I am back from vacation and the Parish Life Conference, so I hope to keep this blog more regularly updated. Today I will return to the book of Genesis, chapter 15.
Chapter 15 offers a pivotal moment in the Bible, primarily because in verse 6 Abram (later re-named and subsequently referred to here as Abraham) is “accounted righteous” by God. Whether we like it or not, in a very real way this one verse has shaped the past 2,000 years of history. The reason I make such a bold statement is simple: this verse is the cornerstone of the defense/apologia of the Christian movement as seen most explicitly in Acts, Romans, and Galatians. And, of course, we know that history has been changed because of Christianity.
According to the teachings of Jesus Christ, as thoroughly outlined especially by St Paul of Tarsus, being accounted righteous by God is independent of being perfectly obedient to the Mosaic Law. I believe it is important for Christians to understand that the teachings of Jesus and Paul–that righteousness is found apart from the Mosaic Law–is not a “new” concept, but one found in the Old Testament. Put differently, in defending the teaching of Christ, Paul did not invent a new argument or concept, but simply referred back to Scripture to make his case.
In Paul’s time, as in our own, we are tempted to think (even if we profess something different with our mouths) we are righteous because we follow certain rules (insert the rules of a specific religion or denomination). With religious Jews, it is easy to fall into the trap of righteousness by following the Mosaic Law. However, as Paul correctly points out, Abraham is deemed righteous by God BEFORE the Mosaic Law even exists. Therefore, if one is accounted righteous before the Law is given, then righteousness does not come through the Law. Instead, as Genesis 15:6 indicates, it comes through belief in God.
Now it is important to keep in mind that the word translated “believe” in Genesis 15:6 is more than an intellectual ascent or a simple confession of faith. Rather, biblical belief in God means you put your trust in God. I often compare this to kids and their “belief” in gravity. Give a 3-year old kid a balloon and take him outside. Watch him let go of the balloon and cry when the balloon flies away. The child has such a strong trust in gravity he believes whatever goes up will always come down. The 3-year old in this example has a biblical “belief” in gravity–he behaves according to something unseen based on a trust in that principle.
Ultimately, putting this kind of faith, trust, or belief in God is what leads to us being accounted righteous. It is our authentic admission that we are insufficient before God, and our recognition that only He can correct that, which leads us to holiness. Certainly, if we have that sincere faith, action should follow; we should behave in a certain way. As St James pointed out in his epistle, if our behavior does not match the confession of our lips then it proves we do not have a biblical belief in God, but only the kind of intellectual belief I mentioned previously–and one shared even by the demons (James 2:18-19)! Yet, we should never permit ourselves to think our actions make us holy. It is only God who can deem us holy, and only when we are willing to admit our deficiencies and inadequacies.
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