The Faith of Abraham
Messages from Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
The Faith of Abraham, Accounted for Righteousness
Romans 4:1-3
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Rom 4:1-3, NKJV)
“Abraham, the father of faith. Wasn’t he a man of perfect character who always did what was right, the most righteous man on earth?” This is not so different from what the Jews in Paul’s day firmly believed. They thought God accepted Abraham because of his righteous deeds and faithfulness. And as his descendants, they believed they too were special in God’s eyes. But the truth of Scripture is clear: no one can be made right with God by what they do. To think that Abraham was saved because he was righteous in himself is a serious misunderstanding that shakes the very foundation of salvation.
To correct this misunderstanding, Paul turned to Genesis 15:6, a passage the Jews loved to quote. “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (Romans 4:3). The word “accounted” was originally used for entering something in an account book. Abraham had no righteousness of his own to his credit, yet God accounted his faith as righteousness and entered righteousness into his spiritual account. Christ had not yet come, but on the basis of the redemption Christ would one day accomplish, Abraham’s faith was accounted to him for righteousness. This was God’s amazing grace.
When we look at Abraham’s life as Scripture shows it, we see that he was not a righteous man. It was God alone who called him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, a land filled with idolatry. Yet Abraham did not fully obey God’s command to leave his relatives behind and took his nephew Lot with him. When famine came, instead of trusting God, he turned to Egypt. There, to save his own life, he lied like a coward, saying his wife was his sister. He could not even hold on to God’s promise to the end and turned to a human solution, taking Hagar and fathering Ishmael. His choice brought deep conflict upon generations to come. Abraham stumbled and failed again and again. He was a weak man, just like us.
Yet God walked with Abraham. He stumbled again and again, but somehow, his trust in God continued to exert its power in him. Even when God told him to offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering, Abraham obeyed without hesitation, believing that God could raise Isaac from the dead. This was not a strength Abraham had in himself. Under God’s providence, there was a spiritual power at work, sustaining his faith. In the end, it was not Abraham who was great, but the grace of God—the grace that held on to this weak man to the end, supplied him with faith, and counted him righteous.
We have no power to make ourselves righteous. Even faith, in itself, is not the cause of our salvation. Faith is the only channel God uses to give us the grace of salvation. When we, with no merit of our own, reach out our hands to God to receive the grace He freely gives, the confident trust in our hearts at that moment is faith. Faith cannot be our own righteousness, nor do we have anything in ourselves to boast about because of our faith. Let us come to God with the trust He counts as righteousness. Though our deeds and even our faith may not be perfect, let us boldly come to the God of grace, who will receive our outstretched hands.
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
Lord’s Day Service on June 28, 2026
The Blessedness of Imputed Righteousness
Romans 4:6-8
just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” (Rom 4:6-8, NKJV)
We commit sin, yet we cannot free ourselves from its guilt. Worse still, we do not even take this seriously. The problem is that this life on earth is not all there is. The “I” that lives focused on the things of the flesh is confused about its true identity. We think this is who we really are, but it is not. We do not even realize that we are living with sin or that we are bound by the curse of death. Yet Christ saved us from this desperate condition. He took our curse upon Himself and bore it in our place, and He imputed His perfect righteousness to us. In this way, we were delivered from the greatest misery and became the happiest of all.
David also spoke of this “happiness.” The apostle Paul quoted David’s words about this happiness when he spoke of “the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works”: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin” (Romans 4:7–8). David was the king most highly honored by the Jews, yet his happiness was found in discovering that God had covered his sins. He believed that God alone could wash away his sins, lift the crushing burden of condemnation brought upon him by his sin, and renew the nature within him that kept leading him into sin.
When the prophet rebuked David for committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband killed, David immediately admitted that he was a sinner and repented. He could do this because he was convinced that God had more than enough power to save a sinner and that He gives grace to those who repent. A person who does not believe that God is alive does not repent. A person who disregards God’s justice does not repent. This was true of the Jewish religious leaders. Instead of repenting, they believed they had to make themselves righteous by their works and stand proudly before God as righteous people.
Many Christians today think in much the same way. They believe their salvation is secure because they attend church or because they have done a lot for the church. But if we seek to gain salvation by our works, we must never commit even a single sin, and we must completely remove every sin we have already committed. This is impossible by human strength. Serving in the church is not a way to be saved; it is evidence that we have been saved. No matter how faithfully we serve, we are still sinners. Unless we acknowledge this, we cannot repent, nor can we entrust our lives completely to Christ.
The person whose sins are forgiven is truly blessed. God never despises the one who repents, and He will surely take away their sin. David could speak of such happiness because he knew this. We who are in the love of God and the grace of Christ have experienced this for ourselves, and we possess the greatest happiness. Though we are sinners, we will not suffer the punishment of hell. We do not despair, because like Abraham and David, we too know our merciful God. We boldly proclaim the gospel and joyfully serve the church because we are happy. Let us never forget that we are debtors before God.
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
Lord’s Day Service on July 12, 2026
Walking in the Steps of Faith
Romans 4:9-12
Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. (Rom 4:9-12, NKJV)
People are constantly drawn to rely on what they can see. It is easy to think that religious rituals such as baptism, Holy Communion, and even public worship possess a certain sacredness in themselves that somehow gives those who participate in them a special righteousness from God. But no ritual in itself can turn a sinner into a righteous person. We are accepted by God not because we have continued to attend worship, but because of the grace of God who has mercy on us and the righteousness Christ has accomplished for us. Religious rituals do not have the power to produce grace; they are precious opportunities God has given those who have received His grace to offer their hearts to Him.
The belief among some Christians that religious rituals have supernatural power in themselves is similar to the way the Jews regarded circumcision. They did not see circumcision merely as a sign that they were God’s people; they believed it made them acceptable to God and even guaranteed their eternal salvation. But Abraham was not justified after he was circumcised. He had already believed God while he was still uncircumcised, and his faith was accounted to him for righteousness. He was circumcised at least fourteen years after he had been justified, so circumcision could not have been what made him righteous. Circumcision was not the cause of his righteousness, but a sign confirming the righteousness he had already received.
This does not mean that we should take worship and religious rituals lightly. God has given worship and various religious rituals to the church so that believers may serve Him with joy, keep their hearts reverent before Him, and enjoy a special spiritual fellowship with Him. When we participate in them with faith, our hearts are opened, we receive strength, wisdom, and assurance, and we experience God making a way through our difficulties. But this does not happen because religious rituals themselves produce some supernatural power. The true source of all such grace is God. Therefore, our eyes must not remain fixed on the rituals and forms through which God works, but must turn to God Himself, who personally gives us grace through them.
Then why did God give circumcision? Circumcision was a physical sign showing that Abraham and his descendants were God’s people, set apart from other nations and belonging to His covenant. At the same time, it was a seal confirming that Abraham had been accounted righteous by faith while he was still uncircumcised, and reminding every generation of the righteousness that comes by faith. Circumcision did not establish the covenant or take the place of faith. It revealed the covenant already given and the righteousness already received through faith. Therefore, what circumcision ultimately pointed to was not a mark on the body, but the heart. Those who are circumcised in heart are the true people of God.
Abraham is the father of all who walk in the steps of the faith he had while still uncircumcised. Even an uncircumcised Gentile becomes his spiritual descendant by believing God, while even a circumcised Jew cannot be called his true descendant if he does not follow that faith. What matters is not a physical mark or a religious background, but faith that relies entirely on God. Yet even that faith is not a merit by which we earn salvation. God values that faith and freely clothes us with the righteousness Christ has accomplished. Let us spend our lives not trying to establish a righteousness of our own, but holding firmly to the righteousness of Christ alone. Let us walk in these steps of faith to the end.
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
Lord’s Day Service on July 19, 2026
Hope Against Hope
Romans 4:18
who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” (Rom 4:18, NKJV)
“Where does faith come from?” For Christians, this is an extremely important question. If we think that faith comes from within ourselves, we might boast, saying, “I was able to receive grace because I had faith.” But is that really true? If Abraham, the father of faith, was justified because of a power he drew from within himself, then we who have become his descendants by faith could also boast about our own faith. But Abraham’s faith was a remarkable faith that could never have come from within any human being.
Abraham had once been an idol worshiper, but when God called him, he left his homeland without even knowing where he was going. Though he had no son even at the age of seventy-five, God promised to make him a great nation. His original name was Abram, meaning “exalted father,” so when people heard his name, they would naturally have asked, “How many sons do you have?” Again and again, Abram would have had to answer, “Not one.” Yet even as he faced this awkward situation again and again, he never abandoned God’s promise. This was because the God who called him also put within him the faith to obey that calling.
But as the waiting grew longer, Abram and his wife tried to fulfill the promise in their own way. The son born as a result was Ishmael, but he was not the son God had promised. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God gave him the greater name “Abraham,” declaring that he would become the father not merely of one nation, but of many nations. By then, his wife was ninety years old, and her childbearing years had already passed. God did not intend merely to help them accomplish something extremely difficult. He intended to make possible what was fundamentally impossible.
Contrary to hope, in hope Abraham believed. People usually have hope when they can still see some possibility. But Abraham did not believe in the possibility; he believed God. Even when every circumstance declared, “It is impossible now,” he believed that God would keep His promise and had the power to fulfill it. His hope, then, was a hope spelled “hope” but read as “faith.” Of course, this does not mean that Abraham simply believed and did nothing. He strived to obey. But the fulfillment of the promise was not the result of his effort; it was the grace of God.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). We became children of God not because we had a greater power to believe than others, but because God called us and put faith within us. Therefore, we cannot claim our faith as our own merit or boast about it. And since we did not depend on our own strength in the first place, we have no reason to give up hope simply because we can see no possibility. We do not abandon hope even when there seems to be no reason for hope, because God will surely keep what He has promised. Believing this, let us boldly press on toward our hope.
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
Lord’s Day Service on August 9, 2026
The Principle of Faith for All
Romans 4:23–25
Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Rom 4:23-25, NKJV)
When we open the Bible, we meet Abraham, an old man who worshiped idols thousands of years ago on the other side of the world. Some may ask, “What does any of that have to do with me today? I’m just trying to make it through each day. Isn’t that just history frozen in the pages of the Bible?” But that is far from true. The words of Scripture are the living voice of God, speaking across the ages. When God called Abraham and accounted his faith as righteousness, it was not a special privilege given to Abraham alone in the distant past. It was the eternal pattern of salvation God Himself established for us who would one day walk the same path of faith. It was a highway of grace prepared to reach even us.
From birth, we were bound by a sinful nature, unable to escape the destiny of eternal curse and destruction. God Himself solved this hopeless problem of human sin. He did not threaten us like the gods of this world or force us into submission by displaying His power. Nor did He give us a little at a time as though He were doing us a favor. For us, God gave up His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was as dear to Him as His own heart, to be put to death. He poured out all His passion, His love, and all His faithfulness. The one thing He required of us was not our qualifications or works, but pure faith, a complete trust in God that entrusts everything to Him.
This amazing grace of God, who gave His Son, works in all who believe, transcending time and space. What Christ accomplished through the cross completely took away even the sins of Abraham, who lived some two thousand years before Him, without losing even the slightest bit of its power. Abraham and we today stand on exactly the same rock: the same redemption of Jesus Christ. Think about it. Abraham had no written Word, yet with only a dim glimpse of what was to come, he trusted in the God who gives life to the dead. We have all the truth of Scripture and even the testimony of the Holy Spirit. How much more, then, should we trust God! We have no reason at all to have a faith weaker than his.
Jesus Christ was delivered up to the cross to bear the punishment that we deserved. But He did not remain in the tomb. In the old days, when the high priest entered the Most Holy Place with the blood of the sacrifice, the people could know that the sacrifice had been accepted only when he came out again. In the same way, Jesus, our eternal High Priest, had to rise from the dead and appear before God after He was put to death. Through His death, He fully accomplished our redemption, and through His resurrection, He openly confirmed that this redemption had been accepted. The death and resurrection of Christ are therefore one complete victory that can never be divided.
God gave everything and sacrificed everything to give us life. Even when our circumstances are shaken and we feel as though we are about to fall, those who hold firmly to the hand of the risen Lord walk the path of glory and will never fall. The same path of grace that was opened to Abraham transcends the ages and remains open before us today. In this brief life, what we ought to do is praise Him, thank Him, and give Him glory all our days. Let us hold firmly to the power of Jesus Christ, who died for us and rose again, and entrust the rest of our lives and all our hearts completely to the faithful love of our Lord.
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
Lord’s Day Service on August 23, 2025
