A Compelling Truth: A 30 Day Journey through Galatians with Rob StanmoreНамуна

DAY 12

Court is now in session, and Paul calls Abraham to the stand as a witness.

Paul is trying to not only communicate the Gospel to his Galatian readers who had been caught up with the law and Jewish living but to truly connect with them. He does this by bringing Abraham into his defence, who, in their mind, would be one of the Jewish formative figures.

When Paul says Abraham’s faith was “credited to him as righteousness” he is using a legal term and a legal status that he is justified—Abraham is saved.

This is a huge statement to the Galatians reading this and even to us today. 

Paul is saying that Gospel-living is being sinful, yet loved and accepted by God.

We are simultaneously sinful and saved.

Paul is saying that you don’t need to clean up your life in order to be saved in God’s eyes; rather, you receive salvation, even while you are a sinner.

This is because faith is credited as righteousness, not works. 

We are saved by faith, not by the ‘good things’ we do.

Question

What can we learn from Abraham’s story today?