1What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
9 Cometh
this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the
uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for
righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
11 And
he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of
the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the
father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that
righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
12 And
the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision
only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father
Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
13 For
the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to
Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness
of faith.
14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
16 Therefore
it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might
be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to
that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
17 (As
it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him
whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those
things which be not as though they were.
18 Who
against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many
nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And
being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when
he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's
womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
1. The Christians and church are the most blessed people in all of history. We are part of a dispensation of grace where all we do is confess and believe Jesus. Our sins are forgiven and covered not by our own merit but by a gift.
ReplyDelete2. V. 15 Today the world peaches this philosophy. There is no God so morality is subjective. This honestly doesn't make sense and says that Hitler and Bin Laden were OK guys. But it allows people to do what they want so they accept it. Gods law stands regardless if people follow or know it.
3. The whole chapter emphasizes that faith is the key. Abraham had true faith that Sarah would bare a son. That's why he received the promise from God. It wasn't because he was special or better than anybody but because he had faith. I must also keep faith in Gods promises, resurrection, and justification.
v6,7,8,9 all mention how BLESSED we are that have been forgiven and received Christ's righteousness.
ReplyDeletev18 Abraham "against hope believed in hope." There is a situation I'm facing that seems against hope. I am encouraged to believe in hope. That with God all things are really possible.
V20: Abraham "staggered not at the promises of God." What faith! How often I have staggered at the promises of God. Promises like all things work together for good to them who are called and He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Give me faith to take human limits off of my great God.
I don't have an exact three verses that stuck out at me in this chapter, but rather the whole passage. God can and will do what He says and promises. I worry so much about what my future will look like, and I shouldn't. Jesus told the parable of the birds of the air and how He feeds them. We are God's children, so He will certainly take care of us. I need to place my fears, worries, joys and concerns in God's hands. God will take care of me and I need to be reminded of that a lot. I am a person who likes to go out and fix my own things, but I can't do that. I need to rely on God and He will direct my path. God keeps His promises and has a plan for every single one of us.
ReplyDeleteRomans 4
ReplyDelete1. Chapter 3...none are righteous. Chapter 4...faith is counted as righteousness. It's awesome bc by faith we are being covered by Christ's righteousness...Works aside. "God imputeth righteousness without works". Our part in his plan is having faith. He does the rest.
2. V. 8 I am so grateful that my sin has been covered. Though I continually sin in Gods face, he looks over my sin...instead he sees his sons righteousness. Crazy love
3. If only we had faith like Abraham. Paul says Abraham was FULLY persuaded that what God had promised, he was also able to perform. We also need to hold on to the promises. God is able to perform what he has promised! Let's have faith.
Verse 19- be strong in the faith. Abraham was still strong in his faith at 100 years old. We can get so burnt out on the gospel and that's horrible but true. Keep your head up. Continue striving to be more like Him everyday!
ReplyDeleteVerse 20- in all things, give all the glory to God! He has given us life and died for us, how could we ever forget to give Him the glory?
Verse 25- Jesus died for our sins. I know that's a fact but sometimes I over look it. we continually sin and displease God yet He gave His son to die for our filthy rotten souls and He gave us hope. Ptl!
I. (Verses 1-8) I'm soooo glad I don't have to "work" for my salvation! Abraham believed that God would fulfill His promise, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. We do the same thing today when we believe in what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. We believe by faith that Christ the Son of God was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the grave. We believe that He is willing and able to save us from our sins. See the faith connection? "For we walk by faith, and not by sight." 2nd Cor. 5:7
ReplyDeleteII. (Verses 9-12) Abraham was uncircumcised when his faith was counted unto him for righteousness. In other words God didn't say "Hey, Abraham, I'm not going to make a covenant with you until you get circumcised!" Bottom line Abraham wasn't perfect in "works" when God made His covenant with him. It makes me glad that God doesn't wait for us to be perfect before He saves us. If that was the case, I'd still be lost.
III. (Verses 16-25) Verse 16 reminds me of Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith...." We are save by grace, but in order to receive that grace, you have to faith.
Abraham was about 100 years old and Sarah was around 90 years old when God promised that they would have a son. But Abraham didn't let those little details deter him from believing in God's promise. "being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able to perform." Do we ever doubt God??? I know I need to work on my own personal faith. We all do, really. Don't limit God. He's infinite!
1. V 29 Abraham believed in God's promises even at such an old age when things didn't look too hopeful. God has given me tons of promises, but even then sometime I just don't really believe. I need to learn to rest in his unfailing promises. He will never let me down.
ReplyDelete2. 21 Not only did he believe, but he believed it was true for him. I think a lot of times we are like "yeah, sure God can do that", but it's another things to live your life resting in that promise believing that he really will perform his promise.
3. V 25 God sent his son to take our place, to suffer God's wrath that was meant for us, to take our shame and guilt, to be our redeemer. We have so much to be thankful for.
1. vs. 13 - Abraham was blessed because of his righteousness. Living for God IS worth it!
ReplyDelete2. vs. 15 - Rules and laws are there to help us us discern right from wrong. They show us how sinful we are and how badly we need a Saviour!
3. vs. 20 - I need to have strong and founded faith in the promises God has given me. <3
Romans 4
ReplyDelete1. vs.18: "Who against hope believed in hope" Just the fact that we can NEVER lose hope as a Christian is mind-blowing. I complain about so many trivial things and will say "I'll never be able to do..." What a completely selfish person I am. There is none greater that God and when it seems we've reached the ultimate loss of hope, there will always be hope in God, in heaven, on the cross.
2. vs.21: It's refreshing to know that when God makes a promise, He will always perform. He WILL do what we says He will do.
3. Abraham had intense faith in God. Abraham didn't always have immense faith; he had to be tried and tested. To read how far his faith in God went is neat. He trusted Him almost completely, which is far more than I can say for myself.