Abraham the Gentile

Scripture: Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. Romans 4:9-12

Observation: In his discussion of faith and works, Paul makes an interesting distinction about Abraham ... Abraham's faith, credited to him as righteousness, and the promise to him as the father of the Jews, was made to him before he was "made" a Jew. The act of marking him and thus identifying his descendants as a distinct people group was done as a sign of the promise. Thus, when God entered into a covenant with Abraham, Abraham was a Gentile.

As Paul puts it, this makes Abraham the father of all who believe - regardless of whether or not they are Jewish. Any who walk in the same faith Abraham exhibited are therefore redeemed by the grace of God.

While Paul's writing in this section is very confusing and certainly requires some context about the issues taking place in the church of Rome - context I do not know - his protracted dialogue about faith vs. works and the place of Jews vs. Gentiles is informative for this central fact: Grace and forgiveness is received through faith in Jesus, without which judgment will be handed down based on the law ... and this applies equally to all mankind, whether Jew or Gentile, and regardless of knowledge in the law or the ways of God.

Application: Personally, this reinforces my understanding of the relationship between God, faith, Jews, and non-Jewish believers. However, there is a sobering thought - this all applies to everyone, even those completely ignorant of the truth about God, Jesus, and salvation.

In American society, it is hard to believe that anyone is completely 100 percent ignorant of God. Even for those is complete darkness, they have an awareness of God through cultural stories at least. However, that is getting worse. Daily, I now see people who not only practice different beliefs, but surround themselves in cultures and customs that can effectively insulate them from Jesus Christ. This is absolutely why efforts to communicate into those cultures are critical.

And in communicating, MAYBE this is an opportunity for a new message. If you cannot talk about God or Jesus ... can we talk about Abraham as a father of ALL faith? Abraham as the father of all nations, including not just Jewish and Christian (and Muslim), but Hindu and Buddhism and anything else? Can we talk of "faith = righteousness" as a way of introducing that in which faith should be placed?

Prayer: Lord, I do look for ways I may advance your message with others. I do not know if a conversation about Abraham resonates with others, but I do see this - it is a biblical conversation based on Paul's message, and the facts of Genesis themselves. I am not certain what the message may entirely sound like, but I am here and willing to be your messenger. Amen.