8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
The blessing of Abraham as established from Scriptures is the blessing of righteousness, justification by faith. In Genesis 22:17-18, God said that it is in Abraham’s seed that the nations of the earth will be blessed. Everyone who is born again is a seed of Abraham and have come into this grace or blessing of justification by faith. Our opening Scripture clearly spells out how we got saved by grace through faith. Faith is not just the posture we take to be born again; it is the posture that we maintain all through life. Scriptures give four different witnesses to this in Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38. It says that “the just shall live by faith”. Though you are born again, there is a way to live your life. You cannot live your life anyhow. No! You must live by faith, reposing absolute trust and confidence in God. Just as Abraham was justified by faith and God counted his faith as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), you, the seed of Abraham, that have been justified by faith ought to live by faith; for the just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:17 shows us something very profound for our consideration. It says, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” The righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel of Christ, from faith to faith. When the Gospel of Christ is preached, the righteousness of God comes to light for all to see, consider and believe on the ground of faith in Jesus Christ. When you believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you receive the righteousness of God; which is God’s justification given to you from sin’s condemning power. You are then made free from everything that seeks to convict or condemn you of wrongdoing, because of the finished and substitutionary work of Christ for you. The faith through which you were justified is the same faith you continue to live by. That’s what it means for the just to live by faith. Four times in the Scriptures the Word tells us, “…the just shall live by faith…” which means that it is important to live by faith. A thing becomes important because God says it once; but for Him to say it four times, it shows that it is extremely important. You cannot start your journey of faith by believing God and now try to sustain it by leaning on the arm of the flesh, by doing what pleases you as against what the Word of God says. It cannot work that way! Such a man though already blessed in Christ, cannot manifest the blessing.
My Solid Front (Confession):
In the Name of Jesus Christ, I declare that I am a believer; therefore, I believe the Word of God. I live and walk by faith, and not by sight! I am a doer of the Word. Hallelujah! Amen!
Further Meditation:
Genesis 15:1-6; Galatians 3:1-5.