How Important is Belief?

“What shall we then say that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justified the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”  Romans 4:1-5

How important is belief?  Don’t leave home without it.  Abraham was the father of God’s chosen people.  He was a great man who loved God and obeyed Him.  He left his home, under God’s command, to travel to a new land.  God told Abraham that he would become a father even though he was 75 years of age when he left his hometown of Haran.  He believed God and God’s promises to him.  Abraham did a lot of great things, but it was his faith in God’s promises that saved him and made him a child of the King.  He could have boasted before man, but not before God.

Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham “believed in the LORD and He counted it to him for righteousness.”  God considered Abraham righteous before Him because Abraham believed in what God had promised him.  Matthew Henry wrote, “It is not the perfect faith that is required to justification (there may be acceptable faith where there are remainders of unbelief), but the prevailing faith is the faith that has the upper hand of unbelief”.  In other words, saving faith is the faith that overcomes unbelief.  Salvation is a free gift because you cannot do anything to earn or deserve it.  When you work at a job, you receive a paycheck.  It is not a free gift for you had to earn it.  Your employer owes it to you.  God doesn’t owe us anything, but He offers us the free gift of salvation.  All we have to do is reach out and take it when it is offered.

Besides Abraham, Paul used David to illustrate the importance of belief and also repentance.  We know that David committed the sin of adultery and then arranged for the husband of Bathsheba, the woman who became pregnant from the act of adultery with King David, killed.  Thus, David was guilty of not only adultery but murder.  Just as Abraham did not have his good works imputed to him for salvation, David did not have his sins imputed to him for condemnation because he repented of his sins and believed God.  David did not work to try to earn God’s forgiveness.  Works won’t get one into heaven, and they won’t keep one out of hell.

When Jesus died on the cross, He took all the sins of all the people, past, present, and future, and exchanged His righteousness for them.  All we have to do is believe in Jesus.  We must believe that He did that for us personally, which must result in repentance of our sin, and that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor.  To think that one can earn God’s favor by works is an insult to Almighty God.  Think about this for a moment.  God’s Son suffered and died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of men and women, and some people are so arrogant to think that their “good” works are equal to Jesus’ sacrifice!

God instituted the rite of circumcision as a token between Him and His chosen people.  Most folks know what circumcision is, so I don’t need to explain it.  The significance of this particular rite lies in the fact that corruption of sin many times manifests itself within the sexual life.  Circumcision represented purification of the organ by which life is reproduced.  Circumcision was not given as a form of work for salvation because Abraham’s faith was counted to him for righteousness before he was circumcised.  Physical circumcision was putting off part of the flesh as a symbol of God’s covenant relationship with His people.  Christian circumcision is putting off an entire body of the flesh which is controlled by human nature and taking on the new nature in Christ.  Physical circumcision was a forerunner of baptism which is symbolic of what Christ has done in a person’s heart.

Abraham was not the first believer, but he is called the father of those who believe because he stood out among all others.  His faith called him to action.  All those who follow the example of Abraham’s faith are the children of Abraham whether they be Jews or Gentiles.  Matthew Henry wrote about them, “…who are the genuine children and lawful successors of those that were the church’s fathers: not those that sit in chairs, and bear their names, but those that tread in their steps…those that have most reason to call Christ Father, not that bear His name in being Christians in profession, but that tread in His steps”.  Jesus could cut through the red tape better than anyone.  When asked what works that God required, He answered and said, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent (John 6:28-29).  Again, how important is belief?  “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God MUST BELIEVE that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).  I would say that it is of the utmost importance.