Paul has been explaining how a person stands approved in the sight of God by faith and not by obedience to the law, and in doing so he has used the example of Abraham to reinforce this truth. It's very easy for believers to think that although they begin their walk with Christ by faith, they must go on by obedience. For Paul, our walk with Christ begins and proceeds by faith. In our passage for study Paul uses Abraham's faith to illustrate its true nature. In the midst of all our doubts and fears, faith is a reliance on the revealed word of God. Paul then applies the consequence of such a faith to his readers, namely, an eternal right-standing in the sight of God.
v17b. A faith like Abraham's is a faith that believes in a life-giving God.
v18. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations: as the stars of the heavens "so shall your offspring be." Everything shouted to Abraham, his mind, body, wife, friends, nature itself, that he was impotent and yet in the midst of all these doubts and fears Abraham took God at his word; he trusted the revealed Word of God. For Abraham, if God says it, God will do it; such is faith.
v19-20. Abraham was impotent and his wife Sarah was past children-bearing. Still, Abraham "in hope believed" God's promise, though it seemed impossible. He held onto the promises of God against all odds. His tenacious faith in God's promise strengthened him and served as the instrument of God's grace and thus, God's glory. Abraham's faith served as a channel of God's will.
v21. Abraham's response to the Word of God rested on his conviction that God is both willing and able to "do what he promised."
v22. In chapter 4:2-25, Paul expounds Genesis 15:6: "and Abraham believed God and it was reckoned (credited) to him for righteousness". Up to this point in our passage Paul has defined the nature of Abraham's faith in the terms of a reliance on the revealed Word of God. Paul now points out that this reliance on God's word serves the same function as perfect obedience. Abraham's faith therefore served to access right-standing before God such that it was "credited" to him, he was judged in the right with God, not by works of the law, but through faith.
v23-24. Paul states that the story of Abraham's faith is not just recorded as a testimony to Abraham, but is there for us. It serves to remind us that we too can have righteousness "credited" to us through faith. The living God who raised Christ to life is well able to give life to us. He has promised us, in Christ, eternal life. If we take God at his word, have faith, then that faith will count as perfect obedience and we will stand eternally right, eternally approved, before God.
v25. This verse alludes to the Servant Song, Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The idea is that the Servant of God, namely, Jesus, served as a representative people of God. Jesus suffered on behalf of his people, was ultimately victorious and therefore could justify many. It is a formula-like statement and might have had common usage in Pauline circles. Although both Christ's death and resurrection achieve our justification, the emphasis is on the resurrection of Christ. Christ's atoning death was "for" (on account of) our rebellion against God. His death was substitutionary, taking our punishment, and thus, our guilt before God. Christ's resurrection was "for" (in order to bring about) our right-standing before God. The resurrection of Christ, his enlivening, proclaimed his perfection and was thus, a declaration of his righteousness before God for a life lived in obedience to God. In identifying with Christ in his death we die with him, our corruption is hid in him and we stand acquitted. In identifying in his resurrection, ascension and eternal reign, we share in his glorification, eternally right with God, holy before him.
Faith is the crucial element in the Christian life. With it we move mountains; without it we are lost. Consider what we learn from Abraham's faith:
The object of Abraham's faith was God's promise, v18;
The strength of Abraham's life rested in his faith in that he believed God's promise, though it seemed impossible, v19,20.
The ground of his faith was the ability and faithfulness of God to do what he promised, v21.
The result of his faith was that he was judged right with God, v22.
The record of his faith was given to teach us that all who believe in the revealed will of God, like Abraham, are counted right before God (justified), v23-25.
What does God demand of us? Jesus often answered the question in much the same way as it gets answered today. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and your neighbor as yourself." Of course, when Jesus ran the law answer it was not so that people would go out and be loving, but rather that they would recognize that they aren't loving. Jesus constantly used the law to undermine self-righteousness. How then can a person stand right before God? John reminds us, "this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ..." 1 John 3:23. All that God demands of us is that we rely (believe, have faith, trust) on his promises given us in Jesus Christ. Jesus has risen from the dead and he promises his resurrection life to us for the asking. Rely on this truth and we will live, and this because God counts our faith as righteousness before him. A person who stands acquitted before God will live eternally.
It is said of Abraham that he believed God and therefore, his faith was credited to him as righteousness. In the light of this passage, discuss what is actually "credited" to us.