The Faith of Abraham

Stephen Terry

 

Commentary for the November 4, 2017 Sabbath School Lesson

 

“Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.” Romans 4:4-5, NIV

Here, Paul uses the example of the patriarch Abraham to support his assertion that the Law (obedience) saves no one. (v 13) Interestingly, he does not indicate that this is something that was handed down to Abraham from prior generations, but rather was his “discovery.” It appears that his extended family had been following the path that so many others of his day were taking. Idolatry had become a part of their lives. (Joshua 24:2) Yet, Abraham, while in Haran, apparently discovered the true God and developed a faith that became strong enough that when God called him to leave all that behind, he willingly left, taking his immediate family and his nephew and his family with him. God had extended grace to him in showing him a path out of idolatry. Abraham’s faith in that revelation led him to a new life.  He was drawn by faith to something better. That belief in the promise God offered was counted as righteousness. (v 3)

Some might say that it is Abraham’s obedience to the call which saved him. However, faith must be the foundation of all obedience, and it is the faith which saves. For example, Noah built an ark not because he was anticipating God’s will and being obedient to that anticipated will. He first believed God. He had faith in God’s statement that there would be a flood. Then he opened his ears and his heart to the saving guidance that God shared with him. His faith was so strong he enrolled his family to assist in completing all the details necessary for the building of the ark.

Perhaps this is an error that some make today, who stress obedience as the essential element of salvation. They overlook that obedience based on a presumptive understanding of God’s will can at times be in error. Rather than wait in faith for guidance, they rush on feeling they have a complete understanding of what God wants so they are going to do it, even though God has never spoken directly to them to follow the course they are advocating.

This can be especially true when judgment and obedience overshadow compassion and mercy.  For example, in the case of David with Bathsheba, compassion went directly contrary to Law. David had violated the sixth and the seventh commandments to have her sexually and then attempt to hide his failing by murdering her husband. (2 Samuel 11:1-12:23) The Bible calls for the death of those who premeditate murder (Numbers 35:31) and those who commit adultery. (Leviticus 20:10) But neither one was put to death, because compassion overruled judgment. However, this was not because of obedience that they were saved, but rather through faith in the saving grace of God. No matter the error, David continued to have faith in God’s compassion and mercy to save him, in spite of his lapses in obedience. (2 Samuel 24:14)

Belief is what assures our salvation. (v 5) This may be hard to understand for many, for we are raised from childhood to the teaching that good works bring rewards and bad works bring punishment. The idea that our good works can accomplish nothing toward our salvation seems a radical departure from that, even anathema. For the Jews, steeped in the culture of the Decalogue and the priestly ordinances, this was radical theology, and it was all the more so being penned by a theologian who had been brought up in the Pharisaic tradition. (Acts 23:6, Philippians 3:5) But it is faith that allowed righteousness to grow in the heart of King David in spite of his failings, and because of this experience, he could understand the joy and the release that comes when sins are forgiven and trespasses covered. (vs 6-8) Guilt may be one of the heaviest burdens we carry in life, and God’s grace is the remedy for that burden.

Returning to the example of Abraham, Paul points out that his salvation was assured prior to his notable works due to his belief in God. Any works that followed (i.e. circumcision (vs 9- 10)) were not for the purpose of salvation but fruits of the salvation he already possessed through the grace of God, who maintains steadfast love and compassion toward those who believe in Him. Circumcision came after the righteousness had already been counted for Abraham through his faith in the promises of God. (v 11) It was a seal or a sign of what had already been accomplished. It did not accomplish the salvation that Abraham had already grasped by faith. It is also precisely why Abraham could be the father of both the Gentiles and the Jews, because he received the promise of faith while he, like the Gentiles, was still uncircumcised. (vs 11-12) This is perhaps why the “wild branch” of the Gentiles can be spiritually grafted in to Israel. (Romans 11:17)

In circumcision for the Jews and uncircumcision for the Gentiles and many other things as well, those fruits of salvation are varied and many according to our calling. Therefore we should never attempt to judge one's salvation based on the manifestation of certain gifts that may or may not be lacking in our brothers and sisters. Paul will have much more to say on this in chapter 14. For now, it is important to understand that God gives gifts to whom He will, not to demonstrate our righteousness to others, but to demonstrate His love and grace towards us.

Perhaps one of the hardest things for Christians to understand is a God who is willing to extend salvation to someone who has obviously never acted righteously. The thief on the cross may have been such a person, but we assuage our feeling about that by that thief's words acknowledging Jesus. However, what if we had not heard those words and happened to meet up with him in heaven? Would we question the fairness of God that would allow such a person salvation? Paul makes the case that God's blessings may extend to those who are outside the pale of our normal understanding of righteousness. (v 9) While the church is an instrument of God’s grace, it is not the instrument of that grace. The same God, who calls us to faith within the church, also calls to faith those who are outside. Just as He does with the rain, He pours His grace on both the just and the unjust. (Matthew 5:45) Compassion is not compassion if it is only for those who deserve it.

Maybe we should rethink our attitude on this if we question its fairness. If we do not, we may find ourselves facing justice instead of compassion, for we might end up judging God for His fairness. That judgment could then rebound to challenge our own fairness in dealing with our brothers and sisters. (Matthew 7:2) He is a God who gives the same blessing to those who spent a lifetime working for Him as those who hardly did anything at all. (Matthew 20:1-16) Those who worked for so long, striving to perform works of obedience, may find themselves grumbling about God and dissenting from His kingdom when faced with compassion that overrules obedience in favor of faith. Those who have worked hard at obedience may come to expect a reward for that obedience. But reward for work is a wage and salvation is not a wage but a gift. (Romans 6:23) Faith is what saves us. Works may follow after but they are the fruit of our salvation, not its foundation.

Faith is hope and belief in things not yet realized. It is the only evidence possible for the unsubstantiated. (Hebrews 11:1) It can be the only basis for salvation because we cannot produce obedience adequate to be saved. Our obedience falls far short of that mark and is corrupted by judgment, envy, arrogance and intolerance. Our attempts at being righteous amount to little more than a pile of filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) Paul has already pointed out that not one of us is free from this taint of corruption. (Romans 3:10, 23) Therefore, the Law, which is held up as the standard of righteousness, produces only condemnation for us, and as a result of condemnation, wrath. (vs 13-15) How necessary then to understand the faith which saves us, and the compassion of God which makes it possible.

When we understand the role of Abraham in faith based belief, perhaps we can put law and grace into proper perspective. Paul points out that Abraham was told by God he would be the father of many nations. (vs 16-17) But the "child of promise," Isaac, only produced one nation that received the Law, Israel. What of the nations that came from Ishmael and Esau? These were also Abraham's descendants and nations arose from their offspring as well. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism all recognize the patriarchy of Abraham in their religious texts. But only the descendants of Jacob stood at the foot of Sinai and received the stone tablets Moses carried down from the mount. If the rest of the world were to be saved, something greater than the Law had to make it possible. That possibility was Christ and His gift of love on the cross.  (John 3:16)

These other nations and their relationship to Israel may be seen in Jesus' example regarding the faithful and unfaithful sons. (Matthew 21:28-31) Israel, which was given the Law and promised obedience, did not obey, yet the other nations, who were not given the Law, found grace in the compassion of God when they sought Him. Perhaps this grace is possible because God's blessing of many nations through Abraham was given before the obedience based covenant of circumcision, which came several years after the birth of Ishmael. It was also given before the Sinaitic Covenant with the Decalogue. Therefore we might see that grace is the greater promise preceding the lesser covenant of the Law because it applies to all, not only the children of Jacob.

Paul further illustrates the faith aspect of God’s proffered salvation for mankind, by pointing out that when the child of promise, Isaac, was born the bodies of both Abraham and Sarah were used up. (vs 18-20) Therefore, they had no capability to fulfil the promise from their own works. Isaac was a gift of God’s grace, and impossible possibility realized by faith and promise. This also tells us that when we base our salvation on works of obedience then we are settling for what those works will earn us. However, when we live by faith instead, the impossible becomes the possible and the outpouring of God’s grace and blessings, being gifts, are limited only by His love, and that love is limitless.

Abraham had no doubt of God's ability to do everything He said. ( v 21) It was that belief that resulted in righteousness for him. As it was for Abraham, so it is for us. We are saved by our faith in God alone. Any fruits of obedience we may manifest are from righteousness either imparted or imputed. The fruits arise from the relationship, they do not enable it. To clarify, they enhance the relationship of grace that exists as a gift from God; they do not create the relationship. That comes through recognizing that we are not able to make ourselves righteous, a declaration of a desire to change, and finally an opening of our hearts to Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit to effect that change. (Acts 2:38)

Because faith unavoidably bears bountiful and wonderful fruits of good works, we sometimes make the mistake of getting those works mixed up with faith and place too great an emphasis on those works for our salvation, believing that we must somehow help God to save us. Yet this is a denial of the very basis of Abraham's righteousness and ours:  God is able to do what He promised. As He took a woman, Sarah, well past menopause and a man, Abraham, who felt he was too old to father children and created the miracle birth of Isaac, so He is well able to save us based only on the miracle of grace. The same God who can form worlds and even the universe from nothing does not need our works to save us. He only needs our willingness to step aside and allow His saving grace to work. (Philippians 2:13)