Abraham is the first person the Bible describes as being JUSTIFIED. This does not mean that he was the first child of God, only that this is the first recorded case in the Bible giving us to example of the principle JUTIFICATION by faith, and the same principle God uses in justifying the ungodly/sinners. God justified Abraham as being righteous, BEFORE God had given the law.
Well, justification, that is, God declaring us "not guilty," arises from man's faith that God's means of atonement is sufficient--that, in fact, God is the only one who can truly provide a means of atonement that results in man being credited with righteousness.
I really like how the O.T. gives us both the building blocks and the context for understanding the N.T.
The concepts that give us an understanding of justification begin in the Garden of Eden and are carried through the entire Bible. Through God making garments of skin for Adam and Eve after The Fall, we learn that man's idea of covering up sin/guilt/shame is not sufficient. Not only did man sin in the Genesis 3 account, he also exhibited an inability to handle the consequences of that sin without God needing to step in and provide a substitute for man's inadequate efforts.
Moving into Genesis 4, Cain kills Abel, and God steps in again. God rebukes him and explains his punishment. Cain whines and says that the punishment is more than he can bear because he will be a "restless wanderer" and because anyone who finds him will kill him. We get a glimpse here of the far-reaching consequences of sin... a restless wandering apart from God and thus without hope and purpose, and, in the end, death. But, God has mercy on Cain. He still experiences some consequences for his sin, but God put a mark on Cain that would (inexplicably?) protect him from being murdered. So here we begin to see the weaving together of God's justice and mercy. We see the justice that our sin demands, yet a God who desires redemption for us. And we see that there is nothing Cain can do to save himself, for it was God who put the mark on Cain and God who prevented him from the death he feared.
We move into the account of Noah then (Genesis 6-9). People sin lots more and everyone except Noah and his family are killed in the flood. Why are Noah and his family saved? Because Noah turned away from the ways of the world and walked with God instead. In short, Noah had a repentant heart, that is, a heart that rejects they way of sin and chooses God. In this, we understand something of the requirements of God's mercy and the doctrine of election. We see that the unrepentant do not receive God's mercy, and we know that this is not because God was not able to save them or because mercy was not available to them, but because those who continue to walk in wickedness are not among the elected. We see also that Noah is saved from death in the flood by faith in God. And while Noah is obedient to God in his acceptance of God's plan for mercy, it is God who saves Noah and his family. The mercy was not available apart from God.
And near the end of the account of Noah, we see the establishment of the first covenant between God and man. Through this and the subsequent O.T. covenants, we learn that God relates to His people through binding promises. We see that He's not some fair-weathered God who acts randomly or who changes on a whim. We see that He has plans and that He carries those plans through to completion.
So, by the time we get to the account of Abram/Abraham, we have all of of this knowledge already of what sin is, and how damaging it is, and how helpless and depraved man is, and how God is the only one who can fix the mess.
In the context of all of that, even though God has not given the law yet, it is plain that sin results in death. Sin was not some new thing that came about because of the law. And the issuance of the law didn't really change justification any. Justification was never based on a legalistic following of anything. There has always been the element of faith in the mechanism of justification.
Moving further into the Old Testament, through the establishment of the law and the various explanations and descriptives of animal sacrifices, we see very clearly that God's mercy is contingent upon man's faith that atonement for sin is accomplished through God finding satisfaction in an unblemished sacrifice. Under the new covenant, God's Son, Jesus Christ, is the unblemished sacrifice for man's sin. Apart from Him, there is no true atonement, no justification, and no righteousness.
Romans 3 and 4 is fleshing out the Gospel message within the context of the O.T. I think that one of the things that Paul is attempting to do in those chapters is eliminate the distinctions b/w Jews and Gentiles. He's explaining that ALL have sinned and that no one has righteousness of his own accord. He's explaining that a strict following of the law does not exempt someone from being an unrighteousness sinner in need of God's grace. And, he explains that Abraham's justification was not by works, but by faith.
"Yet he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification," (Romans 4:20-25, NIV).
I know the topic is justification, not a discussion of who is first. But Sacrifice was offered for Adam and Eve, and they accepted the covering of God. They were justified.
Able is called righteous and just elsewhere in Scripture, and it is because he received the sacrifice of God by faith (Heb. 11:4; Matt. 23:25).
Then there is Enoch, the seventh from Adam, who walked with God and did not die. He had to have been justified.
And also Noah, a man who offered sacrifice, is described as a justified man (Tsaddiq) (Gen. 6:9: Ezek. 14:14 By HIS FAITH he became an heir of righteousness (Heb. 11:7), and it was before he built the Ark that he was declared righteous, so let no one say that his works saved him. He was called to work BECAUSE he was saved, not saved because he worked. He was righteous before God prior to the Flood (2 Pet. 2:5).
So, from these examples, with Hebrews 11, it is clear that justification is ours by faith in the WORK OF GOD, faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lamb.
From G1832 (in the sense of ability); privilege, that is, (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence: - authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.
Only Yeshua/Jesus is able to justify someone.
For He alone has the authority to declare me completely innocent;though i am not.
He also has the power to make this happen.
We trust Yeshua to justify us and that we are already justified by Him through faith/trust.
Romans 3:24-Being justified freely by His Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, what all of you are saying is that, Romans chapter 3, is telling us is that SAVING FAITH plays a major role in our justication, in that ANY ONE, you don't have to be a special person, BUT ANYONE who comes to God and trust Christ for salvation will be justified...
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us�ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Jo 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, thAc 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
at whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Jo3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Jo3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Ac 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
As believers the children of God are expected to believe all that is written for our benefit, since we know our father made the provision for all of mankind and that he is not willingly that any should perish and he also told us he is not a respecter of people, knowing that if he be lifted up, that he would draw all men unto him.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
If it does not fit every one of theses conditions we should not allow it as a part of our thought life, much less proclaim it as truth.
It is not pure
It is not lovely
It is not of Good report
It is not of God report
It is not true
It is not honest
It is not praiseworthy
It is not virtuous
To think anything other than what he has told us concerning his desire for mankind.
For he is not a man that he could lie, nor is he unjust to condemn anyone to hell that was not given every oppurtunity to accept his gift to all of mankind
For ALL(everyone) has sinned and ALL (everyone) come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a PROPITIATION(sacrifice) through faith in His blood, to declare(demostrate) His righteousness for the remission(forgivenness) of sins that are past(God over looked our sins of the past), so that He could demonstrat at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the person who has faith in Jesus Christ.
Where is the boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Is it exculded by works? No, but by the law of faith.
therefore we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the deeds (works) of the law.
Paul is explainign here, The purpose of the law was to bring conviction and prove guilt of sins, not for justififcation, only God can justtify us as already pointed out, becasue the law never justified anyone, its sole purpose is to reveal sin.
Justification is the act of God whereby our spiritual legal standing in heaven is changed from sinner to saints, we are declared righteous our sins forgiven.
When we by faith, receive Jesus Christ into our lives, this is called SAVING FAITH, we believe our faith in Christ can and will save us. And as I said before, this is when God adds righteousness and perfection to our record, or names are written in the Lambs Book of Life.
Our faith counts us as righteous before God. Jesus fulfilled the law, but He did not destroy the law, and our faith, becasue we believe in what Jesus did for us on the cross, and that when we repent of our sins God isfaithful to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness, this fiath in Jesus Christ for the forgivenness of our sins establishes the law.
Abraham believed God and took him at his word that the promise God had made would come to pass. Abraham never doubted God, and he moved according by faith as pointed out in Hebrews chapter 11. God counted Abraham's faith to trust Him and obey Him, as righteousness, just as He does us when we have faith to believe in God's promises.
Abrahma is known as the father of faith, because he was justified by God becasue of his faith.
Remeber, our faith doesn't mean that we must work for it, to gain God's righteousness, it means that God when we believe in God, He, only God can count us righteous when we believe in Jesus Christ, then we are acounted righteous, not made righteous, but God see us as being righteous. Whic belieivng by faith in Jesus Christ is justification, we have good standing before God.
So, you are saying that Abraham chose God? My bible says the opposite, that God chose Abraham, just like He CHOSE Noah, then Jacob/Israel, then his descendants, and now the gentiles.
If we quit trying to make the verses say what we want and use the examples the bible gives us, it is simple. Many false doctrines have started by using just verses and ignoring what God is trying to show us.
Did God choose Pharaoh? Or Esau? Or Ishmael? No. What about Jacob's brothers? David's brothers? Solomon's brothers? They were all passed over by God even though they were the first born and should have been chosen. This was to show that God makes the choice, not man. We do not know why for sure, but Romans 9 tells us not to question God.
