Abraham is the Father of Us All

In the remaining verses of chapter 4, Paul is extending the logic of faith preceding circumcision and Law, not just for the Jews, but for the Gentiles also. In verse 16, Paul is stating the fact that Abraham is the ‘father of us all.’ Not only to those who could claim that privilege, by being the natural descendants of Abraham and having the Law of Moses, but also those who had no such claim, but had only faith, like the faith that Abraham had.

The promise of inheritance to Abraham itself came by faith. It is because of grace of God and not because of any merit in Abraham or any of his descendants. It was pure grace. This grace saw to that this inheritance by faith was guaranteed to all Abraham’s children, both the Jews and the Gentiles. Only by faith in Christ are we saved from our sins, for He forgives our sins when we ask in faith.

God had promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations. Genesis 17:5. Paul applies this by an extension of the original meaning to mean the other nations, nations other than Jewish nations. So, Abraham would be the father of many nations, both Jewish and non-Jewish, a spiritual ancestor of all who have faith in God and his Son Christ.

Paul brings in the universality of the Christian religion, the basis of which is justification by grace through faith.

Abraham believed in God, that He could give life to the dead and call things that are not, as though they were. Verse 17. Abraham simply believed that though his body’s reproductive cells were as good as dead and so also Sarah’s womb, God who promised him descendants like the stars in the sky, was able to make the dead cells alive and make such a reproduction possible.

God, being omniscient, saw the future and was able to call to mind things that were not there at present, but which would come into existence in the future. 

Paul would bring a connection to this dead body being given life by God to the raising of Jesus Christ alive on the third day. It is the same God and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Verse 24.

Against all odds Abraham believed in God and because of that faith he became the father of many nations, just as God had promised him saying ‘like the countless stars in the sky shall be your offspring.’ Genesis 12:5. The promise was given to Abraham when he was 75 years old, with no child of his own. Still Abraham believed that promise made by God and it came to be. He had a whole nation of Jewish people as his offspring. Verse 18.

At the age of 100, when his body was as good as dead and Sarah’s womb was dead too, still Abraham believed in God’s promise, casting himself entirely of God’s ability and not his own ability in a humanly possible manner. He relied on God’s all sufficient power. Verse 19.

Abraham did not waver in his faith and strengthened himself by giving glory to God, because he was fully convinced that God had the power to do what he had promised. Verses 20-21. A close walk with God had convinced Abraham that God was not only powerful, but also faithful in that He would keep His word.

This is exactly why such faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness by God. This term, ‘credited to him,’ Paul says, was not written only for Abraham, but also for all of us, who believe in God that He raised Jesus Christ from the dead. To all such believers, who have faith in God’s ability to raise Jesus alive on the third day, such righteousness was credited. Verse 22, 23, 24.

Paul concludes by stating that Jesus Christ was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Verse 25. A beautiful exchange takes place in the life of a believer: we give our sins over to Christ, who bore it on the cross, paying the penalty due; in exchange, Jesus gives us forgiveness of our sins and his righteousness. What a glorious exchange!

To sum up, we are justified by God. We are pronounced not guilty by God. This is the source of our justification. We are justified by His pure grace, His unmerited love. It is a gift. Romans 3:24. This is the principle behind our justification. We are justified by faith. Romans 5:1. This is the method of receiving justification. We are justified by the blood shed on the cross by Jesus Christ. Romans 5:9. This is the ground of our justification. Finally, resurrection, where Jesus was raised for our justification, is the proof of it all. Romans 4:25.

Righteousness from God is a pure gift received by us by faith alone and this is based on the work Jesus did on the cross to satisfy the wrath of God. We have done nothing and we could do nothing. It is all done by Christ, and all that we can do is to appropriate that gift by faith in Christ.

How many of us have done this simple task of appropriating by faith the gift of righteousness given by God for our justification?

In case we have not done that so far, shall we hurry and obtain that forgiveness and righteousness that comes free by God’s grace and live?

Amen.