What does Abraham have to do with me?

How would you summarize the first three chapters of Romans in three words or less? Pretty tough, right? But for me, the three words that come to mind are justification by faith. Just think about some of the incredible truths that Paul has already unpacked:

“For in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith (1:17).’”

“The righteousness of God [is] through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (3:22).”

“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law (3:28).”

Paul wants Christians in Rome (and us) to not only know about justification by faith, but to know that they are justified by faith. But because Paul is a master communicator, he can sense some objections rising in the hearts of his readers, and his response to those objections is to call to the stand as a witness one of the most central and familiar figures in the entire biblical story: Abraham.

Paul makes the claim, quoting from Genesis 15:6, that Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. It’s not that Abraham was better than others, or that he was circumcised, or that he kept the law. It’s that God credited him with a righteousness that did not belong to him.

But look at Romans 4:3 again: how and why did that justification happen? It happened because “Abraham believed God.” What did God say that Abraham believed? God promised to make Abraham “the father of many nations (v. 17).” He promised Abraham offspring in Genesis 12, but by Genesis 15 Abraham still had none. Not only that, but he was about a hundred years old, and his wife Sarah was unable to conceive (v. 19). Not exactly a recipe for someone to become “the father of many nations.” And Abraham wasn’t oblivious to that fact. He knew that his body was “as good as dead (v. 19).” Yet in the midst of that, Abraham shows us what true faith - believing God - looks like.

And here’s the incredible truth Paul wants the church in Rome (and us) to understand: “The words ‘it was counted to him’ were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also (vv. 23-24).”

What was true for Abraham is true for us! He was justified by trusting in God’s promise of offspring in the future; we are justified by trusting in what one of his offspring achieved.

I know what you’re thinking: “That’s great, Ryan. Thanks for reminding me of the story of Abraham. But what does Abraham have to do with me?” Remember why Paul is calling Abraham as a witness: to prove that justification has always been and will always be by faith, from Abraham to the Roman believers to us now. 

So an even better question to ask is: What difference does it make in my life that I’ve been justified by faith? While there are many answers to that question, here are four qualities that Paul implies justification by faith should cultivate in us:

If righteousness has been credited to us by faith and not earned or achieved by our good behavior or accomplishments, we have nothing to boast about. Paul asks the question in Romans 3:27, “Then what becomes of our boasting?” The answer is that “it is excluded.” 

Justification by faith frees us up to see ourselves correctly, as people who have nothing to bring to the spiritual table other than our need. Just like Abraham, who realized that his body was “as good as dead,” we can be honest about our shortcomings and celebrate the fact that the glory belongs to God and not to us (v. 20).

Justification by faith undercuts the pride that causes disunity. It uproots everything we could potentially put our confidence in because it tells us first that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That word all includes Jews and Gentiles, black and white, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, Tech fans and (deep breath) Longhorn fans, male and female, and whatever other boundary markers you can think of. All have sinned and are justified freely by his grace. 

When my confidence is in Jesus, I’m freed up to consider others as more important than myself because I don’t have anything to prove. I can lay down my desires and preferences like Jesus did. Justification by faith tears down the dividing wall of hostility by hammering away at our pride and comparison, enabling brothers and sisters to live together in real, God-given unity.

One of the most consistent battles I faced in college was a lack of assurance. When I thought I had let God down, my thoughts would start to spiral:

Does God still love me?

Is he going to give up on me?

Am I even still a Christian?

But the beauty of justification by faith is that if I didn’t do anything to earn it, I can’t do anything to lose it either. My faith is not in how faithful I am to Jesus - my faith is in Jesus’ faithfulness to me. 

Abraham wasn’t perfect (have you read Genesis 12? Or Genesis 16? Or Genesis 20?). The life of faith is not a life of perfection. It’s a life of trusting that God is able and willing to do what he promised (v. 21). Our assurance doesn’t rest in our ability, or even the strength of our faith, but in God’s faithfulness to his promises. That’s why Paul says with absolute confidence in Romans 8:30: “Those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” You can be sure of your future because you can be certain of God’s character.

Abraham and Sarah didn’t deny their circumstances - they just didn’t put their faith in their circumstances. Even when things looked hopeless, with Abraham’s body as good as dead and Sarah unable to conceive, they believed that God wasn’t bound by their circumstances. That’s hope - not just a wish that something would happen, but a confidence that it will - a confidence rooted in God and his character. As people who are living on this side of the cross and the resurrection, we continue to follow the example of Abraham, not putting our hope in our circumstances but in the God who isn’t bound by them. How can you know that he’s worthy of your hope? Because he was delivered up for your trespasses and raised for your justification (v. 25). We can face whatever pain or grief comes our way with hope, because our hope is in the God who “gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”

Justification by faith creates a new humility, a new unity, a new assurance, and new hope in us as we walk by faith and not by sight, trusting that the one who was faithful to Abraham will continue to be faithful to us.

Ryan Perkins served as the Next Gen Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas before joining the staff of Redeemer Lubbock as a church planting resident. He will move to Austin, TX in 2023 with his wife Callie and the rest of the New City Church team, where He will serve as the Executive Director of Discipleship and Formation. 

References

Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans in The New International Commentary Series (Eerdmans, 1996), 262.

Timothy Keller, Romans 1-7 For You (The Good Book Company, 2014), 94.