TRUSTED in the God of RESURRECTION to PRODUCE that PHYSICAL
SEED (Genesis 15:6)
The BIRTH of Isaac was a DEMONSTRATION of RESURRECTION
POWER (Hebrews 11:12)
RIGHTEOUSNESS based upon TRUST in the PERFORMANCE of the
One Who PROMISED (4:21)
FAITH'S SIGN:
CIRCUMCISION was a SIGN of the DIVINE COVENANT concerning
Abraham's SEED and their LAND (Genesis 17:9-11)
That DIVINE COVENANT concerning Abraham's SEED and their
LAND was ALREADY MADE PRIOR TO the SIGN of CIRCUMCISION (Genesis 15:18) and it was MADE WHILE he (ABRAHAM) was ASLEEP (Genesis 15:12)
The SIGN of CIRCUMCISION, the CUTTING of FLESH (Genesis 17:11),
illustrated the DEADNESS of the FLESH as being able TO PLEASE GOD (Romans 8:8)
The TIME of CIRCUMCISION, the EIGHTH DAY (Leviticus 12:3),
testified of the One Who was RESURRECTED on the FIRST DAY of the WEEK (Matthew 28:1-6) - also the DAY AFTER the SEVENTH DAY of the WEEK, i.e. the EIGHTH DAY
(Nehemiah 8:18)
PAUL cites Abraham as an example of RIGHTEOUSNESS IMPUTED
BY FAITH ALONE (4:5),
which is RECKONED BY GRACE and NOT BY DEBT (4:4,16) - like Abraham who was "DEAD" (4:17-19), so we too were "WITHOUT STRENGTH" (5:6)
JAMES makes reference to ABRAHAM AFTER his CIRCUMCISION
as the FATHER OF the CIRCUMCISED NATION (Genesis 22:15-18 cf. Genesis 17:9-11)
JAMES addresses SCATTERED ISRAEL (James 1:1 cf. Matthew 19:28),
which will have to demonstrate FAITH IN the GOD OF RESURRECTION by being FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH (Revelation 2:9-10)
in "the TIME of JACOB'S TROUBLE" (Jeremiah 30:7)
Just as ABRAHAM was FAITHFUL UNTO the DEATH of his son
(Genesis 22:10-12)
JAMES has in view the LORD'S RETURN IN JUDGMENT (James 5:7-9)
in the "LAST TIME" of ANTICHRIST (I John 2:18)
CHRIST, as the SON OF DAVID (Matthew 1:1), was the FULFILLER of God's COVENANT WITH DAVID concerning the KING
AND the reign of HIS KINGDOM (II Samuel 7:12-17 cf. Psalms 89:34-37)
Question: Does the BLESSING OF IMPUTED
RIGHTEOUSNESS (4:6)
extend ONLY TO the CIRCUMCISION (Jews) OR ALSO TO the UNCIRCUMCISION (Gentiles), since it was ABRAHAM (the father
of the Jews) - to whom FAITH was COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS? (4:9)
Answer: HOW was it RECKONED TO ABRAHAM
- WHEN he was CIRCUMCISED OR UNCIRCUMCISED? (4:10)
==> WHEN he was UNCIRCUMCISED (Genesis 17:6-7 cf. Genesis 15:12,18)
"NOT ALL ISRAEL ... ARE OF ISRAEL" (9:6),
i.e. the "CHILDREN OF ... PROMISE" and NOT the "CHILDREN OF ... FLESH" are COUNTED AS the "SEED
OF ABRAHAM" (9:7-9 cf. Genesis 18:13-14)
The LAW STOPS "EVERY MOUTH" and BRINGS IN a
GUILTY VERDICT FOR ALL (3:19
cf. Deuteronomy 31:26)
The only way the PROMISE could be MADE SURE to all the
seed is BY GRACE and, therefore, it's FAITH and NOT the WORKS OF the LAW that SECURES the BLESSING of Abraham TO
ALL of Abraham's seed, i.e. THOSE who are OF the FAITH of Abraham (4:16
cf. Galatians 3:12-14):
Abraham's SEED IS CHRIST (Galatians 3:16) and ALL they THAT ARE CHRIST'S BY FAITH in Him are COUNTED AS THE
SEED (Galatians 3:26-29)
Thus, ABRAHAM is called the "FATHEDR OF US ALL"
(4:16),
i.e. the "FATHER OF ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE" (4:11)
And, Sarah, who typifies the "JERUSALEM WHICH IS
ABOVE AND FREE" - is called the "MOTHER OF US ALL" (Galatians 4:26), i.e. of the "CHILDREN OF PROMISE" (Galatians 4:28)
Abraham believed in a God Who CALLS THINGS THAT ARE NOT
AS THOUGH THEY WERE: "for a father of many nations HAVE I MADE thee" (Genesis 17:5)
Abraham believed in a God Who QUICKENS THE DEAD - He QUICKENED
THE DEADNESS OF Abraham's BODY AND Sarah's WOMB (4:19):
"I WILL certainly RETURN unto thee ACCORDING TO the
TIME OF LIFE" (Genesis 18:10,14) - for BOTH Abraham and Sarah were "OLD AND WELL STRICKEN IN AGE"
(Genesis 18:11)
God appears to Abraham (Genesis 17:1) and Abraham "LAUGHED" FOR JOY when told that Sarah will
bear him a son (Genesis 17:17)
God says His COVENANT will be WITH the "SON OF PROMISE"
(Genesis 17:21); Abraham GLORIFIES God that "SELFSAME DAY" by PERFORMING
on his entire house the RITE OF CIRCUMCISION (Genesis 17:26-27):
God AFFIRMED His COVENANT with a CHANGE OF NAME - Abram
to Abraham (Genesis 17:4-5) and CONFIRMED His COVENANT with the SIGN OF CIRCUMCISION (Genesis 17:10-11),
i.e. a VISUAL TESTIMONY as to the DEADNESS OF the FLESH (4:1)
- "CIRCUMCISED ... IN your FLESH" (Genesis 17:13)
When God CHANGED Jacob's NAME to Israel, He SHRANK the
SINEW IN the HOLLOW OF Jacob's THIGH and "TO THIS DAY the children of Israel DO NOT EAT the "SINEW THAT
SHRANK" (Genesis 32:28-32)
The RIGHTEOUSNESS IMPUTED to Abraham was that he BELIEVED
WHAT God had PROMISED to him (Genesis 15:5-6)
GOD'S IMPUTATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS to Abraham FOR FAITH
IN GOD'S PROMISE (4:20-22) was NOT REVEALED ONLY FOR HIM (4:23),
BUT ALSO FOR ALL OF LIKE FAITH - as was FORSEEN BY THE SCRIPTURE (Galatians 3:6-9):
Abraham BELIEVED in the GOD OF RESURRECTION to PRODUCE
LIVING SEED FROM REPRODUCTIVELY DEAD FLESH (4:19-20)
We are called upon to "BELIEVE ON HIM THAT RAISED
UP JESUS ... FROM THE DEAD" (4:24)
It is "FAITH IN HIS BLOOD" (3:25)
that APPLIES to us "the REDEMPTION that is IN CHRIST JESUS" (3:24)
and REVEALS to us, GOD, "THE JUSTIFIER OF" THEM "WHICH BELIEVETH IN JESUS" (3:26):
"But the GIFT OF GOD is ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH CHRIST
JESUS" (6:23)
Therefore, "IF CHRIST be NOT RAISED, YOUR FAITH is
VAIN (EMPTY); ye are YET IN YOUR SINS" (I Corinthians 15:17)
"HE ROSE AGAIN THE THIRD DAY, according to the Scriptures"
(I Corinthians 15:4) - "HE SHALL SEE HIS SEED, HE SHALL PROLONG HIS DAYS" (Isaiah 53:10)
"NEITHER wilt Thou suffer Thine HOLY ONE TO SEE CORRUPTION"
(Acts 2:27 cf. Psalms 16:10)
"BY THIS TIME HE STINKETH: for he hath BEEN DEAD
FOUR DAYS" (John 11:39), i.e. LAZARUS (John 11:43-44)
Therefore, "For as JONAH was THREE DAYS and THREE
NIGHTS ... so shall the SON OF MAN be THREE DAYS and THREE NIGHTS ..." (Matthew 12:40) - and "THE THIRD DAY He shall RISE AGAIN" (Matthew 20:19)