Thematic Bible: Faith of
Thematic Bible
Abraham » Faith of
But if so, what can we say about Abraham, our forefather by natural descent? This, that if 'Abraham was justified on the score of what he did,' he has something to be proud of. But not to be proud of before God. For what does scripture say? Abraham believed God and this was counted to him as righteousness. read more.
Now a worker has his wage counted to him as a due, not as a favour; but a man who instead of 'working' believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, has his faith counted as righteousness. Just as David himself describes the bliss of the man who has righteousness counted to him by God apart from what he does ??7 Blessed are they whose breaches of the Law are forgiven, whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not count to him. Now is that description of bliss meant for the circumcised, or for the uncircumcised as well? Abraham's faith, I repeat, was counted to him as righteousness. In what way? When he was a circumcised man or an uncircumcised man? Not when he was circumcised, but when he was uncircumcised. He only got circumcision as a sign or seal of the righteousness which belonged to his faith as an uncircumcised man. The object of this was to make him the father of all who believe as uncircumcised persons and thus have righteousness counted to them, as well as a father of those circumcised persons who not only share circumcision but walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had as an uncircumcised man. The promise made to Abraham and his offspring that he should inherit the world, did not reach him through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is adherents of the Law who are heirs, then faith is empty of all meaning and the promise is void. (What the Law produces is the Wrath, not the promise of God; where there is no law, there is no transgression either.) That is why all turns upon faith; it is to make the promise a matter of favour, to make it secure for all the offspring, not simply for those who are adherents of the Law but also for those who share the faith of Abraham ??of Abraham who is the father of us all (as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations). Such a faith implies the presence of the God in whom he believed, a God who makes the dead live and calls into being what does not exist. For Abraham, when hope was gone, hoped on in faith, and thus became the father of many nations ??even as he was told, So numberless shall your offspring be. His faith never quailed, even when he noted the utter impotence of his own body (for he was about a hundred years old) or the impotence of Sara's womb; no unbelief made him waver about God's promise; his faith won strength as he gave glory to God and felt convinced that He was able to do what He had promised. Hence his faith was counted to him as righteousness.
Now a worker has his wage counted to him as a due, not as a favour; but a man who instead of 'working' believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, has his faith counted as righteousness. Just as David himself describes the bliss of the man who has righteousness counted to him by God apart from what he does ??7 Blessed are they whose breaches of the Law are forgiven, whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not count to him. Now is that description of bliss meant for the circumcised, or for the uncircumcised as well? Abraham's faith, I repeat, was counted to him as righteousness. In what way? When he was a circumcised man or an uncircumcised man? Not when he was circumcised, but when he was uncircumcised. He only got circumcision as a sign or seal of the righteousness which belonged to his faith as an uncircumcised man. The object of this was to make him the father of all who believe as uncircumcised persons and thus have righteousness counted to them, as well as a father of those circumcised persons who not only share circumcision but walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had as an uncircumcised man. The promise made to Abraham and his offspring that he should inherit the world, did not reach him through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is adherents of the Law who are heirs, then faith is empty of all meaning and the promise is void. (What the Law produces is the Wrath, not the promise of God; where there is no law, there is no transgression either.) That is why all turns upon faith; it is to make the promise a matter of favour, to make it secure for all the offspring, not simply for those who are adherents of the Law but also for those who share the faith of Abraham ??of Abraham who is the father of us all (as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations). Such a faith implies the presence of the God in whom he believed, a God who makes the dead live and calls into being what does not exist. For Abraham, when hope was gone, hoped on in faith, and thus became the father of many nations ??even as he was told, So numberless shall your offspring be. His faith never quailed, even when he noted the utter impotence of his own body (for he was about a hundred years old) or the impotence of Sara's womb; no unbelief made him waver about God's promise; his faith won strength as he gave glory to God and felt convinced that He was able to do what He had promised. Hence his faith was counted to him as righteousness.
Why, it is as with Abraham, he had faith in God and that was counted to him as righteousness. Well then, you see that the real sons of Abraham are those who rely on faith. Besides, Scripture anticipated God's justification of the Gentiles by faith when it announced the gospel beforehand to Abraham in these terms: All nations shall be blessed in thee. read more.
So that those who rely on faith are blessed along with believing Abraham.
So that those who rely on faith are blessed along with believing Abraham.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed his call to go forth to a place which he would receive as an inheritance; he went forth, although he did not know where he was to go. It was by faith that he sojourned in the promised land, as in a foreign country, residing in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob who were co-heirs with him of the same promise; he was waiting for the City with its fixed foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
It was by faith, when Abraham was put to the test, that he sacrificed Isaac, he was ready to sacrifice his only son, although he had received the promises and had been told that it is through Isaac that your offspring shall be reckoned ??19 for he considered that God was able even to raise men from the dead. Hence he did get him back, by what was a parable of the resurrection.
When our father Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar, was he not justified by what he did? In his case, you see, faith co-operated with deeds, faith was completed by deeds, and the scripture was fulfilled: Abraham believed God, and this was counted to him as righteousness ??he was called God's friend. read more.
You observe it is by what he does that a man is justified, not simply by what he believes.
You observe it is by what he does that a man is justified, not simply by what he believes.
gideon » Faith of
And what more shall I say? Time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak and Samson and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets ??33 men who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouth of lions,
Verse Concepts
Jephthah » Faith of
And what more shall I say? Time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak and Samson and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets ??33 men who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouth of lions,
Verse Concepts
Joshua » Also called jehoshua, and jehoshuah, and oshea » Faith of
moses » Character of » Faith of
It was by faith that Moses was hidden for three months after birth by his parents, because they saw the child was beautiful, and had no fear of the royal decree. It was by faith that Moses refused, when he had grown up, to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; ill-treatment with God's people he preferred to the passing pleasures of sin, read more.
considering obloquy with the messiah to be richer wealth than all Egypt's treasures ??for he had an eye to the Reward. It was by faith that he left Egypt, not from any fear of the king's wrath; like one who saw the King Invisible, he never flinched. It was by faith that he celebrated the passover and performed the sprinkling by blood, so that the destroying angel might not touch Israel's first-born.
considering obloquy with the messiah to be richer wealth than all Egypt's treasures ??for he had an eye to the Reward. It was by faith that he left Egypt, not from any fear of the king's wrath; like one who saw the King Invisible, he never flinched. It was by faith that he celebrated the passover and performed the sprinkling by blood, so that the destroying angel might not touch Israel's first-born.