Abraham's Imputed Righteousness

Preaching Points From Romans #6
Dr. Ronnie Wolfe
Romans 4:18-22

I.  HE BELIEVED IN HOPE, 18

There was no hope for Abraham or his wife, Sarah. They were both too old to bring forth children. He was to become the father of many nations, and yet he had no children of his own. God had said, "So shall thy seed be."

Against the fact the all hope seemed vain, Abraham believed God. He believed in that hope that he thought did not exist. He saw that which is invisible. He pursued thoughts of grandeur that were to him (in the flesh) unreasonable and impossible.

Abraham believed accord to that which God had spoken and simply because he had spoken. We can learn much from this: that we must believe what God has said (in his word) simply because God has said it with no need for mundane proof of some kind that can deliver what he has promised.

II.  HE BOWED TO FAITH, 19

Abraham considered not his body to be dead, although by all earthly reason it was dead to the production of offspring. His faith, then, was against all human reason and must be completely divine, prompted by God, led by God, induced by God, and brought into the human realm by supernatural means, which God did for Abraham.

Abraham was 100 years of age, and his body should be dead to reproduction; but Abraham believed God, not his own surmising. Not only so, but he had to also believe Sarah's womb to be alive. This deepened the need for Abraham's strong faith in God. Jesus said in Mark 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

III.  HE BENT TOWARD FAITH, 20-21

In this situation unbelief would be unsurprising and doubt would be expected; but Abraham "staggered not" at the promise of God. His faith was firmly fixed on God, and his heart was one that had been touched by the divine grace of God Himself.

Abraham was "strong in faith" and even gave glory to God. He rejoiced in his faith, being affected by God's goodness in his promise, which left no room for doubt that God would do what he said he would do.

Abraham was "fully persuaded" in what God was about to perform. He understood the concept that Paul wrote about in Ephesians 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

III. HE WAS BLESSED WITH IMPUTATION, 22

Abraham could not conjure righteousness in his own mind, his heart, or his own will. He was completely dependent upon God to give him righteousness. All of his earthly effort would contribute nothing to righteousness. The only righteousness that had any merit was the righteousness that God had to give, and that is Jesus Christ's righteousness in his perfection.

God worked all of these things in the life of Abraham by faith that he might be credited with pure and perfect righteousness before God. There is no merit to procure this righteousness, and there is no sin that can destroy it. This is the very righteousness that Abraham needed. It is also the very righteousness that produced a faithful life in Abraham to be the "father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11); the "father of many nations" (Rom. 4:17); and the "father of us all" (Rom. 4:16).