Righteous Faith

Righteous Faith

The Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Romans 4:3

ABRAHAM IS THE FATHER OF FAITH, the biblical template for what it looks like to receive a promise from God, believe it, and wait it out until fulfillment comes. His story is more complicated than it often seems in our retellings, but in many cases his life gives us a model to follow. God had told Abraham something specific, and a journey of faith began.

God still gives promises, of course. Important promises are threaded throughout the pages of Scripture, and we who believe stake our lives on them. There are people who insist that all of God’s promises in Christ are about a spiritual salvation and nothing else or that every promise God gives must be identified in a specific chapter and verse—that personal promises are a thing of the past and only general ones remain. It’s true that his promises fit within the wonderful, overarching story of redemption, and that biblical promises are anchor points he uses as foundations for everything we believe. But Abraham was declared righteous for receiving a promise about something other than spiritual salvation: a child. His promise fit within a larger context of God’s plan of revealing himself through a chosen people, establishing his Kingdom, restoring this world to his original design, and reigning forever with all who have believed in him. But it was personal. He was declared righteous for something other than believing a general redemptive plan.

Our promises will fit that larger context too. But like Abraham’s, they include matters both of the spirit and of practical daily life. They are oriented toward God’s overall purposes for us, but they incorporate lots of personal and experiential steps along the way. Our dreams, desires, and prayers need to fit into the big picture, but the fulfillment of them still involves personal touches from God in our here-and-now life. Will we seek them out and believe them? That’s the journey of faith. We interact with a God who walks with us personally, guiding us into his will. Righteous are those who believe him.

God is the great reality. . . . His promises are real and glorious, beyond our wildest dreams.