For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Truth to Learn
God’s promise of salvation is based on faith, not obedience.
Behind the Words
The word translated “promise” is epangelia, which is made up of epi, used as an intensifier, and angelō, meaning “to tell” or “to declare.” Hence, epangelia refers to “a message, a summons, or a promise.”
“Heir” is from the Greek word klēronomos, which is made up of klēros, meaning “a lot” or “a die” and a form of nemō, meaning “to have in one’s possession” or “to distribute.” This word is a reference to the person who possesses the right to receive an inheritance.
Meaning Explained
Paul is covering all the bases, making sure that the Christians in Rome who were predominantly Jewish had no way to twist what he was saying into anything resembling “righteousness through obedience.” This verse says something a little bit different from what we found back in verse 10. That verse had to do with righteousness being imputed as a result of faith. This verse is talking about the promises that God made to Abraham. These promises include:
- Gen 12:2 – that God would make of Abraham a great nation
- Gen 12:3 – that in him all the families of the earth should be blessed
- Gen 15:5 – that his descendants should be as numerous as the stars
- Gen 17:5 – that he should be the father of many nations
It is probably this last promise to which Paul is specifically referring when he says that “… he would be the heir of the world.”
His point is that this promise was made to Abraham through the righteousness that comes from faith, not from obedience to the Law. In fact, if you read the Old Testament carefully you will discover that the Law of Moses came some 300 years after Abraham died. Hence, not only was he declared righteous through faith (just as we are declared righteous through faith) but the great promises that were made to Abraham (like the promises that are made to us) were given to him in faith, not obedience. That is, Abraham didn’t have to be obedient in order to receive the promises, he simply had to believe.
In a similar manner, the promises made to us concerning our salvation are not dependent on us being obedient before or after we are saved, they are based solely on our “once for all time” saving faith. In other words, there is no sin that we can commit that will prevent God’s promises from being fulfilled if we have truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!
These promises are based on faith, not obedience! Hallelujah!
Application
Perhaps you are convinced now that you can’t earn your salvation. But do you realize that you can’t keep your salvation (receive God’s promise to you) by obedience either? In other words, once you are saved you can’t do anything to undo that salvation.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved
