Our scripture this morning is Romans 4:20-25.
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
Paul writes about faith and the all important place it must occupy in our lives. Our connection to God through faith and accepting Jesus as our Lord is the only way we can be saved. We can follow every rule there is but without a living relationship with Him, we will never have eternal life.
We sometimes think that just doing the right thing will absolve us, that if we are “good” we can get to Heaven. That doesn’t work. In the example of the rich man who asks about eternal life (Luke 18:18-24) Jesus explains that doing the right things (keeping the law) is not enough, we must be made right with God through faith.
When Jesus heals the sick, He often says “your faith has made you whole”. This tells us that when there was no human way for people to be healed, their faith was the cure. In Matthew 13:58 we read “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Jesus heals because of His compassion for our suffering but He teaches that our illnesses are more than physical. Without a connection to God, we can never be made whole.
Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Jesus to save us from our sins. Help us to be faithful followers, telling the world of the healing blessing we have received in You. Amen.