Of Faith by Grace Romans 4:16

Paul the apostle asked the Jews in Rome that Abraham,“For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith”, and he added, “For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law works wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.”. In chapter four and verse sixteen of Romans, Paul referred to how God's promise, “is of faith, that it might be by grace” where we read:

Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

The verse begins, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed;” Paul began with the word, “therefore” which means “through, by means, grounds, reason and account of” “it is of faith” or “the promise is out and away from the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things and is the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ”, “that it might be” or “that the promise should exist” “by grace” which means “through, by means, reason and account of that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness and unmerited favor”; “to the end” or “until the termination and finality of” “the promise” which means “the announcement, assent, pledge and divine assurance of good” “might be sure” or “should be stable, fast, firm and trusty” “to all” which means “to each, every, the whole and everyone” “the seed” which refers to “the grain or kernel which contains within itself the germ of the future plants”. Paul stated how God's promise was by “faith”, so “grace” would be the agent of “righteousness” for Abraham first and then to everyone born.

The verse goes on to say, “not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,” Paul added the words, “not to that only” which means “not alone towards the thing” “which is of” or “that is from, by and away from” “the law” which means “the rule producing a state approved of God” “but to that also” “nevertheless and notwithstanding” toward thing that is “of the faith” or “the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ” “of Abraham” which refers to “the father of multitudes and the son of Terah who is the founder of the Jewish nation”; “who is the father” or “generator and ancestor” “of us all” which means “of each, every, the whole and everyone who lives”. Not only those who have “the law of God” were given the promise, but also those who had the “faith” of Abraham who became the “male generator” of everyone.

When we meditate upon these words of Paul, we see how “faith” brought about the “grace” or unmerited favor of God so that everyone would have opportunity to be in a relationship with Him. Jesus Christ made this possible, and when God sent Him to the earth to die for the “sins” of everyone, a personal relationship with Him became available. Through “faith”, “grace” and “righteousness” came to Abraham, and through “faith” in Jesus Christ as “Savior and Lord”, “grace” and “righteousness” shall come upon all who believe.

Next time Paul tells the people in Rome how God made Abraham, “a father of many nations”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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