FAITH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
by Abraham Maclaren
'And he believed in the Lord; and He
counted it to him for righteousness.' - GENESIS XV. 6.
It is remarkable to find this anticipation of New
Testament teaching
so far back. It is like finding one full-blown
flower in a garden
where all else is but swelling into bud. No wonder
that Paul
fastened on it to prove that justification by faith
was older than
Moses, than law or circumcision, that his teaching
was the real
original, and that faith lay at the foundation of
the Old Testament
religion.
1. The Nature of Faith.--The metaphor in the Hebrew
word is that of
a man leaning all his weight on some strong stay.
Surely that
metaphor says more than many definitions. It teaches
that the
essence of faith is absolute reliance, and that
unites us with Him
on whom we rely. Its result will be steadfastness.
We are weak,
mobile, apt to be driven hither and thither, but
light things lashed
to fixed things become fixed. So 'reeds shaken with
wind' are
changed into iron pillars.
2. The Object of Faith.--'Lord.' It is a Person, not
the promise but
the Promiser. Of course, reliance on the Person
results in
acceptance of His word, and here it is God's word as
to the future.
Our faith has to do with the future, but also with
the past. Its
object is Christ, the historic Christ, the living
Christ, the Christ
who will come again. How clear the nature of faith
becomes when its
object is clear! It cannot be mere assent, but
trust. How clear
becomes its identity in all ages! The creeds may be
different in
completeness, but the object of faith is the same,
and the emotion
is the same.
3. The effect of Faith.--Righteous is conformity to
the will of God.
Abram was not righteous, but he yielded himself to
God and trusted
Him, and God accepted that as the equivalent of
righteousness. The
acceptance was shown by the Covenant, and by the
fulfilment of the
promises.
So here is the great truth that faith is accepted
for righteous. It
is rightly regarded and treated as righteous, by the
estimate of
God, who estimates things as they really are. It
_is_ righteousness,
for--
(_a_) Faith is itself a supreme act of
righteousness, as being
accordant with God's supreme desire for man.
(_b_) Faith unites with Christ the righteous.
(_c_) Faith will blossom out into all righteousness.
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