Lent 11 - Righteousness by faith
Romans 4:13-25 Today we carry on with our reflections on Abrahams story. Many believe that Abraham was called and sent by God because he was such a good person. The apostle Paul reminds us, in his letter to the Roman church, that Abraham was seen as righteous because of his faith, not because of his actions. Paul goes on to remind us that Abraham's faith was not only accredited as righteousness to him personally, but to his descendants as well. Isn't it incredible how one person's faith can have such a tangible, lasting impact on generations of people to follow? Abraham's faith is praised because he "gave glory to God, even in the midst of doubt and unbelief" (verse 20). We are going to struggle with doubts and unbelief in our life, but to have faith like Abraham means continuing to trust in God and "being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what God has promised" (verse 22). If we have faith in God in this way, then even when we fail to li...