The One Who Justifies the Ungodly

An angel comes to Abraham and promises that his descendants will be as countless as the stars. To a man with no children, it may well have seemed a puzzling word, yet Abraham believed the promise, and God counted that faith to him as righteousness.

Abraham believed more than that his descendants would multiply. He believed that Christ would come from his line, and we are told that this is why he rejoiced. So it was neither circumcision nor the offering of Isaac but that faith alone that was the ground on which God declared him righteous. Wages earned by work are counted not as grace but as what is owed. In the same way, salvation is the gift of God, who freely justifies the ungodly, and not a reward for anyone’s own devotion.

God’s people did nothing toward their salvation and were not godly, yet through faith in Christ alone they have received eternal life. The desire to make one’s own efforts a ground for boasting is pride. True faith shows itself naturally, without striving, in gratitude and obedience. Even when life is hard, believers must not despair but must lean in faith, to the very end, on the God who is faithful to keep his promises.