The Faith of Abraham

The faith of uncircumcised Abraham provides an example for Jewish and Gentile believers who live from the faith of Jesus – Romans 4:11-17.

God began to implement His plan to redeem humanity by establishing His Covenant with Abraham, starting with the call for the Patriarch to leave his homeland for the “land I will show you.” Yahweh would produce a “great nation” from the Patriarch, and the Covenant would bring blessings to all the “nations of the Earth.” The promise of territory was central to the Covenant.

In his Letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of faith, the model for every man and woman who chooses to live “from the faith of Jesus.” Paul also called Abraham the “Heir of the World.”

[Alpine Flowers - Photo by Jingda Chen on Unsplash]

The original promise of territory finds its fulfillment in the coming resurrection of Jewish and Gentile believers who will inhabit the New Creation. The Patriarch and those who live from the same faith will inherit the “world,” the ‘kosmos’ - (Romans 4:11-17, Genesis 17:4-5).

In the Book of Genesis, God declared Abraham “righteous” while he was uncircumcised. He was justified before God apart from the “works of the Law” or Torah that was given centuries later, and which required the circumcision of all males.

• “And he brought him forth abroad and said: Look, now, toward the heavens and number the stars if you can number them. And He said to him, So will your seed be. And he trusted in Yahweh, and he reckoned it to him for righteousness” – (Genesis 15:5-6).

• “For what does the Scripture say? And Abraham believed in God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness” – (Romans 4:3).

Because of his faith in the promise of God, Abraham became the “father” of everyone who is “from faith,” circumcised or not. All who are from that faith become heirs of the covenant promises along with the Patriarch.

Paul’s reference to believers emulating the “faith of Abraham” is a verbal link to his explanation in Chapter 3 of Romans on how men are acquitted before God:

• “The righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all those who believe” – (Romans 3:21-24. Also, Galatians 2:15-21).

It is not generic faith or the exercise of faith that saves us, but the source, content, and target of that faith. Sinners are justified “from” (‘ek’ - εκ) the faith or faithfulness of Jesus, and they respond accordingly by placing faith in him and what God accomplished in his Death and Resurrection.

It is his faithful act of “obedience unto death” that justifies and saves us, a very specific act of faith, namely, the sacrificial death of Jesus. All we can do is respond in faith to God’s gracious provision of salvation.

• “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted him and gave unto him the name which is above every name” – (Philippians 2:8-9).

References to “promise” and “heir” in Romans point to future realities. For Abraham and his “seed,” the promised inheritance is the entire “world” or ‘kosmos’. The Apostle to the Gentiles has universalized the original promise of territory in Palestine to include the “world,” the Cosmos.

HEIR OF THE COSMOS

The promise was to Abraham and “his seed,” and this group includes all men and women who walk according to the “faith of Abraham.” The inheritance is through faith and grace; therefore, the “promise is firm to all the seed.” God appointed Abraham to be the “Father of many nations,” not just of Israel.

The description of the Patriarch as the “heir of the world” and the “father of all who believe” anticipates the detailed discussion of our future hope in Romans Chapter 8. We have received the “Spirit of adoption” and call God “Father.” If we are His “children,” then are we also the “heirs of God” and the “coheirs” of Jesus.

Regardless of the sufferings of this present life, the “coheirs” of Christ will be “delivered from bondage and corruption” when they receive the “redemption of their bodies,” namely, the bodily resurrection when Jesus arrives from Heaven – (Romans 8:15-23).

Abraham qualified for this inheritance because he believed in the promise of the same God who “raises the dead and calls the things that are not into being.” Paul applies this to the Patriarch’s belief that God would grant him “seed” as promised, namely Isaac, even though Sarah’s womb was “dead.” Central to our salvation is our bodily resurrection.

Paul finds the fulfillment of the promise of land to Abraham as men and women from every nation are gathered into the Church. The Gospel is a fundamental part of the “Blessings of Abraham” promised for the Gentile nations, and its proclamation will conclude with our resurrection from the dead and life in the “New Heavens and New Earth.”

The Abrahamic Covenant finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the “Seed of Abraham,” and in the Good News of the Kingdom proclaimed by him and his followers to “the ends of the Earth,” “to every nation.” As the Gospel progresses, God’s promises that Abraham would have “descendants as countless as the stars” and that “nations will come from him” are fulfilled.

What God began when He first called Abraham out of “Ur of the Chaldees” finds fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth, his message, and God's kingdom. All men who respond to the “faithfulness of Jesus” with repentance and faith become “children of Abraham,” “coheirs with Christ,” and, therefore, “heirs of the world” along with “our father, Abraham.”

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SEE ALSO:

• The Seed of Abraham - (Jesus is the Seed of Abraham, the heir of the covenant promises, and receipt of the inheritance is based on how we respond to him)

• One New Man - (Since his Death and Resurrection, Jesus has been forming one new covenant community - One New Man - based on faith in him – Ephesians 2:11-22)

• Good News for all Men - (The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth provides salvation and life for men and women of every nation and people)

• La foi d'Abraham - (La foi d'Abraham incirconcis est un exemple pour les croyants juifs et gentils qui vivent de la foi de Jésus - Romains 4: 11-17)