Lord, today I will rest in You, work for You, and seek to become like You.

“What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’”
- Romans 4:3 -

Sadly, the misconception developed that the Old Testament taught salvation by works, whereas the New Testament taught salvation by grace. Not at all! The whole Bible teaches that salvation is a gift of God, not a human accomplishment. To establish this against any who thought differently, Paul goes back to Abraham –the progenitor of Israel and therefore of Christianity. Abraham had faith in God before he was circumcised. Basing his argument on Genesis 15:6 (v 3), Paul establishes that faith precedes works when it comes to our standing before God (vs 5,10). Circumcision came later, as a seal and sign of what was already true (v 11)... Salvation is by grace through faith leading to a faithful life within the community of God’s people...Grasping this is the heart of the message of Romans.

For Paul and for us, the blessing of justification by faith is that it delivers us from the constant fear of being condemned.

Reflect: faith means ‘accepting that I am accepted even while continuing to find myself unacceptable’.

Closing Prayer: Loving Father, I thank You for the wonder of grace. It reminds me that no person is beyond redemption, no stain beyond cleansing. Thanks be to God.