Unshakable faith in impossible promises

January 26, 2025

13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 If those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made empty and the promise nullified, 15 because the law produces wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.

16 This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to the one who is of the law but also to the one who is of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations—in the presence of the God in whom he believed,the one who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist. 18 He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be. 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about a hundred years old) and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do. 22 Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone, 24 but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Romans 4:13-25

Introduction

When Thomas was a toddler, he loved to climb on the edge of the couch. With a mischievous grin, he’d call out, ‘Catch me, Daddy!’ Arms stretched wide, he’d stand there, wobbling just enough to make me nervous. And then—without hesitation—he’d leap, a blur of giggles and flying limbs, trusting that I’d catch him.

He never doubted, not for a moment, that his dad would let him fall. It didn’t matter how far the jump looked to him, or how unprepared I might seem—his trust in me was absolute.

That’s the kind of faith Abraham had. A faith that leaps, even when the promises seem too big or the circumstances impossible. And that’s the kind of faith God calls us to have—a faith that trusts Him fully, not because we can see the outcome, but because we know the One who holds us.

Do you trust God like that? When He calls you to leap, do you believe He’ll catch you?

Confidently believe that God will fulfil His promise to you in Jesus.

1. Faith in God’s promise, not your performance (Romans 4:13-15)
2. Faith in God’s faithfulness, not your circumstances (Romans 4:16-22)
3. Faith in God’s provision, Jesus died for you (Romans 4:23-25)

Faith in God’s promise, not your performance

13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

This picks up where we left last week. In Romans 4:1-12, Paul taught that God credits righteousness apart from works to all who trust His promises: *

This promise to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 15:1-5. God tells Abram his reward will be very great. His own son shall be his heir. His offspring will be as numerous as the stars. God promised Abram the world.

Genesis 15:6 says Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Here’s the Paul’s point. Abram is only circumcised in Genesis 17. But he is credited as righteous when he believed in Genesis 15. So Abraham is made righteous through faith, not through obedience to the Law.

14 If those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made empty and the promise nullified, 15 because the law produces wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.

So a Jew stands up and objects. He says, Paul, I’m righteous. I was circumcised the eighth day. Of the nation of Israel. A Hebrew born of Hebrews. I keep the commandments. I do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honour my father and my mother. Love my neighbour as myself. I’m an obedient, self-righteous man.

My friend, Paul replies, You’re not righteousness. You’ve misapplied the Law. It’s not a check list to make yourself right with God. It demonstrates you’re not right with Him. It is a spiritual mirror. Hold it up and look into it. Instead of the Law showing you how righteous you are, it shows you how far short of God’s glory you’ve fallen. You may not murdered, but you’ve been unrighteously angry. You may not have committed adultery, but you’ve yearned with lust in your heart. The mirror of the Law shows you how ugly you must look to God. Like something unclean. Like a polluted garment. *

Law keeping won’t save you. It can’t make you righteous. It can only make your need known. Where there is no law, there is no transgression. But where the law is, there is an acute awareness of one’s shortcomings.

The righteous inherit God’s promise by faith; reliance on the law leads to wrath because the law exposes sin.

Because the law leads to wrath, God’s promise must depend on faith, so that it rests on God’s grace. But what does it mean to have faith like this?

Faith in God’s faithfulness, not your circumstances

16 This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to the one who is of the law but also to the one who is of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations—in the presence of the God in whom he believed,the one who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist.

The promise is by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. What is faith? Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Basically, faith is trusting in something you cannot explicitly prove.

Abraham exercised faith. And God granted him grace. Grace is God’s favour toward the unworthy. Grace is God giving us what we don’t don’t deserve.

So Abraham received grace from God because Abraham exercised faith. Faith in what? Faith in God. Abraham believed that God has the power to grant life. And Abraham believed that God is the creator of all things.

Abraham believed in God. His Person. And Abraham took God at His Word. He believed in His promise. Romans 4:17, and 18a, quote Genesis 17:5. In Genesis 17:1-14, God reappears Abram when he was 99-years-old, and confirms the promise God made to Abraham 10 years previously, to make Abram a father of nations and to give to him and his offspring the land of Canaan. In Romans 4, Paul that Abram would father nations, that his pattern of faith is universal, a principal to all who believe. The text goes on to describe Abraham’s faith: It was a resolute faith, it was an enduring faith, it was a faith that did not waiver.

18 He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be.

It was a resolute faith. Romans 4:18b, is a quotation from Genesis 15:5. In Genesis 15:1–21, Abram questioned the Lord how the promises of uncountable descendants and possession of the land will be kept. God reaffirms his promises and formalises a unilateral covenant with Abram . God’s covenant with Abraham didn’t depend on Abraham. God’s covenant with Abraham depended on God. Abraham’s faith wasn’t in his own ability to maintain a standard of perfection, or keep some checklist of religious requirements. Abraham’s faith was in God’s Person, and God’s promise. Abraham’s part to play was belief. Abraham hoped against hope that God Himself would get it done. Abraham’s faith was resolute.

19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about a hundred years old) and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

It was an enduring faith. The practical human complication in Romans 4:19 must have seemed impossible to Abraham. Abraham is 100 and Sarah is 90. I imagine that they have a healthy marriage. Love, affection, even sexual intimacy remain gifts from God at every stage of life. But Abraham is 100 and Sarah is 90. It’s not just that menopause has kicked in. Sarah’s been barren ever since they got married. Abraham considered both his body and Sarah’s womb as good as dead, yet he trusted God’s power to fulfil His word. Through all those long years Abraham believed. Abraham’s faith was enduring.

20 He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do. 22 Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.

It was a faith that did not wavier. Instead it was strengthened. And in the end he was even fully convinced. Well I’ve got some good news for you that are listening in and thinking I’m nothing like Abraham. I have a spark of faith. I have a mustard seed of faith. I have a granule of faith. But I don’t think I faith like Abraham. Unwavering, strengthened. Convinced. Each one of these descriptions of Abrahams faith in this third point is in the passive voice. Meaning, these aspects of Abraham’s faith were not self-generated. Rather, they were gifts from God. Abraham did not produce unwavering faith through his own strength or effort.

Instead, God worked in him to sustain and strengthen his faith. Faith itself is a grace given by God. Abraham’s unwavering trust in God was not rooted in his own ability but in God’s power to uphold him. This is a great encouragement that your faith does not depend solely on your own efforts. God is the one who strengthens and sustains their faith through His grace.

Abraham faith was a pattern of resolute, enduring, and unwavering confidence in God’s promise.

Abraham’s unwavering trust in God’s promises shows what saving faith looks like. But Abraham’s story points us to something bigger.

Faith in God’s provision, Jesus died for you

23 Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone,

This conversation about Abraham isn’t for Jews only. It’s for us today. Because if Abraham, the father of the Jews, wasn’t saved by being a Jew, by being circumcised, by obeying the Law, if he was saved by faith, then we can be saved by faith to. But faith in What?

24 but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

The answer is in fact not faith in what, but faith in who. It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Abraham was credited as righteous because he believed in God. God who is powerful. God who is good. God who is just. God who is merciful. God who is loving. Abraham believed in God. And he believed in the promise of God to him. A promise to come.

Friend, we’re saved in the same way. We will be credited as righteous because we believe in God. That same powerful, goof, just, merciful, loving God. And believe in the promise of God to us. A promise that has come. Jesus. The gospel is explicit in Romans 4:24-25,

[Righteousness] will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Jesus died as a substitute, in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous.

He died to pay the penalty for our sins.

But God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) raised Him from the dead. Victoriously, as King of kings and Lord of lords.

His resurrection was for our justification, in that He now applies His righteousness as He wills.

This righteousness comes to whosoever believes. Repents from their sin and puts their faith and trust in Him.

By faith in Jesus’ death for our trespasses and resurrection for our justification righteousness is credited to us.

The faith that was credited to Abraham is the same faith that justifies us when we trust in Jesus.

Application for believers

Believer, what does confidence in God’s fulfilment of His promises look like?

1. Rest in God’s grace (Romans 4:13-15): Let the sufficiency of God’s grace bring rest to your soul. Stop striving to earn His favour through your own performance. You are already credited with righteousness, not because of your works, but by faith in Christ. When tempted by guilt or pride, remember this: God’s promise rests on His grace, not your efforts.

2. Trust in God’s power (Romans 4:16-22): Abraham trusted God to fulfil His promises, even in seemingly impossible circumstances. Are you facing trials that feel insurmountable? Trust the One who calls things into existence and gives life to the dead. Let this embolden your prayers, deepen your peace, and strengthen your perseverance.

3. Live to God’s Glory (Romans 4:23-25): Abraham’s faith glorified God by displaying His ability to do the impossible. Likewise, your faith magnifies God’s glory. Proclaim the gospel, serve others, and walk in gratitude for all Christ has done. Let the resurrection of Jesus inspire you to live boldly, knowing you’ve been justified and freed to walk in newness of life.

Application for unbelievers

Unbeliever, what does the call to take confidence in God’s fulfilment of His promises look like?

1. Recognize your need for righteousness (Romans 4:13-15): The law reveals your need for righteousness, exposing how far short you fall of God’s standard. It shows your sin and your need for salvation. Recognize this, and stop relying on yourself to make things right with God.

2. Take courage from God promises (Romans 4:16-22): Abraham’s faith reminds us that God is faithful to His promises. Even when it seemed humanly impossible, God kept His word. Take courage in this truth: God promises eternal life to all who believe in His Son. His power—not your strength—will save you. Trust Him.

3. Believe in God’s provision (Romans 4:23-25): Jesus was delivered for your trespasses and raised for your justification. His death paid the penalty for your sin, and His resurrection guarantees your salvation. Stop striving and place your faith in Him. Believe today, and receive the righteousness that comes by faith. This is the good news: salvation is a gift, freely given to all who trust in Christ.

Conclusion

As we close, I want to bring us back to Thomas standing on the edge of the couch, arms stretched wide, shouting, ‘Catch me, Daddy!’ Do you remember the joy and confidence he had? There wasn’t a hint of doubt that his father would catch him. He wasn’t trusting in his own strength to land safely—he was trusting in mine.

That’s the kind of faith Romans 4 calls us to. Faith like Abraham’s. Faith that leaps—not because the circumstances make sense, not because we can see how God’s promises will unfold, but because we trust the One who made the promise.

Just as Thomas leapt into my arms with laughter, so we are invited to leap into the arms of our faithful God, knowing He will catch us every time. Whether you’re a believer learning to rest in His grace, trust in His power, and live for His glory, or an unbeliever being called to recognize your need and believe in God’s provision—this is the faith God calls us to.

So today, will you take that leap? Will you trust that the God who gave His Son for you will never let you fall?

Confidently believe that God will fulfil His promise to you in Jesus.

Amen.

Unshakable faith in impossible promises