“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
(Genesis 15:6)
Scripture tells us that those who lived prior to Christ’s death and resurrection came to be justified in the same way as those who hear and respond to the gospel today. For example, Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed God, and he was justified by faith. God credited him with righteousness on that basis alone, just as He does us (Romans 5:1).
Long before he offered Isaac (Genesis 22), God counted righteousness to Abraham. We should note that the promise came first, faith received it, and righteousness was imputed. Abraham’s later obedience did not create the righteousness by which he was accepted before God; it simply demonstrated the reality of the faith through which he had already been justified.
The promise itself arose from the gracious purpose of God. The Lord declared Himself to be Abraham’s shield and exceeding great reward, promising the multiplication of his seed. Abraham then believed in the Lord. His faith rested on a promise that originated wholly in divine grace.[1]
Faith was the instrument by which the promise was received, not the ground upon which God became obligated to justify him. God justified Abraham as one who had no righteousness of his own sufficient for acceptance. The blessing rested solely upon grace, and Abraham’s faith focused not on himself but on what God had promised.
At the same time, faith that receives Christ is never barren. The same faith through which Abraham was justified afterward produced remarkable obedience. When he offered Isaac, his faith was shown to be genuine, living, and operative. His works simply demonstrated the character of the faith upon which God had already pronounced him righteous.
The offering of Isaac openly verified what had already been true. In other words, the faith exercised years before was shown by subsequent obedience to have been the kind of faith that works through holiness. What God had known perfectly from the beginning became manifest in Abraham’s life.
The renewed promise and oath given after Abraham’s obedience also served as confirmation. The promise had already been sure, but the oath made that certainty more abundantly evident. In the same way, Abraham’s justification had already been full and complete. And yet his obedience confirmed the reality of the faith through which he had received the promise.
Justification always rests on the gracious promise of God received by faith. Yet the faith He gives also bears fruit in obedience, and that obedience confirms what grace has already bestowed. This divine order preserves both the freeness of justification and the necessity of a living, fruitful faith.
Contemplations:
- Thank You for Justifying by Faith. I am grateful that my acceptance before You does not rest on the merit of my works. Like Abraham, I have no righteousness of my own sufficient to answer Your law. Yet You appointed faith as the instrument by which Christ and His righteousness are received.
- Thank You That Your Promise Comes First. You spoke the promise that Abraham believed long before he demonstrated the obedience that later marked his life. Your grace took the initiative. Salvation begins with Your purpose, Your word, and Your gift. You do not wait for sinners to become worthy before You reveal mercy. You speak, promise, call, and give what faith receives. I am grateful that Your promise is prior to my response and that faith can only receive because You have first given something sure to believe.
- Thank You for a Living and Fruitful Faith. Thank You that the faith You give does not remain barren. Abraham believed, and afterward his faith showed itself in remarkable obedience. You do not justify by works, yet the faith through which You justify produces works. Thank You that true faith looks to Christ for righteousness and then begins to live in obedience to You.
- Thank You for Confirming What You Have Given. You knew Abraham’s faith perfectly from the beginning, yet later obedience openly demonstrated its reality. I am grateful that You provide evidences of grace that strengthen assurance without becoming the ground of justification. Good works do not make Your declaration more true, but they help reveal that the faith receiving Your promise is genuine. Your order is wise, gracious, and secure.
Prayer (Thanksgiving):
Gracious God, thank You for the righteousness counted through faith. I praise You that justification does not rest on the merit of my works, but on Your grace received through faith in Jesus Christ.
Thank You that Your promise comes first. You are the One who speaks, calls, gives, and establishes the ground of hope. Faith does not create the blessing; it receives what You have freely promised. And the obedience that follows justification simply displays the reality of the faith You have given and the grace already received.
Thank You for the wisdom of this order. Justification remains free, complete, and secure, while holiness follows as its necessary fruit. You preserve the glory of Christ’s righteousness and at the same time produce obedience in those whom You save.
Let my confidence remain fixed on Christ alone, while my life increasingly confirms the reality of the faith by which I receive Him.
Receive my thanksgiving for a righteousness I could never produce, a promise I did not earn, and a faith whose fruit gives evidence of Your grace.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23; Psalm 106:31
[1] Thomas Goodwin, The Works of Thomas Goodwin, vol. 7 (Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1863), 183–184.
