27/05/2021
AN EXPOSE ON ROMANS CHAPTER 4: FAITH IS THE ANCHOR
"It is clear, then, that God's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was not based on obedience to God's law, but on the new relationship with God that comes by faith. So if you claim that God's promise is for those who obey God's law and think they are "good enough" in God's sight, then you are saying that faith is useless. And in that case, the promise is also meaningless." [Romans 4:13-14].
Without faith it is impossible to please God says the Scripture. Faith is the anchor that holds and connects us to God. Remove it from Christianity and you have nothing left. Without it we cannot be saved. Without it we can't live the Christian life. It is the most important virtue we must covet.
Our text is straight forward. God's promise that he would give the whole Earth to Abraham and his descendants wasn't based on obedience to God's law but on the relationship that comes by faith. What a revelation! This is enough to set someone free.
Many believers so to speak lives an underprivileged life because they are trying to earn God's goodness by their good works, adherence to rules and regulations, keeping of the ten commandments and so on. What a life! Peter after raising the lame man said, "...Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own POWER OR HOLINESS we had made this man whole. But his name THROUGH FAITH IN HIS NAME hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."
The older son of the father of the prodigal son said, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
Like this elder son, many are angry when they see God blessing or healing or answering the prayers of those who they think are not as good as themselves. Why? Because they believe that their religious righteousness should automatically buy them God's favor. You remember the Pharisee and the publican in Luke chapter 18! Many believers are just like the Pharisee in that story. They put their faith in their religious activities instead of Christ and Christ alone.
Paul concluded by adding, "So if you claim that God's promise is for those who obey God's law AND THINK THEY ARE "GOOD ENOUGH" IN GOD'S SIGHT, then you are saying that faith is useless. And in that case, the promise is also meaningless." Can it be more obvious! What Paul is saying here is what I have been emphasizing since. If the promise is for the hyper-righteous folks, then it is no longer of faith but works.
In Christ, we have everything by faith. Prostitutes can put their faith in Him and obtain the promise while the religious people are left out. Kenneth Hagin told a story of a woman who came to receive Holy Ghost baptism. As soon as a she stepped out, the whole congregation begins to murmur because they knew her well in that community.
So, as far as they are concerned, she wasn't good enough for the Holy Spirit. But at that moment, God opened Kenneth Hagin's eye and he saw how this woman confessed her sins to God before that night and explained to the congregation because he noticed their humming. He said he barely laid his hands her when she burst into tongues.
Beloved brothers and sisters, anything that is not of faith is sin. "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith." Remember, we are descendants of Abraham, Children of faith and promise and not of works. Be blessed until next time.
