Rom 4:22-25 “And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”
Paul records that Abraham did not hesitate (stagger) concerning God’s promise to bless him with an heir. Even though he was nearing 100 years old, he did not doubt God. Although Sarah had been barren all their long life together, he still did not doubt God. Abraham was fully persuaded that God would do what He promised, and God imputed that unwavering faith unto Abraham for righteousness.
Mankind by nature is skeptical of many things. That thought is expressed in the old adage “never believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.” I remember as a small boy my great-grandfather getting the Grit newspaper and hearing him remark that “the Grit could tell you more lies and show you pictures to prove it than anything he had ever read.” Abraham had a faith imputed unto him that excelled anything that man was capable of on his own.
Seeing the source of this faith is vital to understanding that Abraham did not generate this faith within himself. His faith was imputed unto him by God. Abraham did not waver in this imputed faith because it had a greater source than mankind. His unwavering faith, imputed to him by God was accounted for righteousness.
As is often the case, God did not record that this was imputed just for Abraham’s sake. In fact, the whole of scripture is not for any single man or nation or era. All scripture is given for the thorough furnishing of the man of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17) unto all good works. These works are those things that God has determined that His faithful servants should walk in (Ephesians 2:10).
By the faith imputed to him, Abraham was blessed to believe what the world would say is impossible and not waver. This was written for our sakes that we, too, should believe something the world says is impossible. The same faith that was imputed to Abraham is imputed to us and enables us to believe on Him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. We do not stagger at the promise of the resurrection because we have faith imputed by Him who raised up Jesus.
Only by imputed faith can we truly believe that Jesus was delivered for our offenses. From a human perspective, it makes absolutely no sense that the righteous and just God would deliberately send His only begotten Son to die for people that were still in their sins. This is a ridiculous notion (to man) that can only be embraced by the imputation of faith which is accounted for righteousness. Only in this power can we grasp that Jesus was raised again for our justification.
May God give us the grace to give Him the glory for faith, righteousness, and justification through our risen, living Lord and Savior!
