Romains 4:17,18

As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations.

God’s promise to Abraham

I. Its grandeur and importance.

1. A spiritual seed.

2. A worldwide blessing.

II. The power by which it must be accomplished.

1. Almighty.

2. Life-giving.

3. Creative.

III. The means by which that power is enjoyed--faith. (J. Lyth, D. D.)

God, who … calleth those thugs which be not as though they were.--

The Divine conception of uncreated things

Those philosophers of old who held that man pre-existed before his birth into this world had just one element of truth in their doctrine. Man--body, soul, and spirit--pre-existed eternally in the mind and will of God, and as such was an object of Divine contemplation and compassion. Grand architectural fabrics pre-exist long before the ground is cleared, the materials are collected or prepared--yes, long before the plans are drawn. They pre-exist in the mind of the architect and in the will of the constructor. Many things, however, exist in the mind and will of man which, through his inability or caprice, fail to have any formal or substantial being whatever. Consequently it behoves us not to speak too confidently upon the execution and realisation of our conceptions. But with God, who is of infinite power and who changes not, the things in His mind and will are as sure and certain as if they were already ushered into life and activity (cf. Hébreux 11:3)

. (C. Neil, M. A.)

Who against hope believed in hope.--

Abraham’s faith

I. Its basis the absolute promise of God.

II. Its measure.

1. Strong against hope.

2. Unwavering.

3. Confident.

III. Its issue.

1. God’s glory.

2. His own salvation. (J. Lyth, D. D.)

Undeterred by difficulties

Men differ among themselves. They differ as plainly in their relation to God. The differences appear in their lives. Blorn or Thorfinn will make a longer voyage than Eric, because they are bolder men. But Blorn will push his ship further south than Thorfinn if he has a stronger wind and a better chart. We need not fear our work, nor turn aside from our duty. The hungry multitude need not depart though we have but five loaves, if we are bidden to give them to eat. We might well attempt larger things. Few men have made proof of their ability. Life need not be spent in the valleys. Our way need not be shut in by hills. The promise is distinct, rational, effective. Dare anything which is duty. Believe in yourself because God believes in you, and accept the honour of high service. Leibnitz said that all difficult things are easy, and all easy things are difficult. If the hard thing drives us to God it becomes easy in the act. Farragut repeated Lord Collingwood’s saying, that we are not to be afraid of doing too much. The weight of the universe presses on the shoulders of every man to hold him to his task. “The only path of escape known in all the world of God is performance. You must do your work before you shall be released.” How all things hold us up to God, and every thought of greatness puts us under bonds to trust and receive! Westminster Abbey holds no nobler dust than his who faced the darkness and desperation of Africa, and single-handed forced his way through its deadly gloom, and earned a place among England’s kings. Is there anything to stir the ambition, to nerve the arm, to empower the life, like the summons of our God, who throws the impossible at our feet and bids us take it up, and about His demands binds the cords of His promises? (A. McKenzie.)

Who, against hope, believed in hope

Where hope has a great object in view, there will always be fear. If not fear, there will always, however, be that sort of timorous fluctuation which distinguishes hope from assurance. It is thus in worldly affairs. When a great good is expected, but not yet possessed, there will always be an apprehension of losing it. It is thus, too, with every good man who views the Christian dispensation as he ought. When he contemplates the scheme of man’s redemption in all its vastness--the wonderful means employed, and the immensity of the views it opens--he recoils at his own insignificance; and thinks it against hope to believe that such a creature as he feels himself can ever be the object of such Divine beneficence. On the other hand, when he considers the love of God to man in his creation, which could have no end but man’s happiness--when he considers that the very act of his creation is an assurance of God’s future protection--when he reflects on the numerous promises of the gospel, of the truth of which he is clearly convinced by abundant evidence--his diffidence vanishes, and he cannot help, in the language of the text, against hope, believing in hope. (John Gilpin, M. A.)

Abraham’s faith

I. Its ground. The promise of God.

1. The general promise (Genèse 15:1), that God would take him into His protection and abundantly reward his obedience. The like promise is made to all the faithful (Psaume 84:11).

2. The particular promise. When God had told Abraham that He would be his shield, etc., he replied, “Lord, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless”; and again, “Behold, Thou hast given me no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir” (Genèse 15:2). These words of Abraham imply some weakness of faith, though they also may be a revival of an old promise (Genèse 12:3). And they say in effect, Lord, how can I take comfort in the promised reward, since I do not seek the fulfilling of Thy promise touching my seed? But now mark the Lord’s reply (Romains 4:4); and then God led him forth (Romains 4:5)--ocular demonstration leaveth a stronger impression upon the mind--upon this “Abraham believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him for righteousness” (Romains 4:6). He was a believer before, but now he commenceth a strong believer: “He believed in hope against hope,” etc.

I. Its excellency.

1. “He believed in hope against hope.” Spiritual hope can take place when natural hope faileth. Most men’s faith is borne up by outward probabilities; they can trust God no further than they can see Him; but true faith dependeth upon Him when His way is in the dark, as Paul could give assurance when all hope was taken away (Actes 27:20). I prove this--

(1) From the genius and nature of faith. There must be some difficulty in the thing to be believed or else it is not an object of faith (chap. 8:24).

(2) From the warrant of faith, which is the Word of God. We must believe God upon His bare word, though we know not what time or way He will take, or by what means the thing promised will be accomplished. In things future and invisible we believe against sense; in things incredible we believe against reason (Hébreux 11:1). It must not be, saith sense; it cannot be, saith natural reason; it both can and will be, saith faith.

(3) From the object of faith, God all-sufficient. We must gauge neither His goodness nor power by our measure. Not His goodness (Ésaïe 55:8; Osée 11:9); nor His power (Zacharie 8:6).

2. He considered not the difficulties (Romains 4:19). Here we learn that we must not oppose natural impediments to the power and truth of God. Note--

(1) How we are or not to consider difficulties.

(a) In some sense it is our duty to consider them, that we may not go about the most serious work hand over head. Christ bids us sit down and count the charges (Luc 14:28). The saints are wont to put hard cases to themselves (Psaume 3:6; Psaume 23:4).

(b) Therefore the ends must be observed. We must consider them to weaken our security, but not to weaken our confidence in the promise. The difficulties of salvation must be sufficiently understood, otherwise we think to do the work of an age in a breath (Luc 8:24; Josué 24:19); for it is not so easy a matter as you take it to be.

(c) Difficulties must be thought on to quicken faith, not to weaken it. If they be pleaded against the promise they weaken faith; if they be pleaded to drive us to the promise they quicken faith.

(2) The inconveniences of this sinful considering the difficulties in all the parts of faith.

(a) As to assent. If you will not credit it unless the thing be evident in itself, you do not believe Christ but your own reason; and instead of being thankful for the revelation you quarrel with tits truth, because it is in some things above your capacity. You should be satisfied with the bare word of God, and captivate your understandings to the obedience of it.

(b) As to consent and acceptance. There are many things may be objected against entering into covenant with Christ. First, our great unworthiness. This is one reason why the instance of Abraham is proposed as a pattern of faith to the Gentiles. As Abraham considered not his natural incapacity to have children, so they not their unworthiness to be adopted into God’s covenant. If you be such a sinner, the more need of a saviour. You would laugh at him that would argue I am too cold to go to the fire, too sick to send for the physician, too poor to take alms, too filthy to go to the water to be washed. Celsus objected against Christianity that it was a sanctuary for men of a licentious life. Origen answered him that it was not a sanctuary to shelter them only, but an hospital to cure them. Secondly, the fickleness of the heart. You are afraid to bind yourselves to God. The truth is this consent implieth a delivery over of yourselves to Christ, and you must consider difficulties so as to fortify your resolution (Matthieu 16:24; Matthieu 20:22). And not to consider is to discourage your consent.

(c) For affiance. There seemeth to be an impossibility to sense and reason from first to last. If the difficulties of salvation were sufficiently understood, we should see it is the mere grace and power of God that carrieth it on in despite of men and devils (Éphésiens 1:19). As for instance, the reconciling of a guilty soul to God (Éphésiens 2:3); the changing of an obstinate heart (Jérémie 17:9); and the giving us an holy nature and life (Job 14:4); or to quicken us that were dead in trespasses and sins (Éphésiens 2:1); to strengthen a feeble and weak creature (2 Corinthiens 3:5).

3. “He staggered not at the promise through unbelief.” This may refer to three acts or parts of faith:

(1) Assent. If we have the word and promise of God we should believe anything as surely as if we had the greatest evidence in the world. Thus some of the disciples doubted of the truth of Christ’s resurrection (Matthieu 28:17; Luc 24:21). This argueth a weak faith; but faith is strong as it overcomes our speculative doubts, and settles our souls in the truth (Actes 2:36).

(2) Consent. When the consent is weak and wavering faith is weak (Hébreux 10:23). But such a confirmed resolution as leaveth no room for wavering argueth a strong faith (Actes 21:13).

(3) Dependence and trust (Jaques 1:6).

4. “He was fully persuaded that what God had promised He was fully able also to perform.” A strong, steady, and full persuasion of the power of God argueth a great faith.

(1) There is no doubt of His will when we have His promise; but the ability of the promiser is that which is usually questioned. Unbelief stumbleth at His can (Psaume 78:19; Luc 1:34; 2 Rois 7:2). Nay; and the children of God themselves. Sarah was rebuked when she laughed (Genèse 18:12).

(2) God’s power and all-sufficiency is to the saints the great support of faith in their greatest extremities. They are relieved by fixing their eye on God’s almightiness; as Abraham here. So Hébreux 11:19; so for perseverance (Jude 1:24); and for the resurrection (Philippiens 3:21). In matters conditionally promised we must magnify His power, and refer the event to His will (Matthieu 8:2).

(3) There are two things to enlarge our thoughts and apprehensions about the power of God (verse 17). We have to do with a God who can say to the dead, Live. He that can quicken the dead can quicken those that are dead in trespasses and sins.

III. Its fruit and effect--an exact and constant obedience. In Ésaïe 41:2 the righteous man is supposed to be Abraham, often designed by that character; and he was called to his foot, to go to and fro at God’s command, as the centurion said (Matthieu 8:9). There are two great instances of Abraham’s obedience:

1. His self-denial in leaving his country (Hébreux 11:8). Such a total resignation there must be of ourselves to the will of God.

2. Another trial was Hébreux 11:17. Because God would make Abraham an example of faith to all future generations, therefore He puts him to this trial, to see whether he loved his Isaac more than God. (T. Manton, D. D.)

Hope built on faith

I. Our salvation appears impossible to human expectation and can only be hoped for on the ground of faith. After the Saviour had laid before His disciples that cherished riches were a hindrance to religion, they exclaimed, “Who then can be saved?” There are many other aspects of godliness which suggest the same doubt, and to which the same gracious answer applies, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” The law of self-preservation in human nature would suggest the desirability of being saved, but the same law has no remedy to offer. Man is naturally hopeful, but within his own breast there are no grounds of salvation. God is just; man is guilty. To remove sin from the book of remembrance above and the book of conscience below, suggests insuperable difficulties to man’s reason. The good hope through grace comes of faith. We have the Word of God for our foundation; on that we build our faith, and of faith springs our hope.

II. The extension of the kingdom of the messiah and the salvation of the world, is an expectation which rests, not on human probabilities, but on faith in God’s promise. There is no prayer more frequent than--“Thy kingdom come.” The whole heart of the Church is bound up in an intense desire to see mankind under its roof. But make a map of the world, and paint Christian countries white, and all the others black. You will see that the labours of eighteen centuries have only touched the fringe of the garment. The human aspect of the matter is discouraging, and we are ready to ask, “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” The day of universal judgment is delayed to allow time for the spread of the gospel. We believe that the earth will be covered with a knowledge of the Lord; that the Saviour will see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied; then the heathen will be His inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth His possession. This is the hope of faith. (Weekly Baptist.)