Romans 4

In order to better understand Romans 4, I've tried to find the main ideas in it.

Abraham is the father of our faith, both the Jews and Gentiles. His faith, a gift of grace, makes him the "father" of the gentiles (4:11) and his circumcision makes him the "father" of the Jews. Once again, the points seems to be that God's plan is for all, not only for Jews, not only for Gentiles, but for both.

This makes God's promise to Abraham all the more deep and incredible. "I have made you the father of many nations" (Genesis 17:5). To Abraham, this was a good promise, something he would've been excited about. My assumption, though, is that all he expected from it was to have a lot of kids. This was especially incredible because the guy was older than eighty with a barren wife. But God was faithful to Abraham and he did have a son, and then thousands of years later we see God is still faithful to that promise in a way different than Abraham had thought: using Abraham's life as an example of faith. He became the spiritual "father" of many, to those who would be justified by faith in Jesus Christ. God takes what already sounds like a good promise and does incredible things Abraham could never have dreamed.

I love how Paul finishes this section. Throughout this chapter he has been quoting Genesis:

"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6)

Paul changes it to apply to us:

"It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for or trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:24-25)

My whole life I found I heard and knew the above: Jesus died for my sins and rose again. But I always had a hard time believing it. Nobody just rises from the dead. They stay dead. It's harder to believe a guy two thousand years ago rose from the dead when you can't see him or talk to eyewitnesses.

One of the best things I ever prayed for was faith. In this passage from Romans Paul is revealing that it is faith that buries us and raises us with Jesus. We think of faith as something we have to exert, a level of belief we have to muster up ourselves. This is what I had trouble with, mustering up enough faith, and it's not what Paul is asking us to do - because that would be a work in itself, a way in which we had to earn our relationship with Jesus. No, we are helpless, we need to just give it up to God. Jesus said,

"Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:24)

Sometimes we need to pray for more faith. After I did God answered my prayer within two weeks. I remember going to bed one night, stopping on my way to bed after I had turned the lights out. It's hard to describe, but I knew in my bones that God is real and He was with me right then and there. I felt at peace, that my joy was full. I had been put right with God and had become his child. But I didn't do any of it, Jesus did, and through believing the Bible's testimony we can grow in certainty of it - because the gospels were written by and from eyewitnesses: we can hear their voices still today, in the Bible. They proclaim the love of a man from Nazareth who was murdered and mocked - only to rise again, mocking and destroying death, sin, and Satan. Thank Him and love Him!