Good morning. David also speaks of the blessing on the man
to whom God credits righteousness apart from works. Paul asks, was the faith
credited to Abraham as righteousness while he was circumcised or uncircumcised?
It was while he was uncircumcised; therefore, one does not have to be a Jew to
have his faith reckoned as righteousness (praise God!). For the promise to
Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not
through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. It is by faith, in
order that it may be in accordance with Grace, so that the promise will be
guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the law, but
also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all. That
reminded me of the old song: father Abraham had many sons… God, who gives life
to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. In hope against
hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to
that which had been spoken: so shall your descendants be. Abraham had no hope
of it ever happening. First there was Ishmael, and Abraham thought now it will
happen; but God said no! It was supposed to come through Sarah. When he sent
Ishmael away, in the natural, he was sending away his only hope. It was
hopeless. Father thank You for Abraham and his faith in Your promises. Help us
to have the same kind of faith in Your promises for us.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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