Romans 4:1-25
1) Father Abraham is the Father of the Jews and our (Gentiles) father in faith through the grace of Christ.
a) Abraham believed God before the law was given and it was credited to him as righteousness.
b) When God sees the heart of the sinner turn toward Christ in faith, He imparts righteousness and salvation by His grace and mercy alone.
c) Abraham’s faith is a faith that endures. He trusted, obeyed, and gave glory to God despite his imperfections.
2) Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
a) Without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a reward to them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
b) We all need to pass on our legacy of faith in Jesus Christ to our children and to those who God puts in our sphere of influence.
c) Faith and obedience are inseparable, just as unbelief and disobedience are inseparable (James 2: 14-26).
3) God has called us not just to be saved but to produce spiritual fruit and good works of righteousness by that same faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2: 4-10).
a) There is freedom in Christ by faith that releases us from the power/bondage of sin to produce works of obedience separated from the law (Galatians 2: 15-21).
b) The law emphasized the eternal truth that obedience to God from a heart of love would produce a full life of blessing in the Lord. God has set before you life and death as a choice (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).
c) King David knew by faith that God was the only one who could circumcise his heart following his deliberate sin of adultery and murder (Bathsheba/Uriah the Hittite). Despite his transgressions, David was still considered a man after God’s own heart (Psalm 51: 1-12).
Discussion question: What does “circumcision of the heart” look like?
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