The Faith of Abraham
Romans 4:18-22
November 25, 2007
In Romans 3:28 Paul made a statement
That he obviously takes very seriously.
Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
I think it is obvious that he meant it,
For all of chapter 4 has been to prove that point.
He then started this chapter by saying:
Romans 4:1 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?”
Paul was about to use Abraham as a chief example
To prove that man was not saved by works, but by faith in God.
And that is exactly what he has done.
Paul has been defending his point
That man is justified by faith alone.
It is faith that brings the blessing of forgiveness.
Romans 4:6-8 “just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”
It is faith that brings the security of the promise.
Romans 4:13 “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.”
It is faith that that allows us to experience grace.
Romans 4:16 “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,”
Paul’s point has been unmistakable.
Man is justified by faith.
And whatever it looked like,
We know that Abraham had the kind of faith that God justifies.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT FAITH LOOK LIKE?
We have spoken of many times,
That there is a difference between faith and saving faith.
Every human on the face of the planet has some degree of faith.
When you turn on a faucet, When you direct your car onto a freeway,
When you scan your credit card into a gas pump…
The point is there is a required amount of faith in order to function in life.
But obviously this is not the type of faith that God is looking for.
The faith God wants is more than just the general faith of mankind.
God is looking for what we call “saving faith”.
The difference is clearly seen in James.
James 2:14-19 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”
James rightly reveals that even demons believe in God,
But that does not make them saved.
There is obviously something more to saving faith.
There are two main that set saving faith apart from regular faith.
Saving faith Obeys
Saving faith Perseveres
If you don’t obey you don’t really believe.
That is why Jesus said:
John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”
(Like the Weedy Soil)
If you don’t obey you don’t really believe.
And if you don’t persevere you don’t really believe.
1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”
(Like the Rocky Soil)
If you don’t persevere you don’t really believe.
Neither the weedy soil (who doesn’t obey)
Nor the rocky soil (who doesn’t persevere)
Have the type of faith God is looking for,
And that is evident because neither brought any fruit to maturity.
There were no works to prove their faith,
And if you will remember we mentioned a couple of weeks ago,
That works prove faith.
And so as we read the Scripture,
We quickly find that in order to be saved, God wants faith,
And the faith we are speaking of is a life-changing faith.
And according to Paul it is the faith of Abraham.
Which is what Paul taught us last week.
Romans 4:16 “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,”
It is those who have saving faith who will be saved,
It is those who have the faith of Abraham who will be saved.
BUT WHAT DID ABRAHAM’S FAITH LOOK LIKE?
That is what Paul will show us this morning.
5 characteristics of the faith of Abraham.
#1 HE HAD A SIMPLE FAITH
Romans 4:18
I’m thankful, that if we have to have a faith like Abraham to be saved,
That the first characteristic is that it was simple.
Think God it doesn’t require
Some great amount of intellectual ability to be saved.
BUT ABRAHAM’S ISN’T.
“In hope against hope he believed,”
Now by simple, I don’t mean for you to think it was weak.
Abraham’s faith wasn’t weak.
“In hope against hope”
He hoped for something in which, humanly speaking, there was no hope.
But despite the utter absurdity of what he hoped for,
Look at the simplicity of his faith.
“he believed”.
THERE IT IS.
Simple, matter of fact, not complex.
Abraham just believed.
And this is the first aspect of saving faith.
It is a simple belief.
It is what a child has.
Matthew 18:1-4 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
It doesn’t take some sort of superior intelligence, it just takes a simple belief and surrender to God that defies human logic.
In fact, simple belief is actually harder for those who trust in logic.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
It is also harder for the self sufficient
Matthew 19:23-24 “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
And it is harder for the self-righteous
Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
God isn’t asking for some great degree of intelligence,
Or some level of worldly power,
Or some standard of moral excellence.
God is just asking for a simple faith. A faith like a child would give Him.
And this is what Abraham had.
And if you want to see even more of it, look at the rest of this verse.
“In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.”
DO YOU WANT TO SEE HOW SIMPLE ABRAHAM’S FAITH WAS?
All Abraham did was believe what God said.
“he believed…according to that which had been spoken”
People continually try to make more out of faith than God intended
God never asked you to do more than believe what He said.
People today seem to try and take that to a new level.
They first put words in God’s mouth and then try to believe that.
They first try to pretend God said something
And then they try to make it come true by believing it.
That is not what Abraham did.
That (as a matter of fact) is what Satan tried to get Jesus to do.
Matthew 4:5-7 “Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'”
Satan was really challenging the faith of Jesus there.
Satan wanted Jesus to force God to protect Him.
Satan still applies that pressure today.
He wants you to do something God has never told you to do,
And if you don’t, he starts accusing you of not really believing God.
That is not faith in God that is faith in faith.
That is manipulative, and it goes beyond what Abraham did.
Abraham had a simple faith, that simply believed what God said, And he believed it beyond the point of human logic.
So Abraham had a simple faith.
#2 HE HAD A STRONG FAITH
Romans 4:19
When I say his faith is simple, I also don’t want you to think it was weak.
That is not the case at all.
DID YOU NOTICE WHAT PAUL SAID?
“Without becoming weak in faith”
It didn’t matter what circumstances he walked through,
The bible says that Abraham did not become weak in faith.
WHAT TYPE OF CIRCUMSTANCES DID HE GO THROUGH?
He had to face some discouraging facts right in the face.
“he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;”
We know that Abraham had made some mistakes up to this point.
When he was 86 years old he went in to Hagar and conceived Ishmael.
Obviously that was an act of disobedience.
But now, 14 years later, when God reiterated that promise.
Genesis 18:9-11 “Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.”
Even though Abraham could look at his own body,
He could look at Sarah’s body and see that physically,
There was no way Sarah was having a child.
Even then, his faith did not become weak.
In Genesis 18 Sarah laughed, but Abraham believed.
He still never doubted.
Now listen, there is nothing complex about that faith,
It is still simple, but it is obviously also very strong.
DO YOU REALIZE IT’S BEEN 25 YEARS SINCE THE INITIAL PROMISE?
There was a time when I believed God, but not any more.
It’s been too long. It is too difficult now.
But not Abraham.
His faith was strong.
He literally believed the impossible.
John 11:23-26 “Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
God isn’t asking for some sort of complex faith,
Just a simple strong faith.
He just wants you to believe what He says.
And to continue believing it even if your body is dead,
And your brother has been in the ground 4 days.
It was simple It was strong
#3 HE HAD A STEADY FAITH
Romans 4:20
And of course this walks very closely to the previous points.
But not only did Abraham believe the impossible,
And believe even when logic said he shouldn’t have,
But Abraham also never wavered.
“yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith giving glory to God,”
What a great statement about the type of faith that God is looking for.
“he did not waver”
God is not looking for a faith that is dictated by the polls…
God is not looking for a fair weather faith…
God is looking for a faith that will not quit.
James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
In contrast speaking of apostates:
Jude 12-13 “These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”
Abraham “did not waver”.
Obviously his steadfastness was a result of his strong faith.
The reason we know his faith was strong, was because he did not waver.
He continued to seek God…
He continued to trust God…
He continued to obey God…
This is what God wants from us.
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Too many times today our faith is anything but steady.
We vacillate on what we believe.
We ride the fence, we speak out of both sides of our mouth.
We are anything but a model of conviction.
Ephesians 4:11-14 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;”
The point is God wants us to know what He said,
Believe what He said, and continue to believe what He said
Without wavering until it happens.
Don’t let circumstances unnerve you…
Don’t let false prophets unnerve you…
Don’t let your own logic unnerve you…
Just have the faith that continues to believe God
Without wavering until God comes through on His word.
And did you notice the end of that verse?
The reason God wants us to have that type of unwavering (steady) faith
Is because that type of faith gives “glory to God”
A simple faith A strong faith A stead faith
#4 HE HAD A SINCERE FAITH
Romans 4:21
And this statement obviously can be seen in the other points,
But it also gives a little more insight.
We see the characteristics of strength and steadiness again:
“and being fully assured that what God had promised”
That still encompasses all that we have said.
He simply believed what God said, he believed it through logic,
And he never wavered, but was fully assured.
But this verse gives us more insight into the faith of Abraham.
“being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform”
If you had any doubt until now,
We can see that 100% absolute recipient of the faith of Abraham was God.
Abraham wasn’t really concerned if his body was fit enough…
Abraham wasn’t really concerned if his faith was strong enough…
Abraham wasn’t really concerned if he might have heard wrong…
Abraham believed that God could and would do what He said.
That is sincere faith.
Many times we claim to believe in God,
What we really are believing in is ourselves.
We say we believe that Jesus can save us,
But really we place our hope in the fact that we walked the aisle,
Or that we prayed a prayer, or that we really believe.
God isn’t asking you to believe in faith.
God isn’t asking you to believe in prayer.
God isn’t asking you to believe in submission.
GOD IS ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE IN HIM.
Don’t get off track.
People today say, “Prayer works!” (true)
People say, “Faith works!” (true)
People say, “Submission works!” (true)
But those are demonstrations of faith, not recipients of faith.
The faith of Abraham was in God.
He knew that God could do what He said.
“He was able also to perform”
That is the faith God wants.
To believe that Jesus was MERCIFUL enough to take our sins.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
To believe that Jesus was RIGHTEOUS enough to overcome the grave.
Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
To believe that Jesus is POWERFUL enough to secure our salvation.
Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
To believe that Jesus is FAITHFUL enough to come back and get us.
John 14:1-3 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
IT IS FAITH IN GOD THAT ABRAHAM HAD.
DO YOU SEE WHAT SAVING FAITH LOOKS LIKE?
It is simple faith (simply believing what God said)
It is strong faith (even when logic says otherwise, it still believes)
It is steady faith (life circumstances can’t shatter it)
It is sincere faith (he doesn’t believe in himself, he truly believes in God)
And because that was Abraham’s faith, there is one more characteristic.
#5 HE HAD A SAVING FAITH
Romans 4:22
Because Abraham’s faith was simple, strong, steady, and sincere,
God “credited to Him as righteousness.”
God forgave his sin, God washed away his past,
God instantly justified him
Apart from any work, ability, or goodness of his own.
Abraham was saved because he gave God
The type of faith that God was looking for.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
That is what I want you to realize this morning.
There is a difference between faith and saving faith.
There is a difference between faith and the faith Abraham had.
God isn’t just looking for some sort of sentimental, intellectual belief.
A faith that wavers with the whims of logic,
A faith that falters under testing,
A faith that puts you at the center instead of God at the center.
God simply wants you to believe what He said,
And believe it so much that not only do you obey it,
But you do not waver from it, until the promise is fulfilled.
The Bible says, if you will give God that kind of faith,
God will give you righteousness.
John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
