After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6 (NKJV)
God gave Abraham a promise that his descendants would be as the number of the stars in the sky. Abraham believed this promise and it was accounted unto him for righteousness. Because he believed in God, he was made righteous. It was the work of God and not of Abraham. It was God’s initiative. Righteousness is the work of God.
How then do we become righteous? Do we become righteous by saying the sinners’ prayer? We become righteous when we believe in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. There is no formula for becoming righteous. It is the work of God. Justification comes through faith. It is only when we believe that we can have eternal life (Acts 16:25-34). We are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16).
Those who are in Christ are made righteous like Abraham. When Abraham was made righteous, he was brought into a covenant relationship with God (James 2:23). He was called friend. Before God judged Sodom and Gomorrah, He consulted with Abraham. This is what He wants to do with us. God wants to have a covenant relationship with us. He wants to talk with us first before making decisions regarding the nations. We are in a covenant relationship with God. God requires us to obey Him and to surrender to His will. He will test our obedience and faithfulness to Him. We are covenant bond to Him. We are sons of God (Galatians 4:4-7).
Those who are in Christ are of the seed of Abraham. Because we are of faith, we are sons of Abraham (Romans 4:16, Galatians 3:6-9). We are blessed and highly favoured. It doesn’t matter what others may say about us, we are blessed. What God blesses, no man can curse.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29 (NKJV)
The promises that God made to Abraham, we have the right to claim. We are heirs according to the promise. We have the ability to access them. They are not only for the Jews but they are also for us. Through faith and not the law, we have access to the promises (Romans 4:13-14). Through the promise, men who were childless had a child. Women who were barren became fertile and those who were weak became strong. The promises in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are for us. Because of our lineage, we are prosperous.
[/column]15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”Genesis 22:15-18 (NKJV)
