Abraham is declared righteous through faith.
We are saved by faith, not works.
We have no right to boast.
Summary:
Paul uses Abraham as an example in this text because he was well respected among the Jewish people. While Abraham followed the Lord’s leading in his life, he was ultimately saved by his faith. God told him that he would be the father of many, and although he was old and his wife Sarah was barren, he has full faith that God would do as he promised. It was by this blind faith that Abraham was saved. Because he was saved through faith and not works, Abraham would have no reason or right to boast to man or to God about himself because the grace to carry out any and all good works comes from God alone (i.e. God would get to boast). But even if, by some bizarre turn of events, Abraham could attribute the good works he had done to himself, he STILL would have no right to boast because he is still a sinful man, a man who constantly fell short of the glory of God – as all humans do (Romans 3:23). In short, no one can be justified through works. We are justified through faith in Jesus Christ. The rabbis argued that Abraham kept the law perfectly, even before it was given to him. Obviously this could not be true because last week in Romans 3 study we learn that “no one is righteous” and that “everyone does evil”. We are born evil and we are total depraved, and while Abraham was a godly man, this doesn’t mean that he was exempt from these principles because he was only human. He was not Jesus Christ, who of course was the only sinless man in all of history. The idea of grace stands opposite the principle of works; grace has to do with receiving the freely given gift of God, while works has to do with earning our merit before God. A system of works would put God in our debt. It implies that God owes us our salvation and blessing because of our good works. However, the truth is that it is faith in Jesus Christ alone that saves us. Our good works should flow from a heart of thankfulness to God who freely gave us salvation through the death of His son, though we did not deserve it one little bit! We still need to value good works, but we can’t elevate them to the point where we believe they will save us.
Discussion Questions:
We know good works cannot save us, but is there value in good works?
There is most definitely value in good works! In fact, the Bible says that “faith without works in dead!” (James 2:17) The key here is to remember that all our good works need to steam from a heart of love and submission to God our Father who saved us. We can never boast in the good works we do because it’s God who gives us the grace to carry out these works in a way that is ultimately pleasing to God. Many pagans do good works, but God doesn’t see them as good because they aren’t done to the glory of His name – therefore, they are in vain. This is a huge point of controversy, but the Bible says it to be the truth.
How can we follow Abraham’s example in our own lives?
Though Abraham was an imperfect man, he demonstrated great faith in God several times through his life. We need to model this faith in our own lives by trusting in God, even when things seem too hard or impossible. While God may not give us everything we want, He will always give us the things we will need to bring Him glory. This means that even in trials and tribulations we need to know for certain that God is on His throne, He is in control and through the hard times, we will be brought forth as gold (Job 23:10). We may have to suffer here on earth, but the promises He has set before those who love His name WILL one day come to fruition in the Heavenly place. If we set our minds on those things – the things above – then we have demonstrated the faith of Abraham.
Supporting Verses:
Jeremiah 9:23
Ephesians 2:8-9
John 3:16
Galatians 2:16
Galatians 3:5-6
Philippians 3:9
Amen!
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