Word of Salvation – Vol. 14 No.07 – February 1968
Faith And Justification
Sermon by Rev. A. I. DeGraaf on Gen.15:6
Scripture Reading: Gal.3:1-14
Psalter Hymnal: 95; 100; 384; 430; 467
Brothers and sisters in Jesus,
Do you believe in God? Really, that's quite a question. Often it is entirely misunderstood. Often when one is asked: "Do you believe in God?" one thinks it means: "Do you believe that, somehow, somewhere, there is a God?" As a matter of fact, to this sort of question four answers have been given and still are given today.
Only ONE of these is good, the one which Abram gave.
Let's first look at the three wrong answers.
Wrong answer number one: I believe that there is NO GOD. God is dead. That is the worst possible answer. It is an answer for which there is no proof, for no one can prove that there is no God. It is a FAITH, the wrong faith of a heart that is UNWILLING to bend under the will of the Almighty, a wilful 'no' to the Bible. We have seen - though – that believers sometimes say this, too. They then WILFULLY and CONSCIOUSLY ACT as if there were no God. They SHRUG OFF the notion that their heavenly Father watches over them and do as if they have to fix all their problems by their poor, proud, yet puzzled selves. Abram fell into this sin when he was in Egypt. "The fool says in his heart, :"there is no God". And how foolish can we be? How WILFULLY FOOLISH indeed!
The second answer is "I DON'T KNOW'. It is the answer of the puzzled AGNOSTIC. I don't know, he says, I wish I could have some PROOF somewhere. MAYBE there is a God, and I would LOVE to be able to trust in Him and love Him, but, you know, in our day and age things have gotten so complex, we cannot be children any more, like we used to be – science has stolen our Lord away and we don't know where they have laid Him...!
These are the people who will agree with the Presbyterian professor Geering who was asked on TV the other day if there was a God who answered the prayers of little children. He answered it by saying that Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane wasn't answered either, was it? As if answer to prayer is that God EXACTLY does as YOU ASK...! The agnostic.... but his answer is a wrong answer too. He says "I CANNOT believe what the Bible says.... but he means, "I believe the claims of man rather than the Word of God!”
Alright, those were TWO wrong answers. But there's a third wrong one: "Oh yes... I believe that there is a God!" You say: is that wrong? Yes, the Bible says this is WRONG. This is the way THE DEVILS believe: they believe that God EXISTS... somewhere! But they do not TRUST Him, they do not LOVE Him, they do not ACCEPT His words for themselves. They do not REJOICE in His marvellous grace. Mind you – thus it is possible to be Reformed too.
You believe that the Bible is true... but you are NOT excited about it, it really is not for you. You bring your children to be baptized (No, dominee, next month is early enough, for we are waiting for a nice baptismal gown from overseas...!) ...baptized but for the rest you're not REALLY excited about it. You're more excited about the good report brought home from school...! You come to church - because that's how you learned at home. It then is a matter of 'going through the motions: "O yes, of course I believe that there is a God... and a Gospel..and a Bible... and a heaven... and a hell... yes that's right, a hell too... - by the way, have you seen that new car of Mr Soa nd So? She's a beauty, boy! I could talk for hours about it....! What do you say? What the sermon was about? Now let's see, what was it again? I forgot, yes - by the way: about that car, it has automatic... 'What's that?, yes, we had the Lord's Supper, too, this morning, yes, it was nice. We are getting quite a few people in church lately. Now what was I talking about? Oh yes, that car, man that's a wonderful job.
"I believe there is a God...!" Do you see that this, too, can be a WRONG answer? As we saw: there are three wrong answers: There's the answer of the downright unbeliever: "I believe there is no God...!" There's the answer of the agnostic: "I don't know: I don't care to know either, what with science and our day and age. And there is the cold heart, the indifferent sort: “Oh yes, there is a God or something, but I have other things to do now... see you later.”
Let us now look at the RIGHT answer, the answer Abraham gave, here in our text. Well, it says here in Genesis: "He believed IN the LORD...!" But do you know that this text is quoted 3 times in the New Testament? In Romans 4, Galatians 3 and James 2. And in all THREE PLACES it says not :"he believed IN God... but "He believed God!"
Brothers and sisters, I think that in the combination of these two lies the key to understand this text. To see the wonder and beauty of it. For these two belong together and together they're the secret of Abram's life and the life of every blessed Christian today. TO BELIEVE IN the Lord is like living IN a house: He is ALL around you, shelters you, comforts you, you are IN Him, you KNOW that you need not do A THING without Him – you know that all your joy COMES FROM HIM – that in Jesus He loves you, gave Himself to you and shall NEVERMORE forsake you – you are RICH IN HIM, you LIVE IN HIM. That is: to believe In the Lord. To believe IN HIM WHO IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER. I am that I am...! The God of the Promises in Jesus... and that brings me to that way in which the New Testament writers put it: "TO BELIEVE IN THIS LORD IS TO BELIEVE THE LORD."
Like your little boy believes you when you tell him that Saturday you're going to take him on a boat trip, and he is excited all week about it, he believes you. He doesn't even think that you just said it, and will not DO it! God told an old man of over 90 who had an old wife of over 60 that they would have a son. And Abram believed God. He believed that then this would indeed happen. Glimpses of joy came in his heart as if it had already happened. For the LORD is as good as His Word. Today the Table of the LORD stands here to tell you again what the Lord has promised. To tell you that what Abram waited for has finally happened and that you have a Saviour who redeems you completely. To tell you that you have therefore a Father in heaven who knows what you need and shall never forsake you, to tell you that you have God's promise that His Spirit shall remind you of your riches - that you SHALL lack nothing and need NOT worry even though at times you WILL be tested. That you SHALL arrive in eternal glory and joy even though it will not be than after ye have suffered a while (as the Form for Profession of faith says). That even though thru weakness you may fall into sins you must NOT despair of God's mercy NEITHER keep lying down in sin. That you and your children may have an eternal covenant with God...!
Do YOU believe HIM?
Are you GLAD that it's true? For then you believe IN the LORD YOUR God, and then you hide right IN Him, with your daily troubles to take them along INTO the shelter of His wings – with your grievous sins... you take them along INTO that most holy place where Jesus is, the Lamb of God who died for YOU too. Then you hide right IN Him also with the things you love and are grateful for, yes, that new car and that new house, too – and you thank HIM for it and you dedicate THAT TOO, unto His service, for YOUR God gives you things that you shall use them for His Glory. Then you hide IN HIM with what worries you, you do NOT carry it on your own back, but you bring it to the Lord in prayer. Then you live with HIM, walk with HIM. Then He is no more the Faraway Sunday Subject Talked About In Church but He is the One without Whom you cannot live.
And then you'll find out – as you SO take hold of Him, that you do this not in vain. ABRAM BELIEVED IN THE LORD...
AND IT WAS COUNTED HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Righteousness: that is: a clean sheet
a white conscience,
a fresh start,
a life washed completely clean from all the dirt of sin and unbelief.
ABRAM BELIEVED THE LORD – and then THE LORD REGARDS THAT AS IF THIS MADE ABRAM FREE FROM HIS SIN – AND FIT FOR HEAVEN. For By GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH.
Abram trusts God Who should be his relentless Judge – and God lays all iniquity of Abram on his own dear Son. O the wonder of justification by faith alone!
YOU TRUST THE LORD JESUS – AND THEN ALL THE WORK HE DID IS YOURS.
HIS OBEDIENCE IS YOURS
HIS STANDING WITH THE FATHER AS BELOVED SON is yours!
For that is why He came – to GIVE to those who ask and to receive into his home the beggar who knocks at the gate! Righteousness – to be RIGHT with God! To be worthy of being called His SON... His daughter...!
Just believing God would not give you that... would it? Does THAT wipe out the grievous sins with which we have offended Him so deeply? Sure it doesn't! You are right when you say that the Most High majesty of God is NOT THAT EASILY pleased: Just believing Him does not make it peace – but the WORK OF JESUS does, you know! The work of Him Who loved us and gave Himself for us. HE had made it possible for Abram to get righteousness just by believing GOD... by trusting IN His promises. He has made that possible for you, too. This morning again THIS Lord extends HIS Hand, HIS Body, HIS Blood, to you, and says, "Believe Me and you shall live. Believe AND TRUST Me and your life shall be new! Let Me do it... for you... in you and it SHALL be done. I can make all things new. Yes, again I can!
For by grace are ye saved
through faith
and that not of yourselves
it is the gift of God.
Lord, I believe! A debtor to mercy alone, of covenant mercy I sing;
Nor fear, with Thy righteousness on,
my person and offering to bring.
Lord, I believe! The terrors of law and of God
with me can have
nothing to do;
My Saviour's obedience and blood
hide all my transgressions from view.
Lord, I believe! The work which His goodness, began,
the arm of His strength will complete.
His promise is Yea and Amen,
and never was forfeited yet!
Things future, nor things that are now,
nor all things below nor above.
Can make Him His purpose forget
or sever my soul from His love!
My name from the palms of His hands
eternity will not erase
Impressed on His heart it remains
in marks of indelible grace.
Amen.