I recently decided to take a job at a Christian High a School in Pennsylvania. I move in three days and I've only seen the town and the school once. The house I'm renting was built in the 1900s and I've never yet seen it in person. It's been such a stretch of trust in God. And a God has been so kind! Meanwhile, I've had a going away party, and dozens of goodbye lunches and dinners. I'm weary of goodbyes, my heart is truly ready for some "hello's".
Naturally my personal Bible study has led me to Abraham because he is the model for trusting God and heading to new land he has yet to see. I expected to be impressed by his moving from Ur to Canaan but have found myself blown away by something else in his life.
Abraham was promised things by God. When God promises things, it's all on Him, we can mess it up. In fact, He has Abraham fall asleep during His promise ceremony that way there was no human involvement.
This all fine and dandy but what if what God promises is impossible or unbelievable? Abraham is asked by God to count the stars in the heaven, if he is able. He says I will make your descendants that many. (Gen 15:5). Now Abraham was so old he considered himself dead and his wife barren (Rom 4:19). Pretty hopeless circumstance for having a kid.
We wouldn't blame Abraham if he didn't believe he could have kids. The natural facts of life said it was impossible. Yet Abraham stacked up what he knew about Gods character and trustworthiness against his hopeless circumstance and allowed Gods goodness to prevail in his faith.
And this trust in God's promises was credited as RIGHTEOUSNESS to his account, as a gift.(Gen 15:6, Rom 4:20-22)
I bet he had to do the same thing to trust that as well. All of the natural facts of sin and temptation tell us we can never be righteous. Yet, God promises that if we trust Jesus in the fullness of His Gospel we are made the righteousness and holiness of God. Credited to our account as a gift also. (Rom 4:16, 23, 24)
But just like we would expect God to credit Abraham's ACTIONS of moving to Canaan or the raising of the knife to sacrifice Isaac, we expect to be credited as holy when we ACT more holy.
But God gave holy righteousness to Abraham when He just believed God's promises. Why would it be any different for us?
The apostle Peter wrote, 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
Do you trust that promise?
If we chose to believe it, we have rightly measured the character and trustworthiness of God against our hopeless circumstance.
If we chose to believe it, and then we can live out of it.
If we chose to believe it, our faith pleases God so. (Hebrew 11:6)
