389 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 2 - Part 1 - Book 33 - Abraham Believed God For Righteousness

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 2 * PART 1 * BOOK 33 ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS God then turned to the pagan Gentile world beginning with the apostle Paul. Galatians is so introductory. (compare I Corinthians 15:1-4 and Romans 10:9-10. By faith. All right so now then again as an illustration of faith Paul goes back to the Old Testament and picks up Abraham once again. Galatians 3:6 "Even as Abraham believed God, and it (his believing God) was accounted to him for righteousness." (Genesis 12:1) Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Well nothing! Now to believe in God is what the multitude of people around the world do. If it's not the One True God then they're believing in some god. But on the other hand to believe God then that's faith. When we believe God then we're taking Him at His Word, and we're exercising faith. And that's what God is looking for. Let's just compare scripture with scripture. Romans 4:1-3 2. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. Abraham (believed not in God, but rather) believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." God said something and Abraham believed it. "Abraham believed God, and it was counted (or imputed) unto him for righteousness." Well come back to James chapter 2, and we'll deal with it. "Now Les how can you say that Abraham and we are saved by "Faith + Nothing? James says, "That if he doesn't see works then he can't see salvation." Well let's point it out. James 2:21 "Was not Abraham our father (James was a Jew just like Paul) justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?" Now the first thing that I would say would be, when does God deal with the faith of Abraham? James 2:22-24 "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was (his) faith made perfect? 23. And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Is that a contradiction to what Paul says? I don't have to do any works to prove to God that I have faith. Romans 4:3-4 Abraham believed God, and it (his believing) was counted unto him for righteousness. We will never put God in our debt, and so we can't work for salvation, not one iota. Romans 4:5 Now, since Paul uses Abraham as the epitome of faith, let's go back to Genesis chapter 12 and check it out. Genesis 12:1-3 "Now the LORD had said (back in chapter 11) 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: (and then God makes these great covenant promises to him) 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, (the Nation of Israel) and I will bless thee, (materially as well as spiritually) and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee (Abraham) shall all families of the earth be blessed." Here God says - Genesis 3:15 Now from this place in Genesis chapter 3 that we find God is going to promise a Redeemer through the woman. In Genesis 3 God promised Adam that one day the Seed of the woman would one day defeat sin, death, and Satan. Abraham is now given the promise that this Seed of the woman would come through his lineage through the Nation of Israel. So all of our foundations of faith, not only the how, but also the why all rest on what God promised Abraham. Remember the last part of that Abrahamic Covenant was that in thee (Abraham) would all the families of the earth be blessed. Of course that comes primarily through Christ, the Seed of the woman coming through the seed of Abraham. But it is also a result of what God promised through the apostle Paul in Romans chapter 11, and this is an account of how Israel had rejected everything and God is going to literally strip the branches from the tree which is Israel that is rooted in Abraham, and He's going to graft in the Gentiles. Let's drop in at verse 15. Romans 11:15 Now verse 16. Romans 11:16-17 The Gentiles. Just because Israel was resting on the root and fatness of Abraham, the man of faith, did that automatically make every Jew a believer? Well it's the same way with the Gentiles. Here we are as Gentiles nations of the world. God's going to say, "Oh yes you did. You rested on the root and fatness of Abraham. They've been pardoned so far as God is concerned, but until they appropriate it with the kind of faith that Abraham had which was a relatively simple faith, then it's all for nothing. God doesn't look for someone who knows the Bible from cover to cover before he can be saved. God isn't looking for some primary example of Holy living before he can save, but what did Romans 4 say? Romans 4:5 #lesfeldick #biblestudy #bible