ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Saturday April 8, 2017

“Abraham BELIEVED GOD and was Justified!”

"What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”" - Romans 4:1-3

Justification

Justification by Faith

God justly justifies sinners because of the work of Christ. Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2). When we confess our sins, we discover that God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). But how does Christ’s righteousness become ours? The answer is by faith in Christ.

This way of justification appears in the early pages of the Old Testament. In his letters to the Galatians and Romans, Paul falls back on the example of Abraham to prove the point. “Was not Abraham justified by works?” Asked many of the Jews, “and we are not children of Abraham, following the example of our fathers?” ‘Did he not receive the declaration of righteousness because of what he did to please God?’ Paul’s answer is an emphatic no!

Abraham was not justified by works. Scripture makes it clear that it was because he believed God that he was justified (Romans 4:1 – 3). It is those who believe who are the children of Abraham (Galatians 3:6 – 7). Furthermore, Abraham is not justified by the sacrament of circumcision, because Scripture tells us he was circumcised “after”, not before he was justified (Romans 4:9 – 12). Did he not receive justification then by obedience to the law? Paul responds with this: law brings condemnation, law shows our sin and its true nature – how then could Abraham have been justified by it? (Romans 4:15). Furthermore, to suggest such a thing is to display ignorance of the Scriptures. The law was introduced 430 years after Abraham had received God’s promise and was justified by faith. In fact the law was “added”(Galatians 3:19), it “came by the side door”(Romans 5:20), and was given in order to make men see how necessary dependence on the promise of justification is. How can the law bring justification when it was given to reveal our condemnation? The Jews not only misunderstood faith but they even misunderstood law.

Challenge:

We are considered, “children” of Abraham, not because of our “ethnicity” but because of our “FAITH.” Faith binds us to Abraham and to every believer in Jesus Christ. Just as Abraham was “declared” righteous before God, we too, are declared righteous before God by faith! That’s grace! We are counted in Christ’s righteous and that’s all the reason we need to rejoice and be glad in this wonderful gift!

This Day in Christian History:

MARY REED was born in Lowell, Ohio, in 1854. Converted to Christ at the age of sixteen, she immediately recognized she was meant to serve in Christ’s kingdom. For ten years she taught school before going to India as a Methodist missionary in 1884 to work among women confined to zenanas—the courtyards of their homes.

Her health soon faltered in the hot climate and the mission sent her to a cooler mountain retreat to recover. There she encountered many people suffering from leprosy and gave them what help she could. She continued to serve as a missionary for several more years before ill-health forced her to return to the United States.

She contracted leprosy herself and believed God allowed the disease in her life as another door for ministry to lepers. A Mission to Lepers accepted her as superintendent of the Chandag Heights Leprosy Home at a beautiful location in the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains. Sympathy for her condition caused many people to support the work. For several years she supervised Methodist mission work in the area, as well as managing and expanding the separate work of the Mission to Lepers.

On this day, 8 April 1943, Mary Reed died at Chandag Heights, faithful to Christ to the end. “Jesus has enabled me to say not with a sigh but with a song, ‘Thy will be done.’” She was buried at the foot of a chapel that she had built.

Memory Verse:

"KO ia, tau tuku ke fakatonuhia‘i kitautolu ‘i he tui, ka tau ma‘u melino ai mo e ‘Otua ‘i hotau ‘Eiki ko Sīsū Kalaisi;" - Loma 5:1

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" - Romans 5:1

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 14 – Joshua 14-24; Judges 1-6; Psalm 15, 116, 16; Luke 17-21