Abraham Believed God - Romans 4:3 KJV
Abraham believed God! The Bible says, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3 KJV). If you are like me, you probably are asking, “what did Abraham believe?” It is the intent of this article to understand and share what Abraham believed.
The Bible says Abraham is the father of faith and sets the example for all of us to be saved. “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. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 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” (Romans 4:13-16 KJV). Abraham is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, documented in the scriptures alone so God receives the Glory alone.
Abraham was not justified by works. “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:1-5 KJV). The church, law, rituals, sacraments, traditions, and works of men will never save anyone because justification is apart from any law, ritual, sacrament, or works of men. Justification (saved from the penalty of sin which is Hell) happens the very second a person places their faith in Christ alone for salvation. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:23-25 KJV). Every man is a sinner. Every person deserves to go to Hell and pay for their sin because every sin requires a death payment. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23 KJV). This is the reason Christ revealed Himself in the flesh and freely justifies anyone who will place their faith in Christ alone for salvation (apart from works). Every person needs to know that their church, keeping the law, following rituals or sacraments, or doing good deeds will never pay for one sin, let alone all their sin. Christ’s one death pays for all sin for all mankind. Christ freely gives every person that trusts in Him alone for salvation the perfection needed to get to Heaven which is believing in the Gospel of Christ. “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10 KJV). “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12 KJV). “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14 KJV). Abraham is justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in the Finished Redemptive Work of Christ alone.
Many individuals think Abraham was saved by keeping the Law (being good, doing works, or following ordinances); however, the Law did not come into effect until 400 hundred years (+) after Abraham’s life. Abraham was saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, just like believers are saved today. Abraham is a believer in Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham” (Galatians 3:6-9 KJV). “And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise” (Galatians 3:17-18 KJV). Abraham’s faith was counted unto him for righteousness. Where was Abraham’s faith placed? It was placed in the work of Christ at Calvary. The Gospel is -Christ died on the Cross for our sins according to the scriptures, He was buried, and He resurrected the third day according to the scriptures (I Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV). God shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Abraham. “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed” (Galatians 3:8 KJV). In Galatians 3:9, the LORD said, “In thee shall all the nations be blessed” which is quoted from a verse in Genesis. “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3 KJV). God told Abraham that all the families on earth are going to be blessed because there is One coming, a Savior, the Christ, the Messiah to die on the Cross for all the sins of all mankind -that is the blessing! The event that blessed all the nations on earth took place over 2000 years after Abraham’s life. However, Abraham had faith: He believed in God and what He said.
The promise of eternal life, the promise to never perish (go to Hell), the promise to receive the righteousness to get to Heaven were all promised hundreds of years before the Law ever came into effect. God promises that He will give each person the righteousness required to get to Heaven when they trust in Christ alone for salvation. “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:9 KJV). He will give each person His righteousness which is received by faith in Christ alone. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (II Corinthians 5:21 KJV). God promises that He will never send anyone to Hell when they trust in Christ alone as their only Hope to save them from a Hell they deserve to a Heaven they do not deserve. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). God promises that He will give them eternal life the very second they believe in the Finished Redemptive Work of Christ for salvation (apart from works). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36 KJV). Every person can know they are going to Heaven. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (I John 5:13 KJV). Abraham knew he was going to Heaven. Abraham knew he had eternal life. Abraham knew he was not going to Hell when he died. If you are reading this, God wants you to know that you can know you are going to Heaven when you die. God wants you to know that you and know you are not going to Hell when you die. Why? Christ paid for all your sin!
Abraham looked forward to the Cross of Calvary. Today, believers look back to the Cross of Calvary where Jesus Christ died for all sin (past, present, and future), buried, and resurrected on the third day. “Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (John 8:53-59 KJV). Jesus Christ Himself confirms that Abraham rejoiced to see the Christ dying on the Cross for the sins of mankind, burial, and resurrection.
Abraham believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham” (Galatians 3:8-9 KJV). Do you believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you know you are going to Heaven? Do you know you cannot go to Hell? Every choice has a consequence (positive or negative), and the choice to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior is the most important decision you will ever make.
If you have never received Jesus Christ as Savior, what is stopping you right now from accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior? In your mind you can say something, “I don’t know everything; however, I know I do not want to go to Hell and I want to go to Heaven when I die. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for all my sins, buried for me, and resurrected for me.” Trust in Jesus Christ as your only hope to save you from a Hell you deserve to a Heaven you do not deserve because only the Gospel of Christ can change your eternal destiny from eternal darkness to eternal light. “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14 KJV). Changing a person’s eternal destiny from Hell to Heaven is the Power of the Gospel. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16 KJV). Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior today and be born again and forever a child of God. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13 KJV). The very second you place your faith in Christ alone, you receive eternal life and you forever have eternal life because Christ paid for all your sins. When a person trusts in Christ alone for salvation, that person can “know” they are going to Heaven when they die because the Bible says they can “know.” “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (I John 5:13 KJV).
If you are born again, if you are a child of God, if you are a believer in Christ alone for salvation, if you know you have eternal life, if you know you cannot go to Hell; what are you doing to let others know about the Christ, the Messiah, the One who freely gives eternal life to anyone who places their faith in Christ alone? If someone took the time to share the Gospel of Salvation with you, I would encourage you to take the time and share the Gospel of Christ with someone else. You do not have to do anything for salvation because every person is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV). However, I would hope that you would want to share the Gospel of Christ with others. People are dying in their sins every day and they do not have to die in their sins, they can die in Christ; however, they need to hear the Gospel of Christ without conditions, without leaven, without strings attached. Man has perverted the Gospel over the years and it is our job to share the Gospel of Christ without conditions, without leaven, without strings attached so people can hear the simple truth and make a decision to believe or not believe. If you need resources, email me at thegoodnewsvoice@gmail.com. God speed!
THE PLAN OF SALVATION - THE GOSPEL
The Gospel is Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins (past, present, and future), He was buried, and He resurrected the third day to show us the payment for sin is paid in full.
I Corinthians 15:1-4: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
God loves you. Lord Savior Jesus Christ was revealed in the flesh for one reason: to save us from our sins. Jesus Christ does not come to condemn individuals. Jesus Christ comes to save us because we are all Hell doomed sinners without the Blood of Jesus Christ.
John 3:16-18: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
All individuals are sinners. The payment for sin is death.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ died for your sin and resurrected for you.
II Corinthians 5:21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
I Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
If you believe in Christ alone, you receive eternal life.
John 6:47: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
I John 5:13: These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
If you could be “saved” by being water baptized, doing good works, be a good person, or following the Ten Commandments? Why did (the God from Eternity Past, the God from Eternity Future) the Ever Presence Jesus Christ reveal Himself in the flesh and die on the Cross and resurrect the third day? No church can reconcile. No sacrament can save. No work or tradition of men can redeem. Only Jesus Christ can save a person from a Hell they deserve to a Heaven they do not deserve -all by grace!
Galatians 2:21: I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
If you could earn salvation by doing those things, then Jesus Christ died in vain. However, Jesus Christ did not die in vain. Jesus Christ made a perfect sacrifice for sin. He is the Lamb of God, and only the Lamb of God can make a perfect sacrifice for sin. There is only one way to Heaven, and it is the belief in the Finished Redemptive Work of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Philippians 3:9: And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.
Galatians 2:16: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Titus 3:5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
The resurrection is proof God the Father accepted Jesus Christ’s death payment for sin -death payment of past, present, and future sin: ALL SIN!
People DO NOT go to Hell because they are “bad.” People go to Hell because they believe NOT the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People trust NOT in Jesus Christ as their Savior. People believe NOT Jesus Christ died on the Cross for their sins, burial, and resurrection. People do NOT trust alone in the finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
II Thessalonians 1:8-9: In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.
Know that God is gracious to you. He has already died for all your sins (past, present, and future), He was buried for you showing all the world He died for your sins, and He was resurrected for you, showing all the world that Jesus Christ fulfilled what the Father asked Him to do: IT IS FINISHED! Your sins are paid in full. I pray you to believe in Jesus Christ right now for salvation -believe Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sin, burial, and resurrection. Trust alone in Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you know someone who is “not saved,” share the Gospel message with them or forward this message to them.
The Good News Voice is affiliated with The Grace Gospel Church. If you are looking for a Bible preaching, Gospel sharing, Body loving congregation, look no further. Join us in Taconite on Sundays at 9:30 am. The Grace Gospel Church is the first building on the right when you turn into Taconite. God bless, love Lance & Karla.
Pastor Lance Edminster
The Grace Gospel Church
The Good News Voice
Email: thegoodnewsvoice@gmail.com
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Once Saved, Always Saved -“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:28-30 KJV).
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