Romans 4:3b
"… Abraham believed God, (it was his believing, his trusting and then having to go through twenty-five years waiting on God to do as He said, that it is now called faith) and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
Now that didn’t make Abraham sprout wings. Abraham didn’t suddenly become a sinless individual. Abraham failed miserably time after time through all of this, but did he lose his salvation? Heavens no! He merely showed how human he really was. But, in spite of all his failures, God reckoned him, what? Righteous. And why was he righteous? Because he BELIEVED God!
The following is taken from a well known and respected Bible teacher of our day and he expresses how we feel about the word and Bible study that is why we're posting this in here, now. “There’s a big difference between studying the Word of God and reading it. A lot of people read a few verses and they think, well I’ve done my daily duty. Well, that’s not studying. Studying is when we really sit down and put some work into it and compare Scripture with Scripture. Because, hopefully, as we teach we can tie it all together from Genesis through Revelation without just picking out a few verses on which we can build a doctrine. But rather it has to be on the complete Word of God.” The revelation of Christ that is the foundation upon which all is held steadfast an immovable. As we seek His righteousness and not our own.
Now, of course, that means we also have to be careful, because not all the Scripture is directed to us today for our doctrine in this Age of Grace! But as Paul says in Romans 15, all scripture is for our learning and so it is.
Paul writes to us in this Age of Grace. If you want an example of what we're talking about you can turn to Leviticus chapter 5.
Leviticus chapter 5 says that if someone touches an unclean thing such as a dead animal, a carcass, then that man will bring a lamb of the flock and bring it to the priest. Now are you going to do that? Well, you can’t do that. So be careful how you talk, and how you use the Word of God. We have to realize that all Scripture is inspired, and all Scripture is the Word of God, but not all Scripture is written to us in this Age of Grace. That’s where we have to come to the Apostle Paul, because Paul over and over, emphasized that he’s the Apostle of the Gentiles as we see in Romans 11:13.
Romans 11:13
"For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles; I magnify mine office:" Another good one is in Ephesians chapter 3, and verse 1, where he says:
Ephesians 3:1
"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles." And this is what we have to be aware of. Alright, now on that same line then, we’re going to keep continuing where we left off, and that was Hebrews chapter 4 verse 2, and we’ll just continue with that thought.
Hebrews 4:2a
"For to us (in other words, you and I in this Age of Grace, under Paul’s Gospel) was the gospel preached…."
Well what Gospel does Paul preach? The Gospel of the Grace of God and the New Covenant as promised through Jeremiah chapter 31 (and in 32:40 where it is called an everlasting covenant) as we’re going to see in just a moment. Now continuing with the verse.
Hebrews 4:2b "…as well as to them:…"
Now, as we’ve pointed out, as we began that chase up through the Old Testament, we found that the Gospel was the "good news." And there were a lot of good news opportunities that God used first to the whole human race. Not just to Israel. And then beginning with Abraham, of course, it was all dealing with Israel and so they had all kinds of good news preached, but, unless it was mixed with trust and belief, it was of no profit. This maybe a good time to remind ourselves that God sees our trusting through trials which then becomes faith as our trials test our trust but He does not see sin.
Well, the last thing we talked about was the faith of Abraham. And because of his faith, it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now we’re going to continue that same concept of what Gospel was preached when. And I’ll take you now from Abraham’s experience, in Genesis 12 and in Romans 4, to Matthew for just a moment, in Christ’s earthly ministry, and we’ll drop in at chapter 9, and verse 35. And again we’re going to see the word Gospel. The good news!
Matthew 9:35a "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching (what?) the gospel of the kingdom,…"
Now remember, the Abrahamic Covenant had promised that the Nation of Israel would appear through the man Abraham and later on through Isaac and Jacob. And then one day God would put them in a territory of land that He deeded to them, which we call their homeland, and then at a later date, He would yet provide the government. A King. Now Israel, of course, had to wait centuries and centuries for that last part of the Covenant to become a reality, the coming of their King. And so, this is the purpose of Christ’s earthly ministry early on. He came first and foremost to fulfill that Abrahamic Covenant and the Law which included the bringing in their King. Now, if you’re going to have a King, you’re also going to have a Kingdom.
So, consequently, when Jesus came to the Nation of Israel and began His earthly ministry, He was then proclaiming the good news of a glorious Kingdom over which He would be the King. Now is that so hard to comprehend? Because that was all of His thrust, see that’s what John the Baptist’s purpose was, to announce this coming King. Now the King is there and so His message becomes then the good news that Israel is about to have its King and the Kingdom. We know that’s hard for people to swallow, but that’s why He came.
Just to show you what we're talking about, turn with us, and keep your hand in Matthew, we're not through here yet. Come all the way back to Romans once again and see how even the Apostle Paul makes this so clear. How can people miss this? Romans chapter 15 verse 8. Now, remember, Paul is writing in the book of Romans to us Gentiles, absolutely he is. But look what he’s telling us as Gentiles. Romans 15 verse 8.
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