What shall we say then that Abraham
our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were
justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what
saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness.
Now to him that worketh is the reward
not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth
on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Even as David also describeth the blessedness
of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed
are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is
the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Cometh this blessedness then upon the
circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was
reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in
circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
And he received the sign of
circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being
uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though
they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are
not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of
our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. For the promise, that
he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through
the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the
law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because
the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Therefore it is of faith, that it
might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to
that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of
Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a
father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth
the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Who against hope believed in hope, that
he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken,
so shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own
body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness
of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what
he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to
him for righteousness.
Now it was not written for his sake
alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be
imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who
was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Romans 4
Paul asks believers to consider Abraham as the physical
father of the Jewish people. He asks the question did Abraham possess
righteousness by his own efforts. Perhaps by men’s comparison Abraham was obedient
but not by comparison to the Holiness of YWHW. The scriptures state plainly
that it is by the faith of Abraham that he was made righteous.
It is of great importance that we understand the difference between
a credit for a thing and a gift. The modern church thinks of righteousness as a
credit given by God; this makes a case of God bearing a false witness by
declaring us righteous when we will never be. God forbid we believe such a lie.
The gift of God is to change who we are and make us to be as He is. This righteousness
is real and tangible and comes from Messiah living in and through us as one.
The more we come to trust him the more we let go of us and thereby His righteousness
becomes revealed in us. So we receive this righteousness when we repent o dead
works( the renewed heart), then as our trust and belief is stripped from ourselves
and placed in Him(the renewed mind and tearing down of strongholds), there will
come a time when this is complete and we are one with Him a shared nature. YHWH
looking to this fruition calls what is not now what it shall be. The idea that
God calls what is not righteous ; to be
what it not is simply blasphemy.
Some may say but the scripture say He calls what is not what
is; I agree for YHWH calls us what we are becoming not what it is in an
unfinished work. He is both author and finisher of our faith and not only this
but He who began a good work in us will keep that which is entrusted to Him.
This brings us to understand what Abraham found. When he
attempted to reveal YHWH’s promises in his life by his own ways and plans and
effort he could not attain to the promises but only failure. However when he
instead gave up on what he could or could not do and trusted in YHWH to do the
work in him then the results of fulfilled promises where seen in his life.
Paul points out to them who believe that righteousness can
be brought by effort to act in the way the law describes; that the law did not
bring the righteousness or covenant of Abraham. Instead it is obvious that the
law as a description of the way of life was brought forth from this covenant.
So it is that Abraham was uncircumcised when he received the covenant and by
said covenant the token of circumcision was given.
Circumcision did not bring forth the covenant but the
covenant brought forth circumcision. In the same way the working of the righteousness
found described by the law does not bring faith but instead faith will bring
the righteousness into our lives. It is not our actions that bring life but it
is the Fathers life in us that brings forth a nature that makes our actions
become righteous.
If by our effort we could live a life that was pleasing to
our Father then there would be no need to depend on our Father to give us that
life.
This giving of righteousness was not for Abraham alone but
to all who believe. If we trust that our old person received from the nature of
Adam is crucified in Messiah then we are also raised by the same power that
raised Messiah from death…the breath (Spirit, life) of the Father. Lazarus
could not call himself forth from death and neither can we. Instead as Yeshua
trusted the Father to raise Him up so we trust we will be raised in Him.
