his heart. Such his God has promised and so, like Abraham “who believed and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness,” it shall be for those who walk in the steps of the faith of “father” Abraham. Through trials and tribulations, believers find strength in this promise, encouraging them to persevere in their faith. Their unwavering trust serves as a testament to the power of belief, reinforcing the notion that a crown for the faithful meaning rewards awaits those who remain steadfast. In this journey of faith, each step taken in devotion brings them closer to the fulfillment of God’s glorious promises.