——That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake along, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus Christ our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and for our justification.——
Romans 4:22-25
*I know this was taken from the end of the passage, but I hope to explain it in order to why it was counted to him as righteousness, rather, than starting with it. (And how it has been challenging my thinking).
So.
The story of Abraham is of great promise and radical faith. In Genesis 15:5, God takes Abraham (Abram at that time) outside and asks him to number the stars.
——And he brought him outside and said “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him “So shall your offspring be.”——
Before this point Abraham had…
Left Haran Gen. 12:1-3
Passed through the land of Canaan Gen. 12:6-9
Sojourned in Egypt Gen. 12:6-9
Separated from Lot Gen. 13:5-18
Defeated five kings and met Melchizedek Gen. 14:1-24
…And now there is a promise from God that there will be many descendents from his blood.
Most of the time, I want to view faith as a singular moment or point of belief that equates to some sort of devotion. When Jesus compares faith to the mustard seed it seems that it is only the quantity of faith that is needed for any spiritual act. But Daniel was found on his knees facing Israel when the high officials were trapping him and Job tore his clothes in worship at the news of poverty, destruction, and death. These are men whose lives were predicated on an intimate relationship with God and that is the same here for Abraham. It was his obedient response to a great call that led him to be under the heavens talking with God. It was by no sudden decision.
There also is no sudden deduction that if we obey, there will always be earthly comfort over our lives. Intimacy with the Lord allows us to break away from the mind that told us earthly things are actually comforting. I’m compelled to use the words of Rachel Gilson from “Does She Spark Joy? Sorting Through Marie Kondo.” The focus of the article is to determine what joy can come from the overload of things (specifically in our homes and spaces) in our culture and how it all fits (if it does) into a life with Christ.
“When we are rooted in Christ, our abundance rests not in how much or little we own, but in who owns us. Earthly possessions don’t just enter our lives quietly. They take up space, demand upkeep and protection, and tether our hearts. We find we have less trust for people, less time for hospitality, less emotional space for God.
Being possessed by Jesus produces just the opposite. As we grow in him, we soak in the abundance of forgiveness and grace — treasures not meant to be hoarded but shared extravagantly. When we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, we view our things as gateways towards praising God and serving others. And what if our many things get stolen? As the author of Hebrews celebrates, “You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one” (Hebrews 10:34).
Kondo says, only keep the items that spark your joy. Paul says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), because he first could say, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. . . . I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).”—
{Link to the article: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/does-she-spark-joy }
The thread of thought I see here is this: The incomparable, surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus is greater than not only the things that surround us, but what happens in, around, and to us. For Paul, this is a comparison of the greater to the lesser and it produced a vigor that drove him to imprisonment, destitution, and death. For him, a glorious death. Yet, the most staggering thing to me is that it isn’t an idea that is being supposed. It is what Paul has tasted to be true. It is with soulful assurance that death would be better to him than anything this world could offer. And it isn’t just the pleasureful or comfortable, it is the painful that has been experienced and deemed UNWORTHY to Jesus Christ.
——“Therefore, let our roots grow down into Him, let our lives be built into Him, and our faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and your hearts will overflow with thanksgiving” Colossians 2:6-7——
Paul writes this verse in between warnings to the Church of Colossia about false teachers. Specifically that their minds would not be swayed. On the basis of having the foundation being rooted and built on Christ, the faith of the Colossians would grow in the truth. The foundation fullments the faith in truth, in what is right. Consequently, the promises that have been made and have been given to them through the teachings. Abraham was given a promise.
—— In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Romans 4:18-20——
Abraham hoped against hope. The hope for God was greater than the hope for himself and his wife. It was in the words of the Father that Abraham trusted.
In spite of his body.
In spite of Sarai’s body.
In spite of all the times they had tried.
If anything, Abraham saw the brokenness and infutility of age.
Yet…
——No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Romans 4:21 ——
…he glorified God, fully convinced that He would accomplish it all and his faith grew.
And not only this, but it was counted to him as righteousness. That’s amazing to me.
Faith is not just believing in God. Faith is not just believing God will do work in the bad. Faith is being fully convinced God can do what He says He will do, all the time. It is faith that He is good and worthy of praise because He is just those things. We have faith that God is God because He is.
——“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” ——
Daniel 3:16-18
