Walking By Faith: Romans 4:16-17
“16) For this reason 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 the father of us all, 17) (as it is written, “A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU ”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. Romans 4:16-17
As mentioned earlier, Abraham had two lines of descent. One related to physical descendants, the other related to spiritual descendants who follow in the faith of Abraham. Most people understand this and follow in the faith of Abraham.
But let’s have some fun in this post with a little Bible Trivia. Let me start by saying, a little bit of faith goes a long way. So, how many physical descendants did Abraham actually have? Most people respond by saying two; Ishmael and Isaac. But when God restored Abrahams body through faith, he did an amazing job. It seems that Isaac grew up with many younger brothers.
Genesis 25:1-2 records a detail that most readers miss. After Sarah died, Abraham married again. Let’s look at what the Bible says; “1) Now Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2) She bore to him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah.” Altogether Abraham had eight sons, but Isaac was the son of promise.
Now look at the end of Roman 4:17 again. “… in the sight of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” God certainly did give life too the dead, and called into being what did not exist. Abraham did have as many descendants as the stars of the heavens for number and he become the father of a multitude of nations and many kings came from him. (See Genesis 15:5 and Genesis 17:6-7)
When God spoke to Abraham in the above two texts of Scriptures, everything He said looked impossible. He was old and had no children. Later in Genesis 18:14, the Lord had to remind Sarah that “nothing was impossible with God.” She was well past the age of child birth. To the natural eye, it looked impossible.
But God does not call us to walk by our natural eyes. We walk by faith and not by sight. Faith adds God to the equation and takes Him at His word. Abraham now becomes an example of what it means to walk by faith. It is understanding that what God promises He is able to do, and he is able to do it abundantly. (See Romans 4:20)
Let me make a closing point. Faith is taking God at His Word and not holding Him hostage to our wishes. What God says, God does. What God does not say, He is not obligated to perform. Faith goes back to the Word and promises of God. Make sure your faith is anchored in the Word of God and not in your emotions.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
