‘Just like Abraham’ by Pastor Patrick Ramsey
SERMON HIGHLIGHTS [bracketed statements, emboldening and underscoring are mine]:
- [I recommend listening to Pastor Ramsey’s sermon and not relying on these points, as he carefully explained Paul’s arguments that supported his position that faith and not works is the source of righteousness; the points, in the mid section below, are a bit weak]
- How was Abraham, a Pagan from Ur, made right with God, as to be an heir of the ‘promised land’ as in Hebrews 11, which he understood to be a ‘city with eternal foundations?’
- How can YOU be justified?
- This epistle of Galatians rightly answers that question and debunks the wrong answer
- The right answer, by faith in Jesus; wrong answer, by works or anything one might do to obtain forgiveness
- In Galatians 3, Paul proved his case that one is justified by faith and not works
- His two arguments were very briefly reviewed; chiefly, that Jesus’ death, indicates that we cannot be justified (made right with God) by what we do
- Otherwise, Jesus would not have had to die if the law (works) could merit salvation
- And the Galatians own experience illustrated that they were given the Spirit when they believed the message of the gospel that Paul preached
- The Galatians did just what Abraham did in the Old Testament: in Genesis 15:6, the Bible states that Abraham believed God and his belief was counted to him as righteousness
- That point was Paul’s third argument to prove to the Galatians that a believer is made right with God by faith and not by works
- Pastor Ramsey speculated that the Judaizers would likely have turned to Abraham to defend their position also; by saying something that indicated that Abraham obeyed God and became righteous
- The Judaizers would have erred by saying such however, as they would be arguing that Abraham’s being circumcised… would have been the source of Abraham’s obedience…
- When Paul turned to Genesis 15:6 to show that Abraham was counted righteous because he believed God, Paul also explained that Abraham believed God BEFORE he was circumcised (he was circumcised in chapter 17, 14-29 years later)
- Pastor Ramsey explained that Abraham’s faith was apparent at promises God made to him in Genesis 12; but that at this time many years had elapsed and Abraham was likely feeling quite helpless, powerless… at the fact that he and Sarah had not yet had their promised child
- That is, his doubts, fears… would have been increasing, YET, he believed God in the face of these
- He trusted God to be true to His promise even though it seemed impossible at his age
- That faith was counted to him as righteousness
- Therefore, Abraham, the patriarch of Israel was counted as righteous by God, long before he obeyed the Lord by being circumcised and offering up Isaac
- Pastor Ramsey used this information about Abraham to show how the Galatians could relate to Abraham’s believing in God’s promise by faith – he showed how they had done similarly by trusting God’s word
- The following verse was cited to provide another example of that kind of faith: Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
- The Galatians were justified before they even thought about being circumcised to keep the law; as was Abraham
- We are also justified by believing God; not by church attendance; doing some act of obedience…
- John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
- Those who believe God like Abraham are his children
- We are, with Abraham, part of the family of God, part of the redeemed people of God, and we will inherit the same promises and blessings as Abraham
- Pastor Ramsey succinctly reiterated the important above in different words to ensure that their significance was understood
- He called Abraham the leading example for all those made right by God (the archetype, the paradigm, were other words he used to show that Abraham was the first to believe by faith and that all others, who would be called his children would do the same)
- Abraham and his descendants were required to be circumcised; and Israel was required to keep the law of Moses
- Why are we not required to keep these today?
- Consider the following two points:
- No one in the Old Testament was required to be circumcised or to keep the law to be justified
- Being right with God has always been by faith
- Secondly, the Old Testament looked forward to the day that God would justify Gentiles by faith
- One of the chief differences between the Old and New Testaments, is that in the New, the gospel has gone out to the entire world
- That is, the people of God now are found among every nation and tribe, not just one nation as in Old Testament Israel
- That indicates that Gentiles do not have to become Jews and live like them to be included in the group called ‘the people of God’
- Gal 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”
- Note: the same ‘gospel’ was preached to Abraham
- THERE IS ONLY ONE GOSPEL; THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY OF SALVATION, AND THAT WAS GOD’S PLAN FROM THE BEGINNING
- One should not think that those believers of the Old Testament were justified in some other way than by faith
- Furthermore, Abraham was not justified by baptism as some have taught throughout the ages; AND we are justified just like Abraham; therefore, we cannot be justified by baptism
- It is necessary; we are required to be baptized, just as Abraham was required to be circumcised
- As Gentiles, we might refer to Cornelius [Acts 10] as Paul did to Abraham, and say, “When was Cornelius justified, before or after he was baptized?
- Before
- How then, can someone who is not right with God be made right with Him?
- This is a question which everyone should ask, because everyone, by nature [at physical birth] is not right with God
- The answer is, by faith, as Abraham
This next sermon is the latest in Pastor Ramsey’s series, it followed the one above: “The Law is Not Faith:”
The following link is to Pastor Ramsey’s sermons at Sermon Audio; he is preaching a series on Galatians, and is presently about half-way through.
This series contains clear explanations of a few Christian doctrines that are currently, widely misunderstood and/or ignored in the mainstream church.
For example, it is essential to understand exactly what it means to ‘trust’ in Jesus; to ‘rest’ in Jesus’ righteousness, and so on. Why so? Because most of us make the mistakes that the apostle Paul confronts the Galatians about, trusting in our own works in one way or another and THEREBY failing to be saved, as in Matthew 7:21-23.
Even if you read through your Bible yearly and attend church regularly, you are likely to have misunderstood some of the doctrines taught in Galatians.