The Promise was through the Righteousness of Faith - Part 2

Rom 4:13 For the Promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

The promise was made by faith. What does this mean? The promise maker commended a promise and the promise receiver consummated the promise by only one event, faith in the promise maker fulfilling the promise. There was nothing required of the recipient other than faith. Faith was the means that Abraham employed to procure the promise that God conveyed. There was no criteria like, "if you will do this, or do that, I will fulfill a promise." Not at all! It was believed on, and when the faith was executed, the promise would be fulfilled, regardless of the action of the promise recipient and apart from any action on the promise recipient's part.

Like the accreditation of righteousness yesterday, it seems that the use of faith was not known nor explained to Abram. In other words, God did not say, if you will believe, you will get it, and he focused to believe in order to get it. Rather, the faith requirement/vehicle was not conveyed. A promise was given and apart from knowing that faith alone would procure it, Abram believed. In believing, Abram consummated the right to be the recipient of the promise from God, but it was not explained that it was by faith alone that he could have it.

A couple of observations of what are stated, Abram believed God. The writer of Genesis does not tell us that Abram believed that he would not help God. But Paul tells us later in chapter four of Romans, that Abraham, not considering his own body, already dead, and the deadness of Sarah's womb, did not waiver in unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, believing that what He had promised he was able also to perform, and it was accredited to him as righteousness. So, even though we are not overly clear on the level of Abraham's belief or involvement in the fulfillment of the promise, Paul tells us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Romans 4, that Abraham understood that God was able to perform any and all necessary requirements to bring the promise to fruition apart from any action on his part.

It was faith alone. It was faith plus nothing. Nothing can be imposed that Abraham had to do or had to refrain from doing as a requirement. Even the sinful work of Abraham with Hagar, did not deter God from doing what he intended to do. Abram did not repent, he did not try and live more morally (in order to get the promise), he did not keep a set of rules by doing certain things or refraining from doing other things.

This sounds logical enough, but oh how we see this overlooked. Many will say or impose on the scriptures what they do not have. A man said to me recently, well we know that Abraham repented and turned from sin. What a grievous imposition on scripture. It is not stated in scripture that he did such a thing. More over, some of his actions until the birth of Isaac were quite the opposite of repentance. But after the fulfillment of the promise, we see a level of obedience that is unparalleled in scripture with the offering of his son on the alter.

The long and short of it; a promise was given to Abraham. Abraham believed God. Faith alone in the promise alone was the basis that God used to accredit righteousness. The components are simple, a revelation from God, to be fulfilled by God, apart from any action on man's part. Accompanied by a belief by the man, that the promise being made would be fulfilled. The man did not have to perform in any way for his receipt of the promise, simply to believe. Romans 4 reveals that Abraham did not believe that he was in any way to be used of God to fulfill the promise, since his own body, was already dead. So his belief was solely rooted in God performing what he promised he would do.

Oh the depths of riches of the wisdom of God, how unsearchable are his judgements and his ways past finding out. To think that Abraham would receive a promise to believe would be the same means that his seed would be called to believe in the same glorious promise maker.