Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
1 What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. 16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist
Devotional Thought
God acted first! We must always remember this truth. It is God who always takes the first initiative, which allows us to draw near to God through faith. It is because God is faithful that we can have faith and be faithful. If we mix this up and put our faith first, then faith because another work, just like the law, and it is not a free gift from God; it’s not grace! Our faith is a trust in what God has already done through Christ and our faithfulness is a living out of our trust in God, which is made possible through the Holy Spirit. So, once again, we are reminded that the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is always part of our ability to have faith and live faithfully. This should be an assurance to us of God’s love for us personally and corporately, and an assurance that it doesn’t depend on us being deserving or good enough. God is good enough for all of us and invites us into a life-changing relationship that saves us and gives us purpose for today, and each day.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we give you praise for your deep and expansive love that went to the cross and continues to pursue us each day. Lord, through your Spirit, would you draw us deeper into your love and enable us to trust in you more and more each day. And Lord, may we live faithfully before you and others that they too may come to understand and accept your love for them. Amen.
Rev Rob A. Fringer, Principal