Romans 4:1-12, The Example of Abraham

1Well then, what can we say about our ancestor Abraham? 2If he became acceptable to God because of what he did, then he would have something to brag about. But he would never be able to brag about it to God. 3The Scriptures say, "God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him."


4Money paid to workers isn't a gift. It is something they earn by working. 5But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. 6In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don't do anything to deserve these blessings. David says,


7"God blesses people whose sins are forgiven and whose evil deeds are forgotten. 8The Lord blesses people whose sins are erased from his book."

9Are these blessings meant for circumcised people or for those who are not circumcised? Well, the Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him. 10But when did this happen? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? Of course, it was before.


11Abraham let himself be circumcised to show that he had been accepted because of his faith even before he was circumcised. This makes Abraham the father of all who are acceptable to God because of their faith, even though they are not circumcised. 12This also makes Abraham the father of everyone who is circumcised and has faith in God, as Abraham did before he was circumcised.

If we are drowning...do we look for a life buoy? or...insist on swimming? Then again, it's possible to be in mortal danger and not even realize it.

We're dead either way...

And it's an avoidable tragedy. The water is sin. The Life Buoy is faith. It's the only escape from drowning...whether we know we're drowning or not. It's always been faith? Did I say that? No, actually...God said it way back when. The Scriptures say, "God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him."

So Paul uses Abraham as an example to tell us God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. There is no other avenue of salvation. We'd like to say it's our good works, or our good looks, or...

I wonder why this exquisite gift is such a roadblock to so many people. It's as though they believe...given enough time and opportunity...they can save themselves. The only alternative is that they refuse to believe they need saving.

The first sign of addiction is denial...we can say we aren't drowning. It doesn't make it so.

I also know an addict cannot be convinced of anything. An addict will come to realize the truth only when his/her life has become so obviously destructive and unmanageable they can't ignore it. At that point...they give up.
Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable
Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God
How do we know these things? Because God gave us the great gift of His Law. This law is the only measure given that will lead us to acknowledge step one. Ignoring God's law, or attempting to satisfy it, are the only two things that can kill us.

We all have friends who are sin addicts. The very best way to love them into the kingdom is to quit enabling them...quit letting them skip step 1, 2 and 3 and hold them accountable.

Personally, by the grace of God, I'm a "recovering" sin addict. David says "The Lord blesses people whose sins are erased from his book." It's a blessed promise, but there is no shortcut.

Live boldly out there today...