Don’t miss Connect Group Communion tonight at 6:30 pm as we begin the Easter season
Bible In A Year | Read: Romans 4
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Romans 4:18-25
The Difference
Thoughts on the verses
Death is the great equalizer. It comes to the rich and the poor alike. It has no regard for wealth, political power, or social standing. Even the greatest minds in history have succumbed to its inevitable dominion. But this is where the Gospel stands apart. The Gospel is the story of one Man who broke through the impenetrable, escaped the inescapable, and defeated the overwhelming power of the grave. That Man was God in human form: Jesus Christ. In His victory our hope is secured, the promise of everlasting life and a repaired relationship with our Creator.
Overview of Chapter
This chapter is targeted toward the Jews in the church of Rome. As he has already done in Galatians, Paul shows that Abraham was made right with God based on his faith, not the things he did. In Galatians, Paul pointed out that Abraham was considered righteous before the law even existed. Here he points out that it was even before he was circumcised. Neither the law nor circumcision has the power to make a person righteous. If salvation is by faith, it cannot have anything added to it or else it is the result of the thing the person has done. Salvation becomes a form of payment for meeting a requirement. The only requirement is to believe Jesus died for our wrongdoing.
Mixing faith and something we do doesn’t work. If there is anything required of us, we could then claim to have played a part in our salvation. God has determined that he wants to do all the work and give us salvation as a gift. Think how insulting it would be for you to give someone a gift that has cost you dearly and the receiver offers you a quarter for it. That gives a small insight into how God feels when we attempt to earn his gift of salvation.
Action Steps
Bible: What is God showing me? What am I going to do about it?
Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.
Have you ever thought it would be cool to hear some C3 leaders discuss the daily verses, share about their lives and mostly just talk about nonsense? Of course not!…even though nobody has ever thought that we are still doing it. You can follow along with us each morning in a brand new podcast – Wednesday Neon Lights & Lent Communion.
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