Romans 4:16-25 Worship Pastor Justin Taylor To be a son or daughter of Abraham is a reason to praise the Lord! To be saved is to be saved into a family; and as Romans 4:16 says, “Abraham is the father of us all.” The Gentiles inclusion into the Covenant family of God (by faith) was one of the most controversial ideas within the New Testament Church. Paul’s letter to the Romans was full of this reality, and it is the sub-text of the entire book. The idea that God could accept the Gentiles was not controversial, but they were seen as a people who had limited access to temple life, limited requirements under the Law, and limited fellowship with other Jews. If you really wanted full participation in the covenant family of God, you had to convert to Judaism by accepting circumcision. But Paul is showing the people that Gentiles are includes as Gentiles. This wasn’t by conversion to Judaism, as marked by circumcision; but by faith in Jesus, as marked by Baptism.(Acts 10:45, Eph 3:4-6, Acts 22:22) Paul addresses this whole concept of Gentile inclusion through the lens of the patriarch of the Jewish faith…Abraham. (Rom 4:16-17) Abraham is our father if we share his faith (we believe what Abraham believed). What did Abraham believe? (Rom 4:18-22): Abraham believed God would give him children as numerous as the stars (Gen 15:4-6) – Abraham believed God would, and we believe He did because we are the stars that were promised to Abraham! Being saved means being saved into a family. You have a Father, a firstborn Brother, and many brothers and sisters. (Heb 11:39-40) Abraham believed God called his family for a purpose (Gen 12:1-3) – God blessed Abraham to be a blessing, but He called him because He loves the nations – and He wants to bless them as well. (Gen 18:17-18; 22:17-17; 26:4; 28:14) Abraham believed that God loves the nations and wants to bless them. And if we share Abraham’s faith, we must believe that too. We have been saved into a family whose calling is to bless the nations. Abraham believed in Resurrection (Romans 4:17-19) – Because of his faith, his circumstances, and his actions, we know that Abraham believed in resurrection. He was old (100 at the time), and his wife Sarah was barren and old. Once they did have Isaac, Abraham was told to sacrifice his son. He was willing to do that because he had faith that God would provide. God provided a lamb then, and God later provided The Lamb, Jesus. (Rom 4:20-25) We have been saved into a resurrection family, and when we believe in resurrection, we are actually sharing in the faith of Abraham; who believed it all along. How does this affect us today? Galatians 5:6 says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” This love is not only towards individuals, but between all groups of people – even the groups we do not agree with. Apart from his faith, Abraham had many reasons to feel similar to the way many of us do today. He was not at home in his own country. He knew what it was like to see his own country slipping through his fingers. He knew what it was like to lose the freedoms he once enjoyed. He even had to leave his country due to famine. He feared for his children’s safety, even to the point of sacrificing his own son. These are all hypothetical fears because we know that Abraham did have faith, and He believed God, and God counted it to him as righteousness. Not only did Abraham believe the bullet points above, but he also believed that the country he was promised came from God. (Heb 11:8-10, 16). Abraham’s faith says, “I am free to bless you because you cannot take my life from me, nor the life of my children because I believe in the resurrection.” Abraham’s faith says, “I bless you because you cannot take my country from me, because my true country is on its way down from heaven.” (Gal 4:26; Rev 21:1-2; Rev 11:15). Questions to Consider: Discuss a time when it was hard to keep God’s promises. What helped you keep trusting? What does it look like for you show faith in your everyday life like Abraham did? As a part of Abraham’s family with a purpose, how do you love the nations? We are called to love all people groups. Who is “across the divide” from you? (political, theological, ideological, ethnic, cultural, national, etc.) What does it look like to love them well? What faith step is God calling you to right now?