Galatians 3:6-9 | The Man of Faith

Abraham is more than a prominent figure to the Jewish reader. He is known as the father of faith. He is the point that all the promises of God to the Jewish people come back too. It may very well be said that Abraham is the hinge point of all that Israel is. It is through those promises that the Messiah came forth. It is through those promises that Israel was preserved continually. It was through those promises that Israel had any identity with God. But how was Abraham a recipient of those promises?

We have this particular line of Scripture reiterated throughout the New Testament, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." The actions of his life did not lead his faith. Rather, his faith led the actions of his life. Belief changed his course. Belief led him to experience God in a way no other man had at that point. There was no law at that point that could set Abraham apart. There was only faith.
 
The argument that this leads Paul to make is that if the law was not present for the promises made to Abraham, then the law will not serve to fulfill those promises. It is not by works that we walk in the promises of God. It is by faith. Faith becomes the central focus of the whole argument. It was not performance of the law that granted Abraham righteousness. It was his faith.
 
We can fall for similar traps of wanting to do all the right things for God and live by way of performance. We so often fail to understand the reality of grace through faith. Grace is not given to me because I tried really hard to get things right. I have not increased in favor because I followed all the rules. We must become like Abraham and let our lives be led by faith. It is then that we see the grace of God in its fullness. It is then that we see the fulfillment of many promises. Not by works of our flesh, but by faith in Christ.

What is God asking you to believe in Him for today?