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Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 - |
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THE JUSTIFYING
FAITH OF ABRAHAM (Rom 4:19-25) 6/3/07 Pastor I. FACETS OF ABRAHAM’S FAITH
(17-21) A. It was Reliance in God’s
Power (17) 1. The
terms “faith” (pístis - noun)
or “believe” (pisteúō - verb -
to be firmly persuaded and rely upon; here an initial act - aorist) are
mentioned in verses 17, 18, 19, 20, 24. Paul gives detailed descriptions of
Abraham’s faith in order to demonstrate justification by faith as God’s sole
means of salvation. a) Saving
faith is seen as the initial reliance (aorist tense - point in time) on the
finished work of Christ (Eph 1:13 cp. Rom 4:3, 17). b) Saving faith does not cease believing but
continues (present tense - shows duration) to grow and rely on Christ (Eph
1:19 cp. Rom 4:5, 11). c) In Romans chapter 4, Abraham is the great
example of saving faith. He believed at a particular point in time and continued
to believe. 2. Abraham’s
faith was exercised “in the presence” of God. He relied upon God, His
promise, and His power (Gen 15:6 cp. Rom 4:3). 3. Specifically, Abraham’s faith relied upon
the God who was able to “give life” to Abraham’s dead body, which was past
its biological procreative years (cp. 19). 4. In addition, Abraham’s faith relied upon
the God who was able to bring descendants into existence (ónta
- being; ex nihilo “out of nothing” cp. Isa 48:13;
Heb 11:3; Gen 1:1) when there was none in existence. (mę̀
ónta - not being) B. It was Hope in God’s
Promise (18) 1. Paul
uses another word play (par’ elpída ep’ elpídi - lit. “against hope in hope”) to demonstrate that Abraham’s
faith in God was against all human odds. 2. Paul draws a parallel between the phrase,
“many nations (Gentiles)” (Gen 17:5) and descendants” (Gen
15:5). Gen 17:5 is a reiteration of the promise in Gen 15:5. 3. God was demonstrating that he alone can fulfill the promise no matter how impossible it seemed
and without man’s aid. 4. Therefore the promise must be by faith and not the Law. C. It was Unwavering in
Giving God Glory (19-20) 1. Another
characteristic of Abraham’s faith was that he did not become weak (asthenéō - feeble, literally, Luk
4:40, or figuratively) in faith even when he contemplated (katanoéō - attentive scrutiny)
his physical condition. 2. Biologically, from a reproductive
standpoint, his body was dead and continued to be dead (nekróō
- prefect part.). Sarah’s womb had past the childbearing age and was in a
state of deadness (nékrosis). 3. Abraham was 100 years old according to
Gen 17:17; approximately one year before Isaac was born (Gen 18:10). 4. Paul tells us that Abraham did not waver
(ou diakrínō
- split decision; Jam 1:6) in his faith and believed that God would
fulfill his promise. 5. In addition, Abraham’s faith was
demonstrated when he gave glory to God even though had not yet receive the
fulfillment of the promise (Heb 11:6 cp. Rom 1:21). D. It was Full Assurance in
God’s Faithfulness (21) 1. The
faith of Abraham was “fully assured” (plęrophoréō
- plę́ręs = full & phero
= settle, full measure or fully settled) in God’s promise. 2. Specifically, Abraham’s faith was settled in God’s power (dunatós
- mighty, powerful; E. It Resulted in
Justification (22) 1. The
phrase, “therefore” (dió - inferential
conjunction which makes a logical deduction) refers back to the
characteristics of Abraham’s saving faith in vs. 17-21. He was
saved by faith and continued in his faith. 2. Abraham’s faith was a saving faith
because it was “credited” (logízomai
- reckon or put in one’s account) as righteousness (cp. Gen 15:6 cp. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11,
22, 23, 24; i.e. Justification by faith alone). II. THE BELIEVER’S FAITH AND
JUSTIFICATION A. Justification for the Sake
of Believers (23-24) 1. The
construction begins with the negative. It was “not” (oúk)
for Abraham’s sake only that we read, “it was credited to him.” 2. Rather, (allá
- on the contrary) Gen 15:6 was emphatically recorded “for the sake of”
believers also. 3. When a sinner believes on (epì - emphasis on or upon) Christ,
they are assured to receive the same credit of righteousness that Abraham
received. 4. The object of the believer’s faith is
“the one who raised Jesus” from the dead. In other words, the object of the
believer’s faith is God’s provision of redemption in the death and
resurrection of Jesus (i.e. the Gospel - 1Co 15:1-4; cp. Rom 1:1). 5. Jesus is declared to be
the Son of God and “Lord” (kúrios
- master) through the resurrection (Rom 1:4). B. Resurrection on Account of
Justification (25) 1. Verse 25
is most likely a 1st Cent. poem that not
only reflects the language in Isa 53:12 LXX, but
also clearly defines the saving work of the Lord. 2. The two major tenets of the Gospel are described in detail here. 3. The concept is that Christ was handed
over (paradi,dwmi paradidomi -
deliver up to someone’s power) by God as a sin-bearer (Eph 5:2 cp. Rom
1:24,26, 28) . 4. Christ’s death was “because” (diá - with the accusative - on account of or because) of the need to atone for
man’s transgressions. When a sinner believes on Christ, Christ’s death
provides atonement for his sin. 5. Christ’s resurrection was “on account of”
(diá - with the accusative - on account of or because) the fact that man’s
justification was provided for in Christ’s finished work on the cross. When a
sinner believes on Christ, Christ’s righteous life provides the righteousness
for the believer’s account. The resurrection provides proof that Christ’s atonement and righteousness has been accepted by God
on the sinner’s behalf. III. PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS A. The Believer’s Personal
Exercise of Faith 1. A
believer’s justification begins with a personal exercise of faith in Christ. 2. It happens at a point in time and cannot
rely on the faith of another. B. The Believer’s Growth in
Faith 1. Though
Abraham did not waver in his faith to the point of forsaking it, there were
times of little faith (Gen 17:17 - Abraham laughed, and Sarah - 18:12). 2. Furthermore, it is possible to have
faith, yet grow in faith. This is similar to the man who cried out, "I
do believe; help my unbelief" (Mar 9:24 cp. Mat 17:20). C. The Believer’s Key to
Strengthen Faith 1. A
believer is to strengthen his saving faith and continue in sanctifying faith
( 2. A believer’s faith is
strengthened through the Word of God (Rom 10:17). |
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