Ch. 4:13-25
Live by Faith
Why do we want to talk about this? Verses 13-25.
It is clearly important we understand the doctrine of justification by faith alone, but we also must understand how to live that out. Many questions arise at this doctrine such as how are we to live by faith? How do works play a role in the Christian life or do they not matter? I aim to delve into these types of questions in this section. Good theology always leads to action.
Why was God’s promise to Abraham not based on the law? Verse 13-22.
The Mosaic Law had not yet been given and wouldn’t be for another 645 years. This is mentioned in Galatians 3:17 and Paul uses 430 years because he is not referring to the initial giving of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12-15, but to the later confirmation of the covenant to Jacob in Genesis 46 (~1877 B.C.). Since the Exodus occurred ~1447 B.C. this would be exactly 430 years (1 Kings 6:1) before the children of Israel came out of Egypt.
It was based on God’s declaration of Abraham’s righteousness through faith. This must be the case because we cannot keep the law because we are sinful.
Since we cannot keep the law it cannot bring us into the blessings of God’s promises. Instead, our inability to keep the law essentially makes it a vehicle for God’s wrath towards us.
What does this tell us about our own faith? Verses 23-25.
We are only counted as righteous through faith! We cannot be justified by the law with our works because we cannot keep the law. Therefore, someone else must uphold it for us or else we could never receive the blessings of God’s promises. If it were not for the atoning work of Christ we would never be able to be made right with God and experience any of the blessings He has promised to His people.
What are some of the promised blessings of God for His people?
Salvation and eternal life to all who believe in His Son (Romans 1:16-17).
All things will work out for the good of His children (Romans 8:28).
He will provide comfort in our trials (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
New life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
All spiritual blessings through Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
He will finish the work He starts in us (Philippians 1:6).
We have peace in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7).
He will supply our needs (Matthew 6:33, Philippians 4:19).
We have rest in Christ (Matthew 11:28-30).
Abundant life which is spiritual not physical (John 10:10).
Christ will return one day and bring us to Him (John 14:2-3).
We should have hope knowing we don’t have to earn these blessings, He has already done the work and they are given to those who believe!
What is hope? Verse 18.
“The two most common Hebrew words for hope are the noun tiqvah [תִּקְוָה] and the verb yachal [יָחַל]. Taken literally tiqvah refers to a cord, but when used figuratively it aligns with yachal and means to desire, expect, or wait. The Greek uses the noun elpis (ἐλπίς) and the verb elpizó (ἐλπίζω). While elpis refers to a sense of trust or confidence in an expectation, elpizó is actively anticipating and expecting. These also appear in the Septuagint (the Greek OT) as translations of tiqvah and yachal, respectively.
Translating this into English we can refer to hope as a confident expectation of something good. Steven Lawson describes hope as “a confident expectation of what is going to happen in the future. There is no doubt. It is a rock-ribbed confidence. Here is another word, “assurance.” It is a confident assurance. You can bank on this.”” - Luke Marriner, Hope Against Hope. TO BE REWRITTEN.
Hebrew tiqvah is pronounced tik-vaw' and yachal is yaw-chal'.
Greek elpis is pronounced el-pece' and elpizó is el-pid'-zo.
Is this how we talk about hope today? Verse 18.
No, it is most certainly not.
“This meaning has been blurred and tainted over time to a point where most people use hope to describe nothing more than wishful thinking. We make claims such as, “I hope this test goes well tomorrow,” “I hope I get this job offer,” “I hope I get married someday,” and so on, but is this hope? No. How can you have a confident assurance that your test will go well? How can you have a confident assurance that you will get the job offer? How can you have a confident assurance that you will be married someday? You cannot have hope in fallible sources, there must be an infallible source of truth to give us such strong assurance, to give us true hope.”” - Luke Marriner, Hope Against Hope.
How did Abraham hope against hope? Verse 18.
Despite everything in the world telling him there is no way he is going to have a child, especially with his wife Sarah, Abraham did not place his trust in what the world was telling him. He knew that true hope cannot be found in the world.
Abraham was ~75 when God promised that he would be the father of many nations and ~100 when Isaac was finally born. His wife was also very old and anything in the world would be telling them there is no chance they are having any children at that age (2 Corinthians 5:7).
The first hope is in God, the second is in anything outside God. It is so wonderful that we have a God who is not only sovereign but who is good. Now I hope it’s clear God hasn’t made a covenant with any of us about being the father of many nations, but we can certainly trust Him to come through on all of His promises which we talked about a couple of questions ago, and any others He has made in His Word to His people. Ultimately, our hope is in God and not in any specific outcome. Even if what we pray for does not come to pass, we will still praise Him. Our hope submits to God’s will.
Now that we know what hope is and are growing in our trust in the Lord (internal application), how does this affect our outward actions (external application)?
We are to show others grace.
We are to show ourselves grace.
Why should we show grace to others?
It is a tool for witnessing to others (John 13:34-35).
Everything comes back to love. Our salvation is from love and so we point others to Christ in the same manner (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, John 3:16).
How do we show grace to others?
Forgiveness. Not forgetting what others have done, we must learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others, but we must also forgive just as the Lord has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:14, Matthew 18:21-22).
Serving others with the various spiritual gifts, natural talents, and practical gifts the Lord has provided us with (1 Peter 4:10, 1 Corinthians 14:12).
Loving one another. Not changing minds through intellectual debate, but through showing love in sharing the truth with others and caring for them (Romans 12:10, Ephesians 4:15, Psalm 86:5).
Why should we show grace to ourselves?
“Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.” - Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace.
Saying you are too far gone for God’s grace is arrogance.
It is diminishing God’s power and love.
Even with Christ, we will still mess up. God uses these mistakes to keep us humble and show His power and love (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
How do we show grace to ourselves?
Recognize that we are both sinners and saints. Recognize our forgiveness before God but also the evil of our own sin. We are to mourn over sin, a tremendous example of which is given in Ezra 9, but we are not to let our sin affect how we know we are viewed before God.
Praise God for His goodness and grace and mercy. Ask for more grace. Confess your sin to others. Get back up and realize that sulking in sin and not taking action to move on from it and learn from it does nothing to further your sanctification. GET BACK UP AND PURSUE CHRIST, HIS HEART IS NEAREST TO THOSE WHO SO DESPERATELY NEED HIM!
This is seen in the description of the Lord’s heart in Lamentations 3 and in the building of the Tabernacle in Exodus 25 being in the middle of the wilderness, where God’s people sinned against Him the most!
What should we do when we fall from grace?
Humble yourself before God, and ask for forgiveness and more grace. Repent!
There was once a time when we would not be able to approach God. In the OT it is made clear that only the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies (the innermost part of the Tabernacle where God dwells) once a year on the Day of Atonement to burn incense and sprinkle sacrificial animal blood to expiate his own sins and the sins of the people of Israel. If the high priest was unclean when he entered the Holy of Holies he’d be struck down immediately by God’s holiness. For this reason, there was a rope tied around the high priest’s ankle.
This is a stark contrast to now. We are not only able to but told to “approach God’s throne with confidence” (Hebrews 4:15-16). Instead of cleansing ourselves with ceremonies, we are clean in God’s sight because of Christ.
We can enter with all our sins and iniquities because when God looks at us He sees Christ, the great and final high priest. “Christ turns the Father's eyes to His own righteousness to avert His gaze from our sins. He so reconciles the Father's heart to us that by His intercession He prepares a way and access for us to the Father's throne.” - John Calvin.
This is incredibly encouraging; unlike other religions where we would have to work to redeem ourselves, we are already redeemed and can face God with confidence in Christ.
Resources:
Romans 4 Enduring Word.
Does God Promise to Feed and Clothe Christians? dG, John Piper.
What does it mean to “fall from grace” (Galatians 5:4)? Got Questions.
Galatians 3:17—Does Paul err in the amount of time between Abraham and the time the Law was given? Defending Inerrancy.
What did Jesus mean when He said that we should forgive others seventy times seven? GQ.
Sermons: