"Credited To Him"
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Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10
After Abram was Called By God to Go to the Land of Canaan…
We can Assume Several Years Pass
Abram’s Now Well Over 75 Years Old…
But God Promises Him that He’ll have Innumerable Descendants
Well, After a While…
Abram Starts to Get Concerned…
About the Fact that God still hasn’t Given Him a Child
So God Reassures Him
Genesis 15:1–3 (NASB95)
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” 2 Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.”
Since Abram has No Heir…
One of His Servants will Inherit All that is His When He Dies
Genesis 15:4–6 (CSB)
4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Even Though Abram was Old & Childless…
God Told Him He would have a Son…
And that His Descendants would Be as Many as the Stars in the Sky
From a Logical & Natural Standpoint…
This is an Empty Promise
It would Be Totally Absurd to Believe Such a Thing could Happen
But Abram Believed God
Even Though What God Said Sounds Absolutely Unimaginable…
Abram Trusted Him
And Because of Abram’s Faith…
God Considered Him Righteous
One Commentator Called Genesis 15:6…
The Most Important Verse in Genesis
Why?
Because it Shows Us Something Extremely Important:
God Imputes Righteousness to Those Who Trust Him
We aren’t Justified/Declared Innocent/Righteous…
Based Upon Our Own Obedience
We are Justified/Declared Innocent/Righteous…
Based Upon God’s Grace & Our Faith
Paul Talks about this in Romans 4
Romans 4:2–8 (NET)
2 For if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to boast about—but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation.5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.
God Considered Abraham Righteous…
Not Because He’d Done Anything to Deserve it…
But Simply Because He Trusted God
When You Work for Pay…
Your Boss is Obligated to Pay You
But When Your Boss Pays You, Even Though You haven’t Worked…
You’ve Been Given a Gracious Gift
Righteousness/Innocence Can’t Be Earned
It can Only Be Given By the Grace of God
And God Graciously Imputes Righteousness…
To Those Who Simply Trust Him
God Doesn’t Want Us Trying to Earn Righteousness Through Obedience
It Can’t Be Done
He Wants Us to Trust Him
And When We Do, He Freely Declares Us Righteous…
Even Though We’ve Lived Ungodly Lives
6 So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.”
Those Who Trust God are the Happiest People in the World
Why?
Because We are Completely Free of Sin
God will Never Count Sin Against Those Who Trust Him
If that Doesn’t Sit Well with You…
Then You are Understanding it Properly
If Your Faith/Trust is in God, Sin Can’t Touch You
God Makes You & Keeps You Innocent
Going Back to Abraham, Paul Says in Verse 18:
Romans 4:18–21 (CSB)
18 He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be. 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about a hundred years old) and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do.
Romans 4:22–25 (ESV)
22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Abraham had Hope in a Hopeless Situation
His Trust Didn’t Waver a Bit
He Firmly Believed God could Do the Impossible
“If God Said He would Do it…”
“Then I Firmly Believe that He Can/Will”
Just as Abraham was Declared Righteous for Trusting God…
We will Be Declared Righteous for Trusting in Him as Well
“But Jon, Where Do Works of Obedience Fit into this?”
That’s a Good Question…
And One that Paul Goes on to Answer in Chapters 5 & 6
But the Point of Romans 4 is this:
We are Justified/Declared Innocent/Righteous…
Whenever We Place Our Faith/Trust in God
If You Truly Believe the Gospel Message…
Of What God has Done, is Doing, & Will Do Through Jesus…
To Rescue, Redeem, & Restore All Things…
Then You will Give Your Total Allegiance to Jesus in Baptism
When You Place Your Faith/Trust in God…
You are Justified/Declared Innocent/Righteous
Then We Begin Our New Life of Doing Good Works of Obedience for His Glory