Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. I. A simple, CHILD-LIKE DEPENDENCE ON THE NAKED WORD OF GOD. II. An acceptance of and TRUST IN GOD'S PROMISED SAVIOUR. III. A RENOUNCING OF HIS OWN WORKS as meritorious. IV. A faith that WROUGHT BY LOVE, making him the friend of God. V. One that OVERCAME THE WORLD, leading him to seek a better country. VI. One that EVINCED ITS REALITY BY A SELF-DENYING OBEDIENCE. (T. Robinson.) I. Its OBJECT. 1. The promise of a seed, and consequently of a Saviour. 2. The faith of the gospel not simply Divine promise of salvation, but the specific offer of a Saviour. II. Its GROUND. 1. Neither reason nor sense. 2. But the solemnly given, clearly stated, perfectly sufficient, wholly unsupported Word of God. 3. So the Christian rests on the offer of Christ (John 3:36). III. Its ACTING. 1. Instantaneous. 2. Full-hearted (Romans 4:21). IV. Its EFFECT. It was counted to him for righteousness. 1. The nature of justification. Possessing no righteous. ness of his own, Abraham had the righteousness of another (not yet revealed) set to his account. 2. The time. The instant a soul believes, whether he is cognisant of it or not. (T. Whitelaw, D. D.) I. It was FAITH IN THE PERSONAL revealed, covenant Jehovah; not merely in a word or sign, or in a prospect. II. The BOND OF COVENANT. Faith on the one side, God dealing with a sinful creature as righteous on the other. The elements of that bond are — 1. Gracious acceptance. 2. Gracious revelation 3. Gracious reward of obedience. (W. Roberts, M. A.)In Abraham the attitude of trustfulness was most marked. By faith he left home and kindred, and settled in a strange land; by faith he acted upon God's promise of a race and an inheritance, although it seemed at variance with all human experience; by faith he offered up his only son, in whom alone that promise could be fulfilled (Acts 7:2-5; Romans 4:16-22; Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19). Thus this one word "faith" sums up the lesson of his whole life. (Bp. Lightfoot.) Parallel Verses KJV: Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.WEB: Even as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." |
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