Unity 3.     

Please bear with me for 5 minutes. I had put this speech together for you. And afterwards, I found that I am the one in desperate need of lifting myself up. So this, and probably for some time to come, will be me talking to me. An you just happen to be listening. Praise yee the name of the Lord.

I will now read 2 scriptures, and then quickly summarize both.

Romans 4:17 to 18.
-(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
-Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

Hebrews 11:11.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

What is meant by “call those things which are not as though they were”, (Romans 4:17)?

The context of Romans 4, is salvation by faith. Paul uses the example of the patriarch Abraham to show how our relationship with God is based on faith and not the works of the Law. Romans 4:17 states, “As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations. Abraham is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.”

The truth that God “calls into being things that were not” is expressed various ways in various translations:

It is possible to understand the last part of Romans 4:17 as meaning that God has the ability to create. This idea is brought out in translations that say that God “creates new things out of nothing” or simply creates new things. The “nothing” in this context would be the deadness of Sarah’s womb (verse 19), and the “new things” that God creates would be Abraham’s offspring mentioned in verse 18. God gives life to the dead and creates something from nothing.

When God speaks, it’s as good as done. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, (“father of a multitude”), while Sarah was still childless. God spoke of Abraham’s descendants when as yet there were none. God truly has the ability to speak of impossible things and, in the speaking, make them possible.

Abraham heard God’s promise and believed it. That faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness (Genesis 15:6) and provides the example of all who would later exercise faith in God. Looking into the future, God can speak of things that do not exist as if they do exist. God has power over death and the ability to create life. Abraham believed this, and so do we Christians, if we are spiritual descendants of Abraham (see Galatians 3:29).

This, we Christians, find it easy to be in agreement with, because we are talking about Abraham and others. Yet, when the scripture hits home, then the scripture itself becomes a problem for us.

Often we Christians, become extreemly dogmatic or accquire extreemly large strongholds. Some of the things that we attempt to speek into existence are not honest nor true. Philippians 4:8 tells us to speak on these things which are honest and true. Yet, anger gives place to the devil. Not only anger but lack of a descerning spirit alters the ability of us Christians to see doctrine clearly, even when presented clearly to us. It is true that God is a very forgiving God. Yet, to him that much is given, much is expected. So is it advantageous to stay unknowing all the days of your life, or to practice premeditated sin because God will forgive you by and by? Is it advantageous to physically separate yourself from the body of belivers and claim ignorance. God forbid.

Statistics indicate that deforce is higher among Christians than among non-Christians. God forbid. We Christians have come a long way. Yet, we still have a lot further to go. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Why would the world listen to anything that we have to say, when half of us can not get along in unity with our own spouses. Lord help us to be a lamp unto the world, not a blinding light, least we all fall into a ditch.