Paul has been using the revered father of the Jewish nation to point out that right standing with God has always come about as a result of having faith in God and relying on him.
Paul quoted Genesis 15:6 which says that Abraham "believed the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness".
Paul points out that Abraham wasn't considered righteous because of his faith AFTER contributing his own obedience. Abraham did not have the law of God or even the practice of circumcision at the time God considered him righteous because of his faith. Abraham's obedience to God's laws did not play any part in God declaring him to be righteous. (v. 9-10)
Paul explains that circumcision was the tangible "seal" that identified and set apart the Jewish people. It is a stamp of identification. Not a payment made in exchange for God's promises of blessing to Abraham's descendants.
Abraham is the biological forefather of the Jewish people. But he is the spiritual forefather of all who put their faith in God for their forgiveness and righteousness, whether they are a Jew or not. (v. 11-12)
There's a bit of a rabbit trail worth following here, for the sake of clarification. In verse 13, Paul says that Abraham was promised by God to be "heir of the world". This promise is not explicitly made by God to Abraham, and so may be confusing at first glance. But inheriting the entire world was implied and assumed by the Hebrew word "erets" used for "land" in the Old Testament, which has a diverse usage and can mean a section of territory or the entire planet earth, or even both, as Old Testament prophecy sometimes takes advantage of double meanings in the Hebrew language.
This promise of inheriting the land/earth was repeated in scripture (see Psalm 37 for one example). By Paul's day, Jewish interpreters had already assumed and taught that the descendents of Abraham would inherit the entire planet. And the teaching of Christ also reflects that the true followers of God will one day inherit the entire planet. (Matthew 5:5)
It would also do us good to review God's initial promises to Abraham, which are outlined in Genesis 12:2-3. God promised to: 1. Make him a great nation. 2. Bless him. 3. Make his name great. 4. Make him a blessing to others. 5. Bless those who bless him. 6. Curse those who curse him. 7. Bless all the families of the earth through him.
In particular, we should keep that seventh promise in mind at the moment. Christ, a biological descendant of Abraham, makes it possible for everyone who has faith in God to spend eternity in a state of unfathomable blessing with God. And Abraham models this faith for us. In this way we see that seventh promise fulfilled in even greater ways than Abraham probably ever imagined.
Now back to Paul's main point. Abraham and his descendants will not inherit the world or God's blessings because of their obedience to the law, because the Law did not exist when God first made these promises to Abraham and they were not mentioned as a condition for fulfillment of these promises. Abraham and his descendants were chosen by God for these promises (namely here, inheriting the earth). These promises were revealed to those who had faith in God and they were responded to in the only way that successfully "fulfills God's requirements" (righteousness). Through faith. (v.13)
Paul reasons that if knowledge and obedience to the Old Testament Law is what makes someone an heir to God's promises, then the value of faith is empty and the promises are nullified. Why? Because as he established in previous verses, no one can successfully obey the laws of God! (v.14)
The existence of the Law sets a standard we cannot meet and so our failure brings about God's wrath. In fact, if the law didn't exist, God's wrath against us would not be as great because we would not be violating God's will as directly. (v.15)
By contrast, God's promises were offered to Abraham without any compensation of good works required. The promises were a gift of grace (undeserved favor). Inheriting God's promises through obedience to the law is in conflict with this. But receiving God's promises of eternal blessing through faith is "in accordance with grace", and is available not just to Abraham's biological descendants, but also to those who, like Abraham, choose to trust in God. (v.16)
All who place their trust in God are considered by God to be descendants of Abraham. Paul reveals that this is what God meant when he told Abraham that he would be "a father of many nations". (v.17)
Next Week- The faith modeled by Abraham
Coffee House Question- Why do you suppose we can sometimes feel like we need to "earn our way" back into a good relationship with God?
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