Faith in the Promise to Be Heir of the World

Heirs of the World

(Romans 4:13-15)

When God made a covenant with Abraham, He promised to give the world as an inheritance to him and to his descendants. Just as salvation is received by faith, this inheritance also comes through faith, not through the works of the law.

1. The Inheritance Received by Faith
The law was not given until hundreds of years after Abraham lived. How could Abraham have kept a law that did not yet exist? If those who are subject to the law are heirs, then God’s promise is rendered inoperative and faith is made meaningless. What Abraham presented before God was neither lawkeeping nor admirable character. He simply trusted God completely, and because he trusted Him, he obeyed God’s Word just as it was spoken.

2. When the Redeemer Comes
God promised Abraham land, descendants, blessing, and a Redeemer. Yet when He spoke of Abraham’s descendants, there were times when He referred to one particular person. Abraham caught this and understood that something would happen in the future, and he waited for the day when it would be fulfilled. That is why he could even offer up Isaac, the son he received in his old age, believing that God was able to raise him from the dead. That One was Christ, who was to come.

3. Toward the City with Foundations
Those who belong to Christ are those who have the faith of Abraham, and they are the ones who will eternally enjoy the inheritance God promised to Abraham. At a time when there was no law and therefore no transgression of the law, what God sought from Abraham was faith. God saw his faith and poured into him the righteousness of Christ that he himself did not possess. Even now, God bestows the same grace upon those who believe in Christ. And for those of us who have received this grace, there are still promises that remain to be fulfilled. Therefore, even if the world treats us with contempt, let us not be weighed down by it. Like Abraham, let us boldly press forward, looking to the city with foundations whose builder and maker is God.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim