AMAZING GRACE AND IMPLICIT FAITH.

ROMANS 4 – Part 2 - Vs 13-25

By David Woodbury

Paul is very clear in his view on Abraham’s relationship with God, and consequently, his view on how all Christians should relate to God. The fulfilment of God’s promises comes not from meticulously obeying the letter of the law, but rather a relationship based on faith in a God of grace. The reality is that a relationship based on meticulously obeying the letter of the law has no place for faith and rests entirely on human behaviour. The outcome of such a position is doomed to failure since humanity is totally incapable of meticulously obeying every letter of the law and end result must be divine wrath and punishment.

13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15 For t­­he law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) 16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. (Romans 4:13-17 - NLT)

Paul then makes a surprising and astonishing claim: The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break! (15b). We cannot interpret this to mean that Paul is suggesting total abandonment of the law. He has already stated that the law has its place and the purpose of the law was to show us how sinful we are. If adherence to the law is removed from the relationship with God and replaced by grace, the outcome is that the authentic believer will seek to live the life that God desires for them and the eternal outcome is that the law will be fulfilled.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) Jesus went to great lengths to point out that it is our inner attitude and mindset which is crucial and goes beyond meticulously obeying every letter of the law. He uses several illustrations to highlight that meticulous obedience to the law is inadequate and that it is a person’s inner attitude and mindset that is crucial. When humanity moves beyond mere observance of the law and to a place where, through grace, they can live the life that God desires, the law is fulfilled. "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill”. Matt 5:17 (NKJV)

The promise of a right relationship with God is a free gift which comes by no other means than that of faith in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is given regardless of whether or not we live according to the law of Moses. It is given by Him who brought this world into being and has the power to bring the dead back to life and who create new things out of nothing. Here is the great eternal truth; God can do the impossible even with the weakest and most sinful of all humanity. Here is the not only the gospel of grace but also the gospel of total redemption for the most sinful of all humanity.

18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. (Romans 4:18-25 - NLT)

It was the unwavering faith of Abraham that commended him to God and God viewed Abraham as being righteous in his sight because of it. Regardless of the negative circumstances that surrounded him, Abraham stuck to his belief in God. His example of implicit faith stands as a beacon in scriptural narrative, an example that even today inspires Christians to follow his example.

Faith is the catalyst in this process of attaining a right relationship with God. Faith is a positive and active belief in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen for me personally. It must also be understood as trust: we do not just give mental assent to this truth; rather we are willing to rely upon and act upon this belief. It is more than a matter of mental assent – it is staking your entire life on Jesus. It is a body, mind and soul belief – a belief that envelops my whole being – it is a belief that requires a totality of my being.

Why did Jesus make faith in him so central to his message? Because there is a distinct connection between belief, faith in Jesus, and the righteousness that God requires to make me fit for his presence.

The connection between faith and a right standing with God cannot be underestimated or depreciated. Our faith is something we cannot take for granted; its needs to be nurtured and developed through our own resolve. Faith is never a static domain; it is either growing or declining and the responsibility for its continued development is the mission of the believer. The only thing we can contribute to a right standing with God is our implicit faith. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. (Romans 4:23-24 NLT)

In his discourse with the Christians at Rome Paul returns to the very fundamentals of their faith: the story of Abraham’s relationship with God. He is convinced that the basis of Abraham’s relationship with God is faith, not works or observance of the law. He is at pains to point out that the Jewish rite of circumcision has no value in itself and was only ever intended as a symbol of a relationship with God. Paul has no doubt that faith is the one and only basis for a relationship with God.

To his Jewish listeners this would have appeared a new doctrine since they placed great emphasis on the works they performed, believing sincerely that works were crucial in their standing before God. However, Paul is about to prove from their highly esteemed ancestor, Abraham, that this doctrine was as old as The Jewish faith, in fact, the very basis of the Jewish faith.

Abstract ideas, such as faith, are difficult for people to understand. A good teacher knows that one of the best ways people learn is by human illustration and he intends to utilise the father of the Jewish faith, Abraham, as an illustration of his doctrine of salvation by faith alone. When Paul speaks about Abraham, he was on very solid ground; every Jew knew and understood exactly what he was speaking about since Abraham was regarded as the founder of the Jewish nation. 

The reality was that Abrams relationship with God was based, not on any meticulous observance of the law, but solely on his complete faith in God and his willingness to abandon his life, and even that of his son.

Basic to Jewish thought was the idea that a person must earn God's favour. The basic thought of Christianity is that all anyone can do is to take God at his word and stake everything on the faith that his promises are true and God keeps his word.

Abraham was not the father of the circumcised but rather the father of those who have the same act of implicit faith in God.

The lesson for modern day Christians is that no physical act, observance, ritual or tradition can put us in a right standing with God. It comes down in the final analysis to a simple act of faith, and all too often it is in this simplicity that people balk.

God’s acceptance of Abraham was the outcome of two things; God's amazing grace and Abraham's implicit faith. And the same is just as true today for every person who wants a real and meaningful relationship with God.