249 - Les Feldick Bible Study Lesson 3 - Part 1 - Book 21 - The Imputed Righteousness of God

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 3 * PART 1 * BOOK 21 THE IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD: ROMANS 4 - 5:5 Turn to Paul's writings in the Book of Romans Chapter 4 and we'll review just a little. When I speak of the writings of Paul, I am not elevating the man. Don't forget, he was merely a human instrument that God used and spoke through as He wrote. Why does Paul, by inspiration, refer back to Abraham when he is teaching a lesson on justification by faith and faith alone? Let's begin with verse 1. Genesis 12:1-3 "NOW the LORD had said (back in Chapter 11 how they left Ur of the Chaldees) unto Abram, `Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee (future tense, a promise): And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing; And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee (and in this next statement is the very epitome of this whole Covenant promise), and in thee (through the man Abraham) shall all families of the earth be blessed.'" Not just Israel, but the human family would benefit from the promises and Covenants that God is making with this man. Then God in so many words said, "I'm going to do something totally different." God had given the opportunity for Salvation to the whole human race, all they had to do was be prompted by conscience that they had sinned, and they rebelled against the laws of conscience that God had placed there. Try to put yourself in God's position, and I know that's an extreme statement. Remember Abel was accepted because he did what God had told him to do. So in so many words God said, "I will make him a whole group of promises in Covenants, and out of him I'm going to bring a special race of people who will be different than all the other nations on the planet, and I'm going to work a plan of Salvation through that race of people." Just as soon as God revealed that this special nation of people would bring about the plan of redemption, the Devil turned everything loose on them. And if you'll read your Old Testament you will see the evidence of how Satan has tried to thwart God's plan of redemption by destroying the people through whom the Redeemer must come. Don't forget that, if Satan could some how disrupt the plan of God for the Nation of Israel, then he would disrupt God's whole plan of Salvation, and so they have been under constant attack. Why do the nations of the world even today constantly bombard that little nation with all their accusations. Let's go for a moment to the Book of Matthew Chapter 24, and I'm still talking about the man Abraham. Now coming back to Genesis Chapter 12, we find God has promised this man Abraham a nation of people that would bring about the Redeemer and King, and the nation, and their geographical area and through it all God's purposes would be fulfilled. Now when we teach about Abraham, I always like to point out that all the things concerning Abraham and his earthly people the Nation of Israel are always "earthly." There is nothing heavenly connected to this little nation. Now after the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 12 where God promises him a nation of people in a geographical area of land, and one day they will have a government and a King. Turn to Chapter 13 where God enlarges on this Covenant promise of Chapter 12. Genesis 13:16 "And I will make thy seed (or offspring) as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered." Genesis 15:5 I think the Lord dealt with Abraham on a face to face, eyeball to eyeball basis. I think God came down and took on human form like He did at the calling out of Ur, because the word in the Greek in Acts Chapter 7 is `optomai' which deals with the sight and Stephen rehearsed that The Lord appeared `optomai' to the man Abram, and of course the word also appeared back in the Hebrew, so I'm sure that's how God dealt with the man. Genesis 15:5 A spiritual relationship of people. Remember the last part of Chapter 12 and verse 3: Genesis 12:3 Now let's come back to Romans Chapter 4. Let's read. Romans 4:1,2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God." If Abraham could have merited favor with God by his works then what would he have naturally done? Now verse 3: Romans 4:3 Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Abraham didn't repent, he didn't get baptized, he didn't join something, he just simply believed God. Now Abraham wasn't any better morally than anyone else. Hebrews 11:6 Romans 4:4 Romans 4:4 "We have to come God's way, and that way is by God's Grace through faith + nothing." #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible