Taking God at His Word
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Romans 4:20-25
True faith trusts all that God promises and that they will come to fulfillment. There are those that think faith means approving to certain truths. Yet the Scripture teaches that faith is taking God at His word. James said “even the demons believe and shudder” (James 2:19). It is obvious that their belief is not what saves individuals from eternal punishment. They believe that God exists and that Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 3:11). They also recognized Him as the judge that can send them to a place of punishment (Luke 8:31). The demons believe everything about God but they will not trust Him. Faith is more than believing. It is to trust God that He will keep His promises found in His Word. From the text, the apostle Paul cited Abraham as an example of what true faith looked like. Abraham was willing to act on his faith even when he did not know what will be the outcome of his actions. All He knew was that he can count on God to keep His word. He left Ur and went to the land that he did not know and was not familiar with (see Genesis 12). Later he was told that he will have descendants. He was already advanced in age as well as his wife Sara (see Genesis 15). Yet, he did not waver on his faith. “He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.” Abraham showed what true faith looked like. He was willing to take God at His word. Then Paul said about the faith of Abraham that “his faith grew stronger” Abraham was more convinced that God has the power to fulfill all He promised. True faith acts and places trust in the promises of God. He discovered this truth once he acted on his faith. How you perceive God as the focus of your faith will determine how strong or weak that faith is. When you live your life having God the focus of your faith, He will lead you to act on that basis. Your obedience to Him will bring glory to His name. Because of Abraham’s faith, “God counted him as righteous.”
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
