Romans 4:18-25
Hope Through God’s Promise
Being right with God by believing in Him does not make much sense, at least to us. Paul explains righteousness by faith via Abraham’s situation: (1) he is old, (2) his wife cannot bear children, and (3) it seems that his servant will inherit everything (Genesis 15:1-3). Yet God promised Abraham he would have “countless” descendants and “Abraham believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:4-6). As such, righteousness is believing God can give hope where there is only despair (Romans 4:18-19).
Perfection Through God’s Promise
The Apostle Paul wrote that Abraham did not “waver” in his faith (Romans 4:20). How can that statement be accurate? According to Genesis 16, Abraham followed his wife’s advice to sleep with her servant and that plan led to family tension and brokenness. Evidently, neither Abraham nor his faith in God were perfect. Nonetheless, God worked around Abraham’s mistakes and declared him what he was not, perfect. Hence, righteousness is believing God can credit perfection where there is only brokenness (Romans 4:20-22).
Salvation Through God’s Promise
The Abraham story is simply an illustration of how God saves us when we trust in Him. Despite his mistakes, Abraham received the promise and was called “God’s friend” (James 2:23). Paul says we are made right with God when we trust in Jesus, God’s promise of salvation. Even if our trust is flawed, God credits us something we can never achieve on our own, righteousness. Thus, righteousness is believing God’s promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ (Romans 4:23-25).
Still, we need to answer the question, “How can we experience God’s salvation?” Let us find the answer in Romans 4:18-25!
Reflection Questions
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Take a moment to think about an area of your life in which you feel despair. How does Abraham's story remind you that God can give you hope?
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Why do you think Paul does not mention Abraham's lack of faith in Romans 4? Is it possible that God works around our mistakes and when he forgives also forgets?
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It seems that Abraham was declared righteous because of his friendship with and trust in God. How does that impact the way you look at righteousness by faith? Would it make sense to call it righteousness by friendship?