Romans 4:13-15
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
13 It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15 because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
New Life Version (NLV)
13 God promised to give the world to him and to all his family after him. He did not make this promise because Abraham obeyed the Law. He promised to give the world to Abraham because he put his trust in God. This made him right with God. 14 If those who obey the Law are to get the world, then a person putting his trust in God means nothing. God’s promise to Abraham would be worth nothing. 15 God’s anger comes on a man when he does not obey the Law. But if there were no Law, then no one could break it.
The Message (MSG)
13-15 That famous promise God gave Abraham—that he and his children would possess the earth—was not given because of something Abraham did or would do. It was based on God’s decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered when he believed. If those who get what God gives them only get it by doing everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly signed, that eliminates personal trust completely and turns the promise into an ironclad contract! That’s not a holy promise; that’s a business deal. A contract drawn up by a hard-nosed lawyer and with plenty of fine print only makes sure that you will never be able to collect. But if there is no contract in the first place, simply apromise—and God’s promise at that—you can’t break it.
I loved reading through the different translations of this verse and so I posted some of my favourites. I think one of the things that stood out for me was that God's promise to Abraham was not based on Abraham's actions but rather on his faith in what God was promising. This reminded me of lyrics from this song:
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are"
When God promises something, He follows through. Not because of who we are or what we've done but because of who He is and what He has done. It's all about Him...and not about us. It is, however, for us to accept God and His promises.
This commentary reminds us that we have the choice:
"These verses teach - and the whole Bible teaches - that you have two possible futures in front of you. One is to inherit the world, the other is to inherit wrath. You see in verse 13, "The promise to Abraham or to his descendants [is] that he would be heir of the world . . ." And we know from verses 11 and 12 that the "descendants" of Abraham are not just Jewish people, but all those who have the faith of Abraham. So you may or may not be among that number. It depends on your faith. And we see in verse 15, "The Law brings wrath." If you live under the Law you will inherit wrath....you have two possible futures in front of you. One is to inherit the world, the other is to inherit wrath. Whether you inherit the one or the other hangs on one fundamental thing: the righteousness of God. Has it been credited to your account or does it stand as a witness against you? What makes the difference? The difference is whether you trust Christ to cover your sins and to be God's righteousness for you. So trust him. Trust him. Do it right now. Trust him."This commentary reminds us that we have the choice:
What we deserve is God's wrath, what we receive is based on our decision to accept or reject God's gift of forgiveness. We are unworthy, we are sinners, we don't deserve it and yet God offers it to us freely.
Tomorrow's scripture focus: Romans 4:16-17
1 comment:
Such a beautiful concept that I never understood before, and even now feel like it becomes clearer and clearer every day.
Post a Comment