Let Us Not Only Trust God for Salvation, but Also for the Strength to Live Each Day As a Testimony of His Redeeming Work, so That Others May Also Place Their Trust in Him…
The Holy Spirit revealed to Abraham that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the night sky. Abraham believed God and it was counted as righteousness (Genesis 15:5-6). Paul utilized this text from the books of Moses to demonstrate that salvation comes via faith in God and His Word. That Word may arrive through the Holy Spirit, as it did for Abraham, or through the preaching of the gospel.
When the gospel is preached, people hear God’s Word and are invited to believe and trust in Him. Faith is the belief that God can do things for you that you cannot do for yourself. The gospel proclaims that Jesus died for our sins and rose for our justification. God accepted His self-sacrifice in our place and restored Him to life as testimony of that acceptance. We can believe it, just as Abraham did when God spoke to him, and it will be counted as righteousness for us.
We must remember that the only reason Abraham’s faith could be considered as righteousness was that Jesus would eventually suffer for his sins. Jesus’ death in our place makes the faith transaction possible for all who have ever lived because justice was meted out to Him. Jesus died for Abraham, you, and I.
