Unlimited: Meaningless Faith, Worthless Promise
Jul 20, 2022 1258
For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless (Romans 4:14).
At its heart, the covenant promise God made to Abraham was a promise of salvation through the promised Seed who was to come. It was a promise of what Jesus would do to save us all.
Abraham tried to fulfil God’s promise himself, with disastrous results. Those who receive the covenant promise receive it through faith, and not by depending on the law.
If you depend on your fulfilment of any law or any requirements for receiving God’s blessings, and especially the greatest blessing of all which is salvation, then you have completely devalued the meaning of faith.
Faith renders the law useless as a means of righteousness.
Faith renders the law useless as a means of righteousness. In the same way, trying to keep the law as a means of righteousness renders faith useless. If we are depending on our own performance, then we are effectively saying that faith means nothing, and that God’s covenant promise was useless. It is effectively to defy God and his promise.
Consider carefully what Paul is saying here. Those who depend on the law are not heirs. They get nothing. They are not counted as part of the family. They do not receive the promises of God’s covenant. It is a tragic destiny for those who depend on the law.
Spiritual Application
Are you an heir of God? You’ll know by what you depend on for your acceptance and standing before God. Do you depend on the way you live and the things you do, or do you depend only on your trust in Jesus?
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