Romans 4:13-25 (NRSV)
Read Romans 4:13-25 on biblegateway.com
Verse 13For 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. Verse 14If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. Verse 15For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. Verse 16For 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,
Verse 17as 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. Verse 18Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." Verse 19He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. Verse 20No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, Verse 21being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Verse 22Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness."
Verse 23Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, Verse 24but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, Verse 25who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Devotion
Abraham may have had feet of clay at times but he also made some moves that were good as gold, as we see in today’s text. That is, Paul sees Abraham as someone who did not waver in distress when it came to the promise of God. This ancestor in the faith was fully convinced that God was able to do what God had promised. Doubtless we all would wish to go for the gold as Abraham did. That is, we would like to live in the confidence that what God promises God will do. God promises a lot: life, love, hope, faith, strength, forgiveness, salvation, the presence of the Holy Spirit. All this is done “out of pure, fatherly and divine goodness and mercy” (Luther’s Catechism). Convinced, we respond along with Abraham, Luther and all the company of saints: “This is most certainly true!”
Prayer
We live in faith that what you promise, O God, you deliver. We pray that you will strengthen our faith and bring us to your promised deliverance. Amen.