{"id":225405,"date":"2024-05-13T07:15:54","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T14:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/?p=225405"},"modified":"2024-05-13T07:15:56","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T14:15:56","slug":"ra7d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/ra7d","title":{"rendered":"RA7d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does it mean by ‘believe God’?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

17<\/sup>[Abraham] is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed\u2014the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. 18<\/sup>Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, \u201cSo shall your offspring be.\u201d 19<\/sup>Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead\u2014since he was about a hundred years old\u2014and that Sarah\u2019s womb was also dead. 20<\/sup>Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21<\/sup>being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22<\/sup>This is why \u201cit was credited to him as righteousness.\u201d 23<\/sup>The words \u201cit was credited to him\u201d were written not for him alone, 24<\/sup>but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness\u2014for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25<\/sup>He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.<\/p>\nRomans 4:17b-25 (NIV)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In Romans 4:17b-25, Paul presents Abraham as a case study of genuine, living faith that believers should emulate. \u201cBelieving God\u201d involves three key aspects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Recognizing that reality is greater than feelings or appearances: Despite his advanced age and Sarah\u2019s barrenness, Abraham faced the facts but did not let them override God\u2019s promise (Rom.4:19). Faith is not blind optimism or self-confidence; rather, it acknowledges personal weakness while trusting in God\u2019s power.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Focusing on facts about God: Abraham gave glory to God, fully convinced of His power to fulfill His promises (Rom.4:20-21). Faith involves reflecting on God\u2019s character and abilities rather than merely reacting to circumstances. Believers today have even more evidence of God\u2019s love and power, especially through Christ\u2019s resurrection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Trusting God\u2019s word alone: Abraham believed that God could do what He had promised (Rom.4:21), even when feelings, popular opinion, and common sense seemed to contradict it. Faith means taking God at His word and letting it define reality.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    To strengthen our faith today, believers should study and meditate on God\u2019s character, acting on His promises even when it is challenging. This may involve generous giving despite economic risks or speaking the truth even at the cost of relationships, trusting in God\u2019s care and sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Abraham\u2019s life also demonstrates that genuine faith is not perfect obedience. He questioned God, lied about Sarah, and attempted to fulfill God\u2019s promise through Hagar. However, his faith persevered through struggles and failures, growing stronger as he clung to God\u2019s promises (Rom.4:20). The life of faith involves maintaining trust in God\u2019s word, viewing successes and shortcomings as opportunities to deepen one\u2019s reliance on Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Paul emphasizes that the words \u201ccredited to him as righteousness\u201d (Genesis 15:6) were written not only for Abraham but also for believers today (Romans 4:23-24). Saving faith for Christians means believing in the God who raised Jesus from the dead and trusting that His death and resurrection were for their sins and justification (Rom.4:24-25). Just as Abraham\u2019s faith rested on the promise of a descendant, Christian faith relies on what God has accomplished through one of Abraham\u2019s descendants, Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In what areas of your life do you find it challenging to trust God\u2019s promises, especially when your feelings or circumstances seem to contradict them? How can Abraham\u2019s example encourage you to face the facts while still believing God?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    [The ideas for this week’s materials on Romans 4:1-25 were drawn from Tim Keller’s book “Romans 1-7 for You<\/a>“]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    What does it mean by ‘believe God’? 17[Abraham] is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed\u2014the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. 18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-225405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devo","category-romans"],"yoast_head":"\nRA7d - Redemption Point<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RA7d - 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