Romans 4:16 – faith, grace and promise 

Therefore it is of faith that it may accord with grace, for the promise to be confirmed..

What a marvelous statement that Paul is making here! And how illustrative it is of the truth of grace that he is bringing forth. The three keywords “faith”, “grace” and “promise” connect seamlessly here. Let’s take this sequence from back to front.

The promise is firm and solid because its fulfillment is totally independent of human response. The promise that GOD made to Abraham was unconditional, so that the role of man is completely irrelevant. No requirements, no restrictions, no deceptive “fine print” in the contract. The obligation to fulfill the promise is entirely one-sided.

Since the promise is completely one-sided, it is also rightfully in “accord with grace”. It is “free favor” and can neither be earned nor undone. And “therefore it is of faith”, not “of works” (4: 5; 11: 6). When GOD promises to give freely, wanting to earn proves that we don’t believe Him. Since GOD’S promise is firm, I can have complete confidence that He will fulfill everything. Nothing depends on me.. 

Delen: