Romans 4:1-3, “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
During the month of January, people all over the land begin to gather information concerning their income. W2 forms come in the mail and searches are made to find how much was spent, given and etc. The reason? It’s tax season. Every year, the American citizens will gather all the information/facts concerning their income and do some accounting (or hire an accountant) to find out how much they owe the government, or how much the government owes them.
In Romans chapter four, we find the Apostle Paul teaching a lesson about the experiential joys of salvation. Paul believed that it was possible, and often happened, for an elect born again child of grace to live in this world without ever experiencing the joys of it. Paul labored to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so the children of grace would understand, in their minds, the love of God and the great work which Jesus did for them on the Cross of Calvary. In an effort to teach the subject, Paul cites Abraham. According to Paul, Abraham was a man who believed God, and the Lord blessed Abraham to do some counting/accounting/reckoning of his life experiences. According to Paul in Romans 4:1, by being blessed do this Abraham found out something. By believing God, and understanding that believing was an evidence of a righteous state, Abraham was assured that he was a child of grace.
For a few moments, if the reader would suffer me, I think it’s important to establish that believing is an evidence of grace, not the cause for a person being born again. In John 5:24 we read, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” In 1 John 5:1 we read, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.” In Acts 13:48 we read, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Please notice that in each of the three, eternal life was present (they were born again elect children of grace) before the word of believing was manifested. In each case cited (taught throughout scripture), believing is seen to be an evidence, not the cause for the New Birth.
Dear child of grace, do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you believe that God sent His Son into this world to die on the Cross for His people’s sins? Do you believe that He came out of the grave on the third day and ascended back to heaven? If so, I pray the Lord will bless you to do some accounting, counting and reckoning of these evidences and be assured that you belong to Him. He loved you before He created the world. He loved you when He died on the Cross for all of your sins. And one sweet and glorious day, He will come to get you to take you home (soul, body and spirit) to be with Him in Heaven above. And if you pass from this life before He comes, your soul and spirit will be with Him until the last day when He returns to claim the body.