Paul points to Abraham: 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' This is the ultimate word study. Abraham had no law, no rulebook. He had a promise and a choice to believe it.
I'm a historian studying ancient Near Eastern texts, and Abraham is fascinating. He's not a biblical figure to most scholars—he's a legendary figure, if he's historical at all. But the point here isn't whether Abraham was historical. It's what Paul does with Abraham's story. Abraham is the father of faith because he believed when belief was unreasonable. He had no evidence except God's word. He chose to believe.
That's still the core of Christian faith. You can't prove Jesus rose from the dead through empirical evidence. You can look at the arguments. You can examine the historical record. But at some point, you have to make a choice to believe. Like Abraham. Not because you've exhausted the arguments, but because you've encountered the living God and chosen to trust. That's what 'credited to him as righteousness' means. Your faith—your choice to trust God despite uncertainty—that's what righteousness is.
No comments yet. Be the first.