The Bible tells us that “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). Many believers think that Abraham believed God in a general way, and this was accounted to him as righteousness.
But if we look at what really happened in Genesis 15 and if we read Romans 4 and Galatians 3 we will realize that Abraham believing God had nothing to do with any outward material blessing, neither had it to do anything with sin.
It is not that God promised Abraham to bless him and increase his riches – and Abraham believed God. Rather, there was a different kind of faith, a precious faith, which is related to God promising Abraham to work in him to produce a seed for the fulfillment of God’s purpose.
Abraham was justified by God not because he believed that God is with him and will bless him wherever he goes, neither because God promised him to forgive all his sins.
Abraham was justified by God because he believed God will give him a seed for the fulfillment of His purpose, and this seed will produce a kingdom that will inherit the world (Rom. 4:3, 13). Wow!
God’s promise to Abraham and God justifying Abraham is related to the fulfillment of His original purpose in creating man (see Gen. 1:26), which is to gain a corporate man for His expression and representation on the earth. Abraham’s seed was to be as numerous as the stars in the heavens (also denoting their heavenly nature) and they were to inherit the world.
The purpose of God in justifying us is not merely to redeem us from our sins that we may have peace toward God but that Christ would be wrought into us so that He may be brought forth out of us as the seed to inherit the world for the fulfillment of God’s purpose.
The precious faith God is looking for today is the faith that believes God will work Himself into us to produce the Body of Christ, the reproduction of Christ, to become the kingdom of God on the earth and inherit the earth, ruling over the earth for God! May our view of God’s justification be uplifted!
What Kind of Faith is Precious in God’s Sight?
When Abraham believed God in Gen. 15:6 and God justified him, this faith was not a general faith that God was the Most High God, the Possessor of the heavens and the earth, the One who blesses him wherever he goes and whatever he does.
The precious faith because of which God justified Abraham was the belief that God is able to work something in Abraham so that a seed would be brought forth for the fulfillment of God’s purpose.
Most Christians today have a general faith toward God, believing that God will supply the things we need for our daily existence, He will protect us, He will strengthen us to go through the day, He will be a shield toward the evil things and evil people, etc. This kind of faith is good, but is not the kind of faith that is precious in God’s sight.
What kind of faith did Abraham have, which was precious in God’s sight? What kind of faith does God want us to have today, a faith which is precious in His sight and which is for the fulfillment of His purpose?
God desires that we believe that He is able to work Himself into us to bring forth Christ. This is the precious faith He justifies today.
We may believe that God is with us at school and at work, and He gives us wisdom to understand things, work things out, even get a better pay, a promotion, a recognition, a good car, a house, a wife, etc. This kind of faith is good, and we need to have such faith in God. We look to Him for everything, we take Him as the source of all things, and we depend on Him in everything.
However, God wants us to be open to Him and receive Christ, allowing Him to be wrought into us, so that Christ may be brought forth as the seed and inherit the earth for God’s kingdom, God’s purpose.
God desires to gain a people as numerous as the stars in the heavens who are heavenly in nature and who believe that God will work Himself into them to bring forth Christ as the seed to inherit the earth for God’s dominion, God’s kingdom.
Lord, we want to have the precious faith that Abraham, the faith which enabled him to be justified by You. Lord, we open to You. We believe that You are able to work Yourself into us for Christ to be brought forth out of us as the seed to inherit the earth for God’s kingdom! Uplift our view of faith in God and cause us to believe in You not only for our daily needs but also for Your inward working to bring forth Christ for the fulfillment of Your purpose!
Justification is for God to Gain Many Sons for the Body of Christ, the Kingdom of God
In Romans 3 Paul speaks extensively on the matter of justification, showing us how man is under God’s condemnation and how Christ died to redeem us and justify us. In Romans 4 Paul continues to speak on the purpose of justification, using the history of Abraham as an illustration.
The goal of justification is not merely to save us from God’s condemnation and make peace between us and God, but to produce a seed, the Body of Christ, the heir of the world (Rom. 4:13).
Romans 4 clearly indicates that justification is for God to gain many sons to constitute the Body of Christ as the kingdom of God – and all this is for the fulfillment of His purpose (see Rom. 8:29-30; 12:4-5; 14:17).
In Abraham’s case, justification was not related to sin but to the seed. God promised Abraham that He would work into him to produce a seed for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, and Abraham believed God (Gen. 15:6). God reacted by justifying Abraham because of his precious faith.
God doesn’t justify us merely for our salvation, but to enable us to become heirs to inherit the world and to exercise the dominion of God on earth!
God’s purpose in justification is to have a reproduction of Christ in millions of saints so that they may become the members of the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:5). The Body of Christ becomes the kingdom of God on the earth (Rom. 14:17) for the fulfillment of God’s purpose.
The unique seed, Christ, is being multiplied to be like the innumerable stars in the heavens, and this corporate seed is the heir of the world for God’s kingdom. Hallelujah for the seed of Abraham!
Christ is the unique seed of Abraham, and by being one with Christ we also are that seed, the corporate seed of Abraham. As the seed of Abraham, we are the fulfillment of God’s promise, resulting in righteousness (which is Christ Himself).
Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit dispensing Himself into us to impart God’s life and nature into us, making us one with Him, and together we become like the stars in the heavens, the Body of Christ, the kingdom of God, to rule over the earth and inherit the world. Hallelujah!
Praise You, Lord Jesus, for being the unique seed of Abraham. Praise You for justifying us out of faith, out of our believing that God is able to work Himself into man to bring forth Christ! Lord, we give ourselves to You for Your Body, the church, the kingdom of God. May You gain the corporate seed You’re after, the seed that will fulfill Your purpose to bring in the kingdom of God and inherit the earth. Lord, work Yourself into us more today. In spite of what we see in our being and around us, we believe that God is able to work Himself into us to bring forth Christ, the corporate seed, the Body of Christ, to inherit the world!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. James Lee’s sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Romans (msgs. 7-8), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Genesis (2), week 3 / msg 3, The Seed for the Fulfillment of God’s Purpose.
- Hymns on this topic:
# God in His justifying has a plan, / A deeper purpose for a corporate man. / When we were called, this mighty Lord of all / Appeared to us to save us from the fall. (Hymns #1202)
# Christ came as man, as Your righteousness to us, / That in Your divine economy / He Your people’s everything might be / As our universality and our centrality / experienced. (New song #331)
# ”Seed of Abraham,” Thou art, Lord, / By God’s promise Thou hast come, / That the blessing He hath promised / On all people thus might come. / Abraham Thou hast preceded, / For Thou art the great “I AM,” / Yet Thou cam’st to be his offspring / And become God’s promised “Lamb.” (Hymns #121 by Witness Lee)
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