Post by tomdurst on Feb 6, 2015 9:36:50 GMT -5
GOOD NEWS FROM GENESIS
“Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”—Genesis 15:6 NIV
Before the Jewish religion existed we have the message of righteousness by faith clearly illustrated with the experience of Abram (later Abraham). God gave Abram a very special calling and he "believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Note that no trappings of religion were required--just a simple faith response to the word of God. Paul elaborates on this more fully in Romans 4. Study that chapter carefully. Later on in history all of the rules and regulations of the law of Moses were introduced but this was not really the original plan. The Law [which includes the entire Mosaic system—not just the 10 commandments] was added to provide needed guidelines and boundaries for the Israelites who had been in captivity in Egypt for over 400 years (see Galatians 3:19, 23-26). The gospel of righteousness by faith is right there in the book of Genesis. This simple message has been largely lost over the centuries. Such is the way of the sinful heart of humankind. The three key words in the verse quoted above are: believed, credited, and righteousness. Abraham believed (trusted) in the Lord and it was credited (reckoned, counted, imputed) to him for righteousness (right standing with God). This righteousness was not imputed to Abraham because of any good works that he did and so there was nothing to boast about. All the glory goes to God (see Romans 4:1-8). This gospel is still true today and is indeed to be shared with all the world. Many people have grown up in churches where ritual, doctrines, and rules for behavior are emphasized but often there is little or no clear teaching about the all-sufficiency of Christ’s righteousness. The gospel is GOOD NEWS, NOT GOOD ADVICE. Good news brings life—the very life of God.
I like the way THE MESSAGE BIBLE affirms the continuing relevance of the gospel message.
"The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn’t diminish or weaken over time. It’s the same all over the world.”—Colossians 1:6 Message Bible
I invite you to read TO HIM BE THE GLORY which is another article in this ongoing series about righteousness by faith. Click on the link below:
TO HIM BE THE GLORY
[The best chapters in the entire Bible which summarize what we have IN CHRIST are Ephesians 1-3 and Colossians 1-2. Read them often and in several versions if possible. Notice as you read how in Christ everything has BEEN DONE not WILL BE DONE. Everything needed for our salvation was accomplished in Jesus Christ and we just need to reach out with the hand of faith and accept it. Let your heart will be awakened anew as you read these very precious chapters. TD]
