Conquering by Faith
Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsAbraham was a world-conqueror by faith and not by works.
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Purpose: A listener should be able to evaluate how to understand the OT promise of Abraham in the light of Christ and how these are applied to us by faith and not by works.
Abraham was a world-conqueror by faith and not by works.
He Was Promised Dominion
He Was Promised Dominion
13 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—how does this relate to what has come before it?
Taking up the idea in verse 12 that Abraham is the prototype of those who walk by faith, as he did. Paul grabs on to the idea of this and provides further rationale that Abraham was justified by faith by focusing on the promise/covenant aspect. here.
Heir of the world
BDAG refers it to posterity/descendants. This seems to be a theological word that varies on a case by case basis for what it means.
What is meant by "heir of the world"? This is not a quote in the OT. IN fact, it is not there at all. No where is it Said that Abraham would inherit the world. All it says is that he would have all families of the world be blessed in him (Gen. 12.3). This is later reiterated in Gen. 18.18 and in Gen. 22.17-18.
3 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.
18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Gen. 22.17 notes, however, that Abraham will also "possess the gates of his enemies." This is new. The idea is that Abraham and his seed will conquer everything.
We first need to understand who the "seed" is.
It's primary meaning is biological: descendants. But the idea of seed is found on the first pages of the Bible, in Genesis 3.15.
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The "seed" is not just Abraham's family: put in the OT context, the seed is the promised serpent crusher. This idea develops later on in to the Messianic King who reigns atop the Holy Hill
6 Yet have I set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, And I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Gal. 3.16 is clear: that "seed" is Christ.
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
So the promise in Gen. 22.17 was that Jesus, from Abraham's family, would be the one who possess the gates of his enemies.
Now we're onto a thread that Paul was developing. This is how the biblical authors thought. They pulled strands together and saw how they all interconnected. All of this was there in the OT: the seed, the promise, all of it. The NT authors saw it and expressed it for is. So, what did they say? They told us, first, that Christ was the seed. They told us, second, that Christ currently has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28.18). They then told us that Christ will reign in heaven until he has defeated every enemy (1Cor. 15.25). The NT told us, in other words, that Jesus' mission was nothing less, and what was promised to Abraham was nothing less, than world dominion. World conquest. Our savior is out to conquer the world. This was given to Abraham by faith.
He Trusted for Dominion
He Trusted for Dominion
14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
The Law Destroys Faith
The Law Destroys Faith
for- reasoning why Abraham did this by faith
Void: κενόω - made empty
No effect: καταργέω - make powerless
Why? Because
The Law Produces Wrath
The Law Produces Wrath
“But why is it that the inheritance can’t be realized by observance of the law?”
Verse 15 shows us that the promise can never be achieved by law-keeping since the law only brings about wrath because of human sin
How is faith made empty of its power and the promise of no effect? Because "the law worketh wrath." This is easy for us to accept, but we need to be careful how far we go. The law of God is not something that is evil. Paul is going to tell us later on this same book that the holy is good (Rom. 7.12).
12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
In fact, he says "the law is spiritual" (Rom. 7.14).
14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Spiritual? Yes: the Holy spirit wrote it and the holy spirit loves the Law. The psalms are filled with praises of the Law of God. Ps.119.1-2
1 ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, And that seek him with the whole heart.
happy are those; I rejoce in your law, Ps. 119.14.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, As much as in all riches.
We live in a world, however, that hates ALL laws. All laws and all restrictions are seen as impinging on our "true selves." We place an inordinant idea on the notion that we must "find our true self."
There is everything good in expressing your individual tastes and preferences. C.S. Lewis talks about this in Screwtape letters. You should feel free as a Christian to enjoy the non-sinful things that you enjoy and others do not. Whatever hobby it might be; that's good. That, as an expression of your personal makeup, is fully acceptable. What's not is this idea that you must submit yourself to some law outside of you that tells you what to do.
God's Law is just that.
We are actually in an odd moment right now where certain subcultures are rediscovering the need for a guding principle in their life. They are realizing what the Bible has always affirmed: no one is an island, and everyone is wired to receive instructions. If you do not take it from God, you will take it from someone else. We all require some type of ordering principle to structure our lives and give harmony to it all.
The problem comes when we take the Law of God out of its proper place. As Christians, and as we will see later, God's law is meant to serve as a guide to our life. What it is not meant to do is to serve as a means to get God's blessing or earn his favor. This is what Paul is going after in this context. The concept that Abraham somehow obeyed God and this was why He got the benefits.
We canniot ever climb the mountain to God’s blessings by our own works. We live and die by faith.
Abraham was a world-conqueror by faith and not by works.
