Devotional Study Series
Romans 4:3
Someone might ask Paul, “Is this teaching about faith something new?” Paul answers by opening the oldest pages of Scripture. Abraham, the father of Israel, was not made right with God by his works. He simply believed God’s promise, and God counted his faith as righteousness. This happened before circumcision and centuries before the law of Moses. So from the very beginning, God’s way of saving people has always been by grace through faith.
Paul explains it with a simple picture from daily life. When a man works, his wages are not a gift — they are a debt his employer owes him. But God does not deal with us in wages. He justifies the ungodly — the person who has nothing to offer — and faith receives what grace gives. David sings the same song: blessed is the man whose sins are covered, to whom the Lord does not count sin.
Look closely at Abraham’s faith. His body was as good as dead, and Sarah’s womb was barren, yet he did not stagger at God’s promise. He was fully persuaded that what God had promised, God was able to perform. That is faith: not faith in ourselves, but confidence in the God who gives life to the dead. The same promise-keeping God now asks for our lives on His altar — and He can be trusted with them.Prayer: God of Abraham, strengthen my weak faith. Teach me to take You at Your word, even when everything looks impossible. I trust the God who raises the dead. Amen.