Study Desk

So what can we say that Abraham, the father of our people, learned about faith?

because the Scripture says, "Abraham believed God, and God accepted Abraham's faith, and that faith made him right with God."

But people cannot do any work that will make them right with God. So they must trust in him, who makes even evil people right in his sight. Then God accepts their faith, and that makes them right with him.

Is this blessing only for those who are circumcised or also for those who are not circumcised? We have already said that God accepted Abraham's faith and that faith made him right with God.

Abraham was circumcised to show that he was right with God through faith before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the father of all those who believe but are not circumcised; he is the father of all believers who are accepted as being right with God.

And Abraham is also the father of those who have been circumcised and who live following the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Abraham and his descendants received the promise that they would get the whole world. He did not receive that promise through the law, but through being right with God by his faith.

If people could receive what God promised by following the law, then faith is worthless. And God's promise to Abraham is worthless,

So people receive God's promise by having faith. This happens so the promise can be a free gift. Then all of Abraham's children can have that promise. It is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

Abraham was almost a hundred years old, much past the age for having children, and Sarah could not have children. Abraham thought about all this, but his faith in God did not become weak.

He never doubted that God would keep his promise, and he never stopped believing. He grew stronger in his faith and gave praise to God.

So, "God accepted Abraham's faith, and that faith made him right with God."

Those words ("God accepted Abraham's faith") were written not only for Abraham

Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who through our faith has brought us into that blessing of God's grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God's glory.

So what does all this mean? Those who are not Jews were not trying to make themselves right with God, but they were made right with God because of their faith.

But this is what the Scripture says about being made right through faith: "Don't say to yourself, ‘Who will go up into heaven?'" (That means, "Who will go up to heaven and bring Christ down to earth?")

This is what the Scripture says: "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart." That is the teaching of faith that we are telling.

So faith comes from hearing the Good News, and people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ.

Because God has given me a special gift, I have something to say to everyone among you. Do not think you are better than you are. You must decide what you really are by the amount of faith God has given you.