Friday, 2 July, 2004

Text: Galatians 3:6-9



Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," so, you see those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you." For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.



Placing Abraham in the position of being the ancestor of "faith" is key for Paul. It gives all who trust in God revealed in Jesus the connection to the very center of the promise of the Old Testament community. It is at the center of the ministry and mission to the Gentiles. "All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you." And here is Paul dealing with this movement out to those outside of the Jewish circle that was the first community of Jesus' followers. WE become justified before God just as Abraham was - by trusting God's promise. Nothing we do seals the "deal" for it is not a deal...it is a word of grace and promise that grab hold of us - all of us. Of course we can insist that something must be done to either initiate God's action toward us or we would need to do something to make it work...and yet, it is only our trust in what God promises (the reality God creates & the life in which God invites us to live) that is needed. Remember, though our lack of trust doesn't end the promise - it is always there as an invitation to life - new life. We may wander off into lives filled with the notion that we are in "good standing before God" based on what we must do, but God never buys into our way of trying to set up the world. Not be works...by faith alone. It is as though God expects us to receive this gift and so God keeps offering to us - forever and always.



Connection: This forever promise is meant to be the shaper of our day. It is the word of truth about our place before God that has the power to give us new life - now...no waiting. In a world when we often are continuously lost in the adventure to make ourselves worthy, there is the announcement that God has "found us" "justified us" and there is no need to keep searching for anything more. Life.



God of Promise and the Creator of what was and what will be, let your Holy Spirit give us vision and the simple gift of trusting you alone in this day we now enter. Amen