The Meaning of Faith

Father Abraham & Faith

Are you familiar with the song, “Father Abraham”? Kids love it; and to be fair, adults enjoy it, too. Although Paul did not sing “Father Abraham,” he uses Abraham’s story to explain the role of faith in accepting God’s gift of salvation. In this sense, no one, not even Abraham, can brag about what they have done with God because salvation is not something we earn (Romans 4:2).

Works & Faith

Faith is the opposite of bragging or boasting about how good we are based on our works. “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:22). Abraham, regardless of his prominence in the Bible, did not receive God’s approval because of his good deeds. Abraham was saved in the same way we are, by believing in God, who considers us righteous (sinless), even though we are still sinful, because we have placed our trust in Him (Romans 4:3).

The Ungodly & Faith

The matter is clear, if we could earn God’s approval with our good behavior, salvation would be a “paycheck” (v. 4). However, since we cannot save ourselves, God gives us His favor for free! We only need to trust that believing in and surrendering to Him will make us what we are not, righteous (v. 5). Simply put, only those who acknowledge they are “ungodly” are ready to believe and be counted as righteous people.

Still, we need to answer the question, “How can we have faith to be counted as sinless?” Let us together find the answer in Romans 4:1-5 !