Good morning and welcome back! I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was great...the entire family was together for the first time in 18 months! Morgan finally got to meet her nephew Joseph!
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| Morgan and Bobbi-Jo meet Joseph! |
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| Happy Grandma and fidgety kid! |
Chapter 4 presents us with some positive news and some good things to look forward to!
Paul closed chapter 3 with this line, "So, do we destroy the law by following the way of faith? No! Faith causes us to be what the law truly wants."( NCV). Another way to think of it- did what God do in the Hebrew Scriptures become irrelevant with Christ? Paul goes into a deep examination of Abraham to answer this question. Abraham was probably the most famous and most-loved of the Hebrew ancestors, so a good example to use.
If anyone could brag about being justified by works (v 2), it would have been Abraham. However, it wasn't his works that God loved- it was Abraham's faith (v 3). We hear in Genesis 15:6, "Abraham believed the Lord. The Lord was pleased with Abraham because he believed. So, Abraham's faith made him right with the Lord." (NIRV) Paul makes it clear that Abraham's righteousness wasn't from what he did, but what Abraham believed and had faith in. Paul continues by saying there is nothing you can do to earn the grace that God offers (vv 4-5), it is something that is given freely! Grace is a freely given gift; works mean you try to earn it (as you would earn a salary from doing work; people don't just give you money because they like you- usually!) If we think we have to work to get grace, then that puts God "in debt" to us- i.e. God would owe us something-- God doesn't owe anybody anything!
There is a brief interruption here with some words about David- we will come back to Abraham in v 9.
David (v 6+) knew what it was like to be a sinner and and be guilty! If God based judgement just on actions- David would have definitely been condemned! In Psalm 32, David talks about the joy and happiness of being found right with God because of faith, because of God's grace. God forgives, God pardons, God finds us not guilty.
Paul circles back to the ritual of circumcision- a huge discussion point of the Jews accepting the Gentiles into Christianity. Paul comments that God accepted Abraham's faith long before he was circumcised. Abraham was 99 year old (Genesis 17) when he was circumcised- long after God accepted his faith. This opens the door for Gentiles to be accepted by faith alone. Abraham's circumcision was an outward sign of his righteousness. Jews of the time understood and believed that to be a true descendant of Abraham, you needed to be circumcised (v 11-12). Paul insists that to be a true descendant of Abraham, you need to follow his footsteps of faith- not actions. This probably shocked the Jews- because Paul is now saying that the uncircumcised Gentiles are also children of Abraham!
God's interactions with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were before Moses, so there was no Mosaic Law, so they were right not by laws but by faith (v 13). The "purpose" of the laws were to bring about God's wrath- not because the laws were bad, but because we couldn't keep the laws. So it was the faith that was important. Our inability to keep the law is a vehicle for God's wrath to humanity.
The clincher verse in this chapter (and all of Paul's theology) comes now (v 16), "People receive God's promise by having faith." (NCV). Grace isn't gained by works, by following the laws, by any of that. Grace is appropriated by our faith, given to us because of our belief in God.
Genesis 17:5, God says to Abraham, "I am making you a father of all nations." Jews are the children of Abraham through their circumcision and the Laws of Moses; Gentiles are the children of Abraham because of their faith like Abraham...so we are all Abraham's descendants...and as descendants- heirs.
Although physically past the age of children, Abraham (about 100 years old now) continued to believe God and have faith. God said, "You will be the father of many nations." Abraham believed and continued to have hope that God would provide. Abraham's faith never wavered, and he continued to believe the promise God had made (v 20).
In the closing argument (vv 23- 25), Paul comments (again) that we need to have faith in God, that Jesus died for us, and that we will be found right with God through our faith.
By faith alone...
Tomorrow we venture into Paul's similarities between Adam and Jesus- a tough concept to understand!
Enjoy the day.
Shalom+
Pastor Paul
Pastor Paul
Thank you for the pictures - I loved them! And to be the grandparents this weekend is beyond great!
ReplyDeleteThis Chapter shows just how brilliant Paul was. Not only did he know several languages but knew Jewish law and history beyond question. Again Paul is taking what the Jews already know and believe to prove his point. My commentary says that the great Jewish leaders of the time believed that Abraham was justified by his works. But Paul clearly shows that Abraham was justified by his faith - because Abraham kept no law (as Pastor pointed out there was no law), rendered no service nor performed any ritual. And all this was done before he was circumcised - the outward sign of being one of God's chosen people - being a Jew. Abraham just believed. I can see why people were turned to Christianity after reading this letter - both at the time and later!
I have always believed we are justified by faith.
This was a great chapter. Looking forward to chapter 5.
The biggest point with Abraham, like we have said, there was no "law" as Moses was born 250 years after Abraham died (according to a few different commentaries-- I know we can't say exactly). Abraham continued to have faith in God, even in his old age when God said- you will be the father of many nations. Knowing Sarah was barren, he turned to Hagar and produced Ishmael. The "problem" was when Sarah now became pregnant with Isaac! Regardless, it was Abraham's faith= even when he took Isaac to be sacrificed.
DeleteGood points Donna
So glad you had a great weekend with the entire family. I'm sure you are looking forward to next weekend to spend time as grandparents with Joseph. It's tiring but oh so wonderful.
ReplyDeletePaul says that Faith is the answer for eternal life. It is not our following the law, doing good deeds being circumcised or not that leads us to God but our faith and belief in God that brings us into the fold.
Paul ever so gently tells us that Abraham was not circumcised til after he was righteous in God's eyes, which leads to the Jews and Gentiles both to be worthy of God's love. It is okay to have faith and follow the law but the law is nothing if there is no faith. This was a great chapter . Paul covers all bases for both Jews and Gentiles to be in God's kingdom.
Paul is very inclusive in his message-- too bad we current humans can't be so inclusive! We have lots to learn!
DeleteFaith is tough sometimes (like now!) but we need to continue to grow and learn!
Thanks Clara!
Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures! So happy for you and your family that were able to get together!
ReplyDeleteThe importance of circumcision still baffles me. That it continues to be brought up in reference to how faithful you are. I keep thinking where do women fit into this. I will admit as a woman my nose gets bent out of shape by what seems to be a lack of the importance of women.
I think I looked at this chapter different than most.
When God established his covenant with Abraham, God said that the "sign" you are part of this covenant would be circumcision. I don't know why God chose that as the sign for God's chosen people, but God did. Circumcision was practiced by several cultures during that time- mainly as a rite of passage, but in this case a symbol of a covenant. After Abraham, all Jewish boys were circumcised by their eighth birthday. The Greek opposed circumcision, even sentencing those practicing this custom to death! Circumcision became the first- and probably largest- discussion point between Christianity and Judaism. Circumcision is practiced today by the Jews- as their custom; it is also practiced by many cultures for various reasons (some medical, some religious), although there has been a recent tendency to move away from circumcision.
DeleteThere is often a reference of "circumcision of the heart" means to cut off our fleshy nature and be more focused on God and our spiritual nature.
Unfortunately- women were not very highly regarded in the ancient world and there is no religious component to them following the covenant- other than what their husband does! Interesting point- women were the primary religion educators for the children! They were important!
I hear your views Cindy!
Today was a really good to read this particular chapter. I have been friends with a lady for about 35 yrs. She is now 87. She was a neighbor, sort of, she lived up the hill from me. She and I have truly been good friends. She had to move to live with her daughter a number of years ago because of poor health but I have visited her since she left Apalachin. I knew that her health was failing but couldn't spend much time with her because of Covid. Because we are both vaccinated, I saw her today. She has really failed and I am sad.
ReplyDeleteThis lady has more faith than anyone I have ever known. Even today she said that she is in God's hands which comforts her. I cannot remember a time when something bad has happened to her that she blamed God or asked "why her". She always thanks God for getting her through it.
Today, as weak as she was, she got her prayer book out and read me a prayer asking God for a sense of humor. She said that when things get really tough it's good to remember not to get to somber and have a sense of humor.
I hope God will let her be here for a long time. Her faith is inspiring and never far away from her. She is a person who lives her faith. She is an example of a person who will be justified by faith, I'm sure.
What a great story about your neighbor! It is refreshing for us to see someone with great faith. It gives us incentive to be like them! I had someone that was a member of Little Meadows that had great faith like that. I always enjoyed sitting and chatting with her. Even in her last days- she was grateful for God and still looking at what she had. In John Wesley's "stages of grace", she was definitely at the final stage- sanctifying grace. She was a saint to all of us.
ReplyDeleteYour neighbor has a definite grasp on justification by faith! She is there certainly!
Thanks so much for sharing Cathy!
I can't help but wonder if, at that time, that years were tied to the phases of the moon. What I mean is that a rear was approximately 28 days. Life expectancies at that time were about 30-35 years. If Abraham lived to be 100, that is so far past the life expectancy of that time. If a year was 28 days, say, then Abraham would have lived around 3.6 years which is totally ridiculous. h point I am trying to make here is that a year, in Abraham's time, could have been substantially less than 365 days.
ReplyDeletePeople always question the validity of ages of people in the Bible. Methuselah, one of the great patriarchs of the Hebrew people, lived to be over 900 years old! Abraham and Sarah were over 100; Moses was 120 years old when he died.
ReplyDeleteI take these ages to say" they were really old" which, in Biblical times, was probably more like 50 or 60 or so!
Good though!