The Righteousness of God: Abraham's Faith

If justification by faith sounds too radical, too simple, too free, Paul appeals to Abraham. The father of the Jewish people was justified by faith, not works.

And David, Israel's greatest king, understood the same gospel: God credits righteousness apart from works.

Abraham believed God

"What does Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'"

Genesis 15:6 is the foundation. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Credited is an accounting term. Righteousness was reckoned, imputed, counted to Abraham's account. Not earned but credited. Not achieved but given.

Faith, not works, was the ground of his justification.

If Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about. But not before God. No one boasts before God because all stand guilty.

Faith, not works, justifies.

God justifies the ungodly

"However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness."

This is shocking. God justifies the ungodly. Not the godly but the ungodly.

To the one who does not work but trusts, faith is credited as righteousness. Salvation is by trust, not effort.

Works create debt; the employer owes the worker. But salvation is not by merit. It is not wages but gift.

God justifies those who trust Him, not those who work for Him.

David speaks of blessedness

"Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them."

David understood justification by faith. Psalm 32 describes the blessing of forgiveness apart from works.

Forgiveness is a covering of sin, not the absence of sin. God deals with sin by covering it through atonement.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them. Non-imputation of sin: God does not charge sin to the believer's account.

This is the negative side of justification (sin not counted). The positive side is righteousness credited.

Justification includes both: sin not imputed, righteousness imputed.

Before circumcision, not after

"Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!"

Timing is crucial. Abraham was justified in Genesis 15, before he was circumcised in Genesis 17.

Faith preceded the covenant sign. Circumcision confirmed what already existed. It was a sign (pointing to reality) and a seal (authenticating reality), but not the cause of righteousness.

So Abraham is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised. Faith, not circumcision, makes one Abraham's child.

True children of Abraham have his faith, not just his physical descent. Circumcision without faith does not make one Abraham's child.

Faith, not ritual, connects us to Abraham.

The promise comes by faith

"Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham."

The promise was not through law but through faith. The law came 430 years after the promise.

If law-keeping is required, the promise is nullified. Law and promise are incompatible as bases of inheritance. Promise implies grace; law implies works.

The promise comes by faith so that it may be by grace. Grace is the ground; faith is the means.

This guarantees the promise to all who believe, Jew and Gentile. Works would limit the promise; faith opens it to all.

Grace guarantees; works exclude.

Against all hope, Abraham believed

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'"

Abraham's faith was against human hope but grounded in divine promise.

He faced the fact that his body was as good as dead (he was about a hundred years old) and that Sarah's womb was also dead. He did not deny reality.

Yet he did not waver through unbelief. He was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. He was fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.

True faith acknowledges difficulty but trusts God's power.

For us who believe

"The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead."

Abraham's justification by faith is not just historical; it is paradigmatic. His experience establishes the pattern for all believers.

We are justified the same way Abraham was: by faith. The object of faith is different (Jesus, not Isaac), but the principle is the same.

God's power to raise the dead is the ground of our faith. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Christ's death dealt with sin (atonement). His resurrection secured justification (vindication). Both are necessary.

Our justification is grounded in Christ's finished work.

Final exhortation

Romans 4 establishes the pattern: justification has always been by faith, never by works.

Abraham, the father of the faithful, was justified by believing God. David, Israel's greatest king, understood the blessing of sins forgiven apart from works.

Do not trust in your lineage. Do not boast in your circumcision. Do not rely on your religious heritage.

Instead, believe God as Abraham did. Trust in the God who justifies the ungodly. Look to Christ, who was delivered over for our sins and raised for our justification.

Faith in God's promise is counted as righteousness. This is the gospel Abraham believed, and it is the gospel we believe.

Closing prayer

Father, thank You for Abraham's example of faith. Like him, we believe Your promise and trust Your power. We confess that we bring nothing but faith. Credit righteousness to us as You did to him. Thank You for Jesus, who died for our sins and was raised for our justification. In His name, amen.