Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.… I. THE TEXT SPEAKS OF A GRACIOUS BLESSING. The blessing Abraham received was that his faith was accounted to him for righteousness. This is another term for justification. For the amplification of this part of the subject see Romans 4:1-8. Justification is a gracious blessing, for it includes — 1. The forgiveness of sins. 2. "The being brought into the right relationship with Divine law. When a man has broken the Divine law, he is not justified — he feels himself condemned and excluded from the Divine favour. Could he be but once restored, and brought into harmony with that Divine law, he would be justified." 3. "The being brought into a state of potential righteousness. While justification is not to be confounded with sanctification, it implies that sanctification will take place in the processes of spiritual recovery through which we shall pass. We are justified among other reasons because we shall be sanctified." How precious, then. is this blessing! II. THE TEXT STATES BY WHOM THIS BLESSING IS ENJOYED. "They which are of faith." This means — 1. Those who for salvation put no trust in any human work. They have no confidence in the flesh, in hereditary privileges, or national distinctions. (The Jews trusted in the fact that they were the natural descendants of Abraham.) 2. Those who through faith alone seek to obtain and retain spiritual life. "Those who are not working that they may obtain the favour of God as a meritorious reward, but who are believing that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself; and that the gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ." III. THE APOSTLE INTRODUCES A WITNESS TO THESE TRUTHS. To those who boasted that Abraham was their father, and who yet clung to the law for justification, the apostle declares that Abraham obtained the favour of God not as a worker but as a believer. 1. The object of Abraham's faith. "He believed God." Bearing in mind the incidents of his life, this is abundantly clear that the Being in whom he trusted was the Almighty. 2. The subject of Abraham's faith. 3. The result of his faith.Lessons: 1. There is no righteousness possible to us but through faith. 2. The inheritance of the gospel is a spiritual inheritance. 3. The Divine promise is the support of faith. (R. Nicholls.) Parallel Verses KJV: Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.WEB: Even as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." |
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