Romans 4:1–5; 13–17 (NRSV)
Read Romans 4:1–5; 13–17 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 4What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? Verse 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. Verse 3For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." Verse 4Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. Verse 5But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. 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.
Devotion
Those who believe in Jesus as their Savior are heirs of the promise to Abraham, not of his flesh, but his faith in the promise. It was Abraham’s faith, Paul argues passionately, that saved him, not his tribal identity or following of the law, however good that was. Paul believed that all he had learned in his training in Jerusalem with Gamaliel ended in Christ. He was the one who was promised from the beginning. And it was the resurrection that proved Jesus was the Messiah. We are not Christians because our parents or grandparents were. Each of us must encounter God’s promises to us. When we do we become one with Christ and all who believe in him. A new family, and life! What joy!
Prayer
Dear Lord and Savior, we thank you for the faith to believe that it was your death and resurrection that gave us the power to become one with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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