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. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”
Paul, in his use of Abraham to make his point about faith as the mechanism of salvation rather than law, reminds us of the faith of Abraham. I want to highlight a few points of interest:
Abraham had hope and in it believed against hope. What does this mean? It means that though Abraham’s and Sarah’s bodies were weakening, their faith strengthened.* It means that when Abraham looked at his circumstances, he allowed the promises of God to be more convincing than his interpretation of the situation before him. It means that the hope normal to humanity went against the hope common to those who put their trust in God.* Our perceptions or experiences of the reality of this world will often go against the promises of God. Abraham did not allow this to stop him.
Abraham did not deny the difficulty of his situation.* Too often, as believers, we can feel pressure to “have enough faith.” In an effort to “believe hard enough,” we can find ourselves denying the situation before us in an effort to believe the promises of God. Abraham (like Jesus in Matthew 19:26) did not deny that he was old, as good as dead, and married to a woman whose womb was dead.* He acknowledged these things, and initially, the idea of it gave him a laugh (Genesis 17:17).
Abraham laughed. This moment in the story of Abraham may seem to contradict Paul’s claim that Abraham “did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body.” Furthermore, we know that Abraham brought Ishmael into this world as a manipulation of the promise. What cannot be denied, however, is the long-term belief of Abraham in the promise of God that spanned years of waiting.* Abraham, though weak in moments, and very human, did not let go of the promise of God.
What does this mean for us? Faith in Jesus can become a work by which we attempt to earn salvation. We try to “believe enough” by never doubting. Sadly, we often do doubt… but that’s not the sad part. What’s sad is that we doubt, pretend like we aren’t, deny reality or our own thoughts and feelings, and we rob ourselves and God of honest relationship with us. Abraham was honest with God about his feelings toward the promise, and his faith wasn’t perfect, but God was Abraham’s hope against hope. God saw the faith of Abraham in the long journey.
These reflections on faith by D. J. Moo are helpful:
Faith… it’s not something to do, it’s a willingness to receive as faith is a response to something that God says.*
Faith… it has no power in itself but because of the one in whom we place our faith.*
Faith… it’s based upon God’s Word, not on the evidence of our senses.*
You’re not perfect.
Keep going.
Believe God’s promises.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember his promises and reignite your hope. Perhaps God wants you to survey your surroundings, take them in, bring them to Him, and hold onto faith in what He’s said. Maybe God wants you to remember that you are human and He is God.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.
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*Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans (D. A. Carson, Ed.; p. 217–219). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 118–122). InterVarsity Press; Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (pp. 95).
Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 210–214). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.
Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (p. 160–164). Zondervan Publishing House.