{"id":447,"date":"2018-11-08T01:40:13","date_gmt":"2018-11-08T06:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.afaiththatobeys.org\/blog\/?p=447"},"modified":"2022-08-20T22:00:43","modified_gmt":"2022-08-21T02:00:43","slug":"a-credit-of-righteousness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.afaiththatobeys.org\/blog\/a-credit-of-righteousness\/","title":{"rendered":"008 – A Credit of Righteousness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Abram Father of the Faithful<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A curious phrase, appears no less than ten times in the Bible, nine of which concern Abram. We discover it first in Genesis. This phrase is a small, subtle, one line blessing for the man of faith, which will go on to rock centuries of the religious world! Genesis 15:6: \u201cAbram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.\u201d <\/em>This important statement spotlights the core ingredient of all religious faith, \u201cbelief.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We look to Abram as a spiritual model. He is the progenitor of the tithe, father to three world religions and a friend of the Almighty. Armed with Abram\u2019s faith, we climb mountains. The goal? A righteousness like that of the Patriarch! We admire Abram\u2019s faith as we surmise, Abram believed God and received righteousness. It is for this type of faith, we all strive!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always, at A Faith that Obeys, we are compelled to define our terms before we begin our journey of discovery, striving for deeper understanding on that smooth, winding, country road of life and doctrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buckle up. We\u2019re gonna go for a little ride!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Righteous Defined<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With Abram by our side, let\u2019s jump onto the scriptural byway to righteousness! What is \u201crighteousness?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, let’s make a quick stop at a fascinating old diner, the 1828 edition of Noah Webster\u2019s Dictionary. If you are ever hungry for a rich, meaty definition along the way, a stop here offers delicious rewards. Unlike our modern dictionaries, you will not find quick, nutritiously empty, bite-sized morsels here. Get ready for a warm hardy sit-down meal. Here\u2019s what Webster said about righteousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPurity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. righteousness as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wow, let\u2019s get some desert. What was that other fancy word he used? \u201cRectitude?\u201d What\u2019s that? Webster says, \u201crectitude of mind is the disposition to act in conformity to any known standard of right, truth or justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, righteousness is something deep within a person\u2026 a sort of character quality of the soul. It is not something which a person can grasp on their own, we know that. It must be bestowed by God. It is that special divine spark within, which causes a person to conform with, \u201cany known standard of right, truth or justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

True Religion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because of man\u2019s fallen nature, the prowess to avoid the misdeeds of the flesh is not something which comes by way of earth. All men are separated from God by sin and no man can attain righteousness on his own merits. But when God gives it, the man is completely and utterly changed\u2026 for eternity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the New Testament, God provides a way for the sinner to attain righteousness; it happens through the sacrifice of his son. All of our sin is placed on Christ and we are declared righteous by God. Now, this righteousness, found in the New Testament, is not something we will receive some day. It is ours right now! The Bible, in speaking about the affect of Christ\u2019s blood, shed on the cross, tells us that complete forgiveness of sins, no condemnation and thorough stain removal are part of a death to our old life and a new birth into sinless righteousness with a seat\u2026 right now\u2026 in Heaven\u2026 with Christ!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Testament righteousness is a declaration prepared before the beginning of the world and it is given freely to those who are willing to follow Christ by lovingly obeying his commands. If and when we do this, we are in full possession of this righteousness and no one can ever take it away from us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Credit of Righteousness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Back on the road, let\u2019s return to Genesis. In this famous, incredible, historical, aforementioned event, God bestows upon Abram a credit of righteousness. As we have seen, righteousness is required in the relationship between God and a person. No one can have a relationship with God who is not deemed righteous by God. The thought of approaching a holy, pure God with even a hint of unrighteousness is absolutely unthinkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, in order to have a little chat, God gives Abram a credit of righteousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now listen carefully, I\u2019ll bet we may have missed something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the New Testament, God declares us righteous when we are born again. This is a gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But God did not give Abram, a \u201cgift.\u201d God gave Abram a \u201ccredit.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is an important distinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some reason, we make the assumption that God bestows actual \u201crighteousness\u201d on Abram, you know… like he does for the Christian in the New Testament. The scripture never says that\u2026 at least not yet. We jump to the wrong conclusion. Somehow, regarding Abram, we redefine \u201ccredit\u201d to mean \u201cownership.\u201d Credit is not ownership!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, what is \u201ccredit?\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pretty much everyone has a credit card, right? Credit cards offer easy access to financial loans. You get to use something before you actually pay for it yourself. The ability to possess something before you pay for it goes back thousands of years. In our illustration, it goes back to Abram. Credit is nothing new. When we have credit, we get to possess something we might otherwise be unable to afford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Possession on credit is not ownership.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Possessing something on credit may feel like ownership, but that shiny new car purchased on credit is not yours, it belongs to the bank. Skip a couple of payments and see what happens! Having the credit to possess the thing is not the same as having the money to buy the thing or having something given to you as a gift. Possession does not necessarily imply ownership. In fact, one could be in possession of something which was not legally theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s be cautious that we do not carelessly change a word\u2019s meaning. In our Genesis passage, credit, a word chosen by God, is credit. Ownership is ownership. So, while Abram is temporarily enjoying a credit, it will not be until sometime later that this scripture gets fulfilled, and we see Abram actually \u201cconsidered\u201d righteous by God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For what was the credit given?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, why does God extend this credit to Abram? Well, He does it in response to something Abram did first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scripture says, \u201cAbram BELIEVED<\/em> God.\u201d And on this action of Abram we hang our hats of faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s slow down a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to believe God, God must have told Abram something first. What was that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically to clear up a matter or to understand something better in scripture, we would go back a verse or two\u2026 just to the south of the passage we are studying and see what that says. We would put things in context, right? Since we\u2019re studying verse 6, let\u2019s go back to verse 2 through 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Abram said, \u201cO Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?\u201d And Abram said, \u201cYou have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.\u201d Then the word of the Lord came to him: \u201cThis man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.\u201d He took him outside and said, \u201cLook up at the heavens and count the stars\u2013if indeed you can count them.\u201d Then he said to him, \u201cSo shall your offspring be.\u201d Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God tells Abram he will be fruitful. He is going to have a son! It seems like it was about this one aching issue Abram was most concerned; and God belays those concerns immediately. So, when we read verse 2 through 5 we conclude, \u201cAbram believes God (about this issue,) and God credits righteousness to him as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, this may not be the reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s move south just a little bit more. Look at verse one and following!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genesis 15:1
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: \u201cDo not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you see that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God just made a vastly more important statement which Abram heard and believed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am your shield, your very great reward.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wow! How did we ever miss that one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you think\u2026 just maybe\u2026 this is the statement Abram believed first?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the first thing God says to Abram in the vision\u2026 \u201cI am your shield. I am your exceedingly great reward.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How long do you suppose Abram paused after God first spoke? Do you think he instantly blurted out his complaint about inheritance rights, barely taking a breath to even consider\u2026 for just one moment\u2026 what the God of the universe has just said. Maybe he missed it like we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, did he drink it in? Did he stop and reflect? This is huge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbram believed God\u201d is at the core of our entire religious DNA. And surely, it is not about DNA God credits Abram. It\u2019s not about kids! It\u2019s about something far, far better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do we believe God is our shield\u2026 our very great reward?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isn\u2019t that what He asks of us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doesn\u2019t He just want a relationship with us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doesn\u2019t He want to protect us and be our very great reward?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Abram, we so quickly turn to the flesh. \u201cBut I want a kids!\u201d I think, it makes far more sense, that the credit of righteousness is bestowed on Abram because of his acceptance of God\u2019s first statement, not God\u2019s response to Abram\u2019s lament. God is our shield and our reward. That\u2019s awesome! If we have ever thought our joy, our hope or our happiness could possibly come from temporal blessings, we’ve probably misplaced real love and trust for God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abram believes God and it is credited to him as righteousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Amazing Foreshadowing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I think it is important to understand that Abram did something, in order to receive this credit. He did not ask for it. He did not pray for it. He did not beg God for it. What Abram did was very simple, he accepted God\u2019s word and received a credit. This may be a foreshadow of a New Testament situation. Let me explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember when we first began our trip, I told you that the religious world looks at this passage and wishes to imitate the faith of Abram. That\u2019s a wonderful goal. But, I think this story of Abram is in the Bible for a reason we might not suspect. I think this is a foreshadowing of John 1:12, another scripture about belief and acceptance. And this Genesis passage is misunderstood in the same way John 1:12 is misunderstood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The modern religious world looks at Abram\u2019s belief and assumes he was\u2026 at that moment declared righteous. Then, they erroneously conclude\u2026 New Testament conversion is the same. They read Genesis 15:6 like this: Abram believed God and he was declared righteous.\u201d Well\u2026 that\u2019s not quite what it says. It says, as we have so dramatically illustrated\u2026 Abram received a credit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, compare this to, John 1:12 where it says, \u201cYet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read that again very carefully. We do not become a child of God when we believe and receive. We gain a “right,” not righteousness. The modern religious world tells us, “All you need to do is believe and receive and you are right then and there a son of God.” That’s clearly not what John 1:12 says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearing God\u2019s word and accepting God\u2019s word are the first two steps in the Biblical Plan of Salvation. At \u201cA Faith that Obeys,\u201d we have talked quite a bit about these first two steps and how the modern evangelical world claims; these two things lead to salvation\u2026 in other words\u2026 righteousness. Based on our previous lessons, we know this is not an accurate presentation of the Biblical Plan of Salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The forgiveness of sins, a declaration of \u201crighteousness,\u201d is not given by God until we fully obey the Gospel. When someone hears the word and accepts the word, they have done exactly what Abram did. They have believed God. At this point in time, I think God does the same thing for us as He did for Abram; He extends a \u201ccredit of righteousness\u201d to us. We are not yet considered righteous\u2026 we are not yet complete, but we are in a really good place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God, giving us this \u201cright,\u201d as He does in John 1:12, is analogous to Abram\u2019s credit. We are not in possession of righteousness but we have the means to move forward and eventually receive a full consideration of righteousness by God, if we will follow God\u2019s instructions, just as Abram did. The bigger mystery now becomes, if Abram did not fully possess righteousness when he first believed, when did that actually happen for him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fulfillment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Did God ever fulfill the scriptural credit and give actual possession? When was Abram\u2019s faith activated and righteousness declared?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It happens back in Genesis, but we don\u2019t get the explanation. In fact, to find the answer, we need to wait\u2026 a few thousand years\u2026 and visit with the Lord\u2019s brother, James.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is amazing. Take a look at James 2:22-24<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWas not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whoah. Wait! This is a completely different event from the initial vision where God gave the credit. The declaration of righteousness does not occur when Abram first believes, it\u2019s when he nearly sacrifices Issac!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, \u201cAbraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,\u201d and he was called God\u2019s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

James speaks about a fulfillment of scripture. Which scripture is fulfilled? The one we have been talking about\u2026 \u201cAbraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” <\/em>Genesis 15:6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is so important to understand that the credit is a result of acceptance and belief and the fulfillment is the result of obedient faith. Abram is not actually considered righteous until he receives a command and obeys the command. And what a frightening command it was!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we consider everything James has to say about this passage, it can really clear some things up regarding the delicate interplay of faith and deeds. First, belief is not enough to be considered righteousness. It was not enough for Abram, it is not enough for us. Believing God is critical, that\u2019s for sure, but more is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James defines the rest of the process. Faith is made complete by what we do. Our actions are not fancy works of merit or arbitrary rituals. The actions we take can only be in response to commands God has given. This is why James can say that a person is not justified by faith alone. It is only after Abraham obeys, not before, that James says the scripture was fulfilled and Abraham is declared righteous. In the same way, it is at the time of our obedience in water baptism that we obey and receive the declaration of righteousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belief alone is not Biblical Faith<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What we tend to call faith today is really intellectual belief. This is why we look at Abram\u2026 believing God\u2026 and think he was declared righteous right there on the spot. Faith, Biblical faith, includes action as a result of our belief. Simple acceptance of the message without a scriptural response, is not saving faith!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The modern plan of salvation, with its claim that we receive righteousness when we first believe and receive Christ, saves no one. It only provides a credit. There are also commands for us to obey which God gives us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If, like me, you followed the modern plan of salvation and made a sincere commitment to Christ sometime in the past and have never been baptized or were baptized after you thought you were saved, I would urge you to reconsider your understanding. If we have not obeyed the Gospel, we are still in possession of that right God gave us but we have not completed our faith. We are not yet an owner of righteousness no matter how sincere and dedicated we may be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unconvinced?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take one last U-Turn back into Genesis and look at that very specific time where God actually completes Abraham\u2019s testing and considers him righteous as identified by James. Listen closely as the entire saga closes out. It is God who is speaking once again\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genesis 22:18
\u201c\u2026and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

True biblical faith begins with belief but is completed with our obedience. Nobody is declared righteous before they obey. Do we really want to have the faith of Abraham, a complete faith? Then we must have a faith that obeys!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dana Haynes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Listen Now – Podcast 008 – A Credit of Righteousness<\/div>\n