Have you ever heard someone say, "I can't get saved. I've done too many things wrong. God wouldn't want me." How would you answer them? Maybe they're right...maybe they have done some pretty bad things. But one of the wonderful things about our Savior is His ability to put everyone on the same level--the level of faith alone.
Paul teaches this concept with Abraham in this part of chapter 4. Abraham was a heathen and idol worshipper. He broke the first commandments and did who knows how many other wicked things. Yet God called Abraham and for his faith alone he was counted righteous. Before Abraham even knew about God's law or followed it, he was saved for his faith. That was the Jew's big problem--they followed the law for their salvation, forgetting that their patriarch, Abraham, was saved without the law. It was after his salvation that Abraham followed the law as a sign of his faith.
We are still in the same boat as the Jews. Many still think good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell. That is not the case at all as Paul proves here with Abraham. It is by grace alone through faith alone that we can be saved.
Food for Thought: Read Romans 4:9-15. When did God count Abraham as justified, before he was circumcised or after?
Amber Allen
My Wife and Best Friend
Amber and I have been working together in youth ministry since 2008. We have two beautiful children - Graham and Cecelia.
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