Grace & the Faith of Abraham

Today we’re going to talk a little bit about “grace” and “faith”. If you have a bible and you wish to follow along, I’m going to start by reading from two letters of the Apostle Paul: Ephesians 2:8-10 and Romans 4:13-16. Ephesians 2:8-10 reads as follows:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not as the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Romans 4:7-16 reads… For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.”

You know, these passages highlight just how great a salvation we have. I know that sounds kind of corny – but we do have a great salvation – and it reveals the very heart and love of our God, in that, He would offer us so great a salvation, for no other reason than He is gracious, and it pleased Him to do so. There was nothing we had to do to earn it. There’s nothing about any of us that makes us deserving of it. But, He offers it to us nevertheless – despite our flaws and our shortcomings – despite who or what we might have once been – When we reach out to our God through faith in Christ – He picks us up, He dusts us off – He makes us new – and He adopts us as one of His own. Let’s thank God for being such a gracious God!!

Now, our first passage gives us two terms – or really, principles – that really define our salvation: Those principles are “Grace” and “Faith”. Have you ever asked yourself, “What exactly is grace and faith?” Although we hear these terms thrown around almost every day, how many of us have ever stopped to ask ourselves what do these terms really mean in the biblical context?

Let’s take the first term “Grace” for example. What does this term mean to you? Grace can mean different things to different people. For example, we can use it as a noun: “She has such grace”, meaning she has such elegance, or poise, or charm. Or, we can use it as a verb: “She has graced us with her presence”, meaning that she has honored or blessed us with her presence. Or, maybe we could use it as an adjective: “He is a very gracious guy”. But, what does grace mean to YOU when you hear it or read it in the bible? For many of us, when we hear the term “grace” or the phrase, “we are under grace”, what we actually hear is that believers are not under the law – and, therefore, believers have no conditions to meet, no rules to follow, and no standards to uphold. Is this what comes to mind when you hear the word grace? That’s a pretty sweet deal, isn’t it? God gives us salvation; and we have no conditions to meet – no rules to follow – and no standards to uphold. But, the question is: “Is this what the bible actually means when it uses the term grace? Again, let’s look at our first passage; “By grace you have been saved, through faith…” What does grace mean in this context? Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from studying the scriptures is that the bible will almost always define its own terms, and it will almost always interpret itself, if you allow it to. We are going to allow the scripture to do just that today. The New Testament was written in the Koine Greek language; and, the Greek word used for grace in this passage is the word xariti (chariti). It comes from the Greek word xaris (charis) which means “favor” or “kindness” or “pleasure”. This definition of grace is demonstrated in the remainder of our passage, which reads...”and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not as the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Now, there’s a few things that this, (and other passages) tell us about the nature of grace.

Number one, it’s a gift. It’s not something that you can earn by doing works. That is, you cannot earn God’s “favor”. I like the way Wikipedia defines it. Wikipedia says that “grace is the help given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not necessarily because of anything we have done to earn it”. I like that definition.

Number two, although it cannot be earned by doing good works or by living a godly life, it, nevertheless, anticipates good works and Godly living. Not in order to get salvation; but rather, because of, or, as a natural outgrowth of salvation. Ephesians 2:10, that we just read, tells us that “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus FOR good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Paul makes a similar statement in Titus. In Titus 2:11-14, Paul says “The grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

Did everyone read that? It almost sounds like Paul is talking out of both sides of his mouth – doesn’t it? One minute he’s saying salvation is not of works – then, the next minute he’s saying that we are saved FOR good works. Which is it? Well, it’s both. Paul is right when he says that there are no works we can do to be saved. That’s because there are no works that can make us pure and righteous before God. That can only be accomplished through the finished work of Jesus Christ. But, Paul is also right when he says that we are saved unto (or for) good works. What exactly does that mean?

Well, it means exactly what it says. 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read that “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. When you turn away from serving the devil and this world, and you turn to Christ, in faith, God does a work in you that literally transforms you into a new creature. When this happens, he grace of Jesus Christ is imparted unto you; and that grace, Paul says, instructs you, and teaches you, and empowers you to live a sober, righteous, and Godly life in this present age – not after you die and go to heaven – but right now – today. Not to live a perfect life; but, to live a Godly life. Grace, therefore, does not mean that believers have no standards to meet. Grace does not excuse us from doing good works, or from living Godly lives; but rather, grace is an attribute and characteristic of God which moved Him to show us favor, and to offer us salvation, for no other reason than it pleased Him to do so, and, notwithstanding our failure to keep the law; and, it is a gift that God has given us to actually motivate us, and enable us (or to empower us) to do those good works and to live that Godly life. We can’t do it on our own. And, let me say this, before somebody misunderstands me: That sober, righteous, Godly life is going to look different from person to person, because we are all different people, all with different realities. But you can live it, if you try. Let’s thank God for His grace!

Now, let’s look at the second term in our passage? Faith. The passage says, “By grace you have been saved through faith…” What comes to mind when YOU hear or read the word faith? Just like the term grace, depending on the context, the term “faith” can mean different things to different people. For most of us, when we hear the word faith, we automatically associate it with “belief”. Is that what the bible means when it uses the term faith? Well, yes, it does mean belief. But, the question is, is that ALL the bible means when it uses the word faith? And, the answer to that question is “no”. The word faith in the New Testament is taken from the Koine Greek word “pisti’, which, depending on the context and declension, can have different meanings. The bible actually clarifies what it means by faith in the second passage we read a moment ago in Romans 4:6-16. In this passage, we are told that our salvation “is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all…” So, here we see that we are not just talking about your run-of-the-mill head faith; but, rather, we are talking about the same kind of faith that Abraham had. So, what kind of faith, then, is the faith of Abraham?

Well, number one, as we have already discussed, having the faith of Abraham means that you “believe” or that you have been “persuaded”. Being persuaded that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true is indispensable to our salvation. What is that gospel? The gospel is that we were all dead in our sin, and on our way to hell; and there was nothing we could do, on our own, to change that. But, while we yet sinners, (the bible says), Christ came to this earth as a man. He lived a perfect life – and He gave His perfect life as a sacrifice in our place, to pay our debt, for our sin. He was brutally crucified on a Roman cross – He was buried – but, on the third day, He was raised from the dead. The faith of Abraham believes that this is true.

Number two, the faith of Abraham is an active, or a living and obedient faith. The bible says that Abraham “believed God” and it was counted to him for righteousness. But, it wasn’t simply Abraham’s head-faith that God honored; it was his active and obedient faith that God honored. God told Abraham to leave his people, and to go out into the wilderness; and he obeyed, trusting that God would keep his promise to give him the land promised. God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son on the alter; and, Abraham sought to obey, trusting that God would keep His promise to make him the father of many nations. The book of James, chapter 2, addresses this very issue. In that passage, James tells us that God honored Abraham’s faith, and counted it for righteousness; but not because Abraham simply believed in his head, but rather, because of Abraham’s actions and obedience. According to James, faith that does not include corresponding action, is not faith at all. James tells us that even the devils have head-faith, and they tremble.

Number three, the faith of Abraham is an enduring or persevering faith. That means that it’s not a one-time head-faith where you belief in the moment, and then go back to life as usual, expecting God to do all the rest. That’s not scriptural. You have to continue to believe until the end. The writers of the New Testament, and Jesus Himself, all talked about the necessity of endurance or perseverance until the end. In Matthew 24:13, Jesus told His followers that the person who shall “endure unto the end” is the one who shall be saved. In 1 Corinthians 15 verse 2, the apostle Paul told his audience “You are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” The entire books of Galatians and Hebrews are written to deal with this very subject. Hebrews 10:38 says that “The just shall live by faith, and not draw back”. How can you live by faith if, at some point, you stop believing? Hebrews 3:14 tells us that “We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end” Hebrews chapter 11 highlights for us what we call “The Hall of faith”. In this chapter, we are told about many of the great patriarchs of faith. We are told of their trials and tribulations – and how they were persecuted and slaughtered – and burned --and thrown to the lions, and so on. But notice at the end of that chapter, we are told that all of these patriarchs died having never received the promise. What does that mean? Well, it means just what it says: Abraham didn't get to see the nations that sprang from his loins in his lifetime. And, Moses didn’t get to enter the promised land with the children of Israel. But, they nevertheless endured; and they have their reward today. They’re with Christ and the Father. That’s the faith of Abraham: believing – acting and obeying – and perseverance.

Now, hopefully you have a greater understanding of what the bible means when it talks about grace and faith. God bless you.