Category Archives: Rich Mullins

The Romans Challenge: Heir of the World

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“It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 4.

I live in the country. Starry nights here are beautiful! Sometimes, at night, I go out and stand in my front yard and just gaze at the sky. The stars are everywhere. Then I think of the promise that God made to Abraham. “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.” (Genesis 26:4) How amazing it is to me that one of those stars represents me.

Long ago, God came to Abraham and gave Him a promise. Abraham believed what God said. It was just that simple. It was Abraham’s faith in God that made him righteous. This changed the trajectory of our world. God worked throughout time and history to fulfill this promise of an inheritance that was so much bigger than a mere man, who God came to all those thousands of years ago. Abraham was directly in the lineage of Jesus, and Jesus came for the world that God promised to Abraham. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jewish or non Jewish, Circumcised or uncircumcised, none of this matters. When we believe in Jesus, we can be confident that one of those stars we see lit in our skies at night was meant for us. The promise that God gave Abraham is true! God wanted to bless the world through Abraham’s faith!

God still wants to bless the world not only through Abraham’s faith, but through ours. When we believe God and receive the salvation He offers through Jesus, we are given His righteousness. It comes just as it did to Abraham, through faith. We are His! We have entered into relationship with God Himself.

In this relationship, we come to know God and in turn we make Him known to those around us. That way others can look up at the night sky, as Abraham did, and realize God’s promise is true, “God lit up that star for me.”

James: “Screen Door on a Submarine”

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“You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.”
‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

(Today is James 2)

Faith without works is useless!

God has given each of us “a measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3) This is the capacity to believe, but we must act on it! Our actions “complete” our faith.

We can say we “believe there is one God.” (verse 19) And James says that is “Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.” The question is: “what are we doing with what we believe?”

If we truly believe that we have a loving Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ came and died then resurrected from the dead in order to set us free from sin, do we live like we believe it?

Abraham believed God and the Scripture says, “It was credited to him as righteousness.” (Verse 23) He was put into right standing with God and He was known as “God’s friend.” He had a personal relationship with God. This relationship was reflected by his willingness to obey God no matter what the cost of obedience may be.

If you and I have faith and believe what God says, then we will act accordingly. In short, we will do it!

Coming to God in faith is just the beginning of what God wants to do in our lives. He wants to consume us! He wants us to receive His Word — what He says. He wants us to believe it to be true. He wants us to act upon it in obedience.

There’s a classic song by Rich Mullins that I am going to attach. Listen to its words and consider. Do I act upon what I believe? Or do I have a “screen door” on my spiritual submarine?