The True Light Of The World

What does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’
Romans 4:3

Is it really true that when we believe in Jesus, we have fulfilled our obligations to God? Is it true that by simply believing, God credits righteousness to us; not by our efforts, but by his grace? Is the only thing that God requires from us belief upon Christ? It sounds beautiful, but how can it be true? How can just beholding Jesus with the eyes of faith be all God requires? It seems too good to be true, but I think that is exactly the point. It is too good to be true; it actually takes faith to accept it! In our rational minds it is completely unrealistic, but if we can believe it, then the power of God will prove it true in our lives.

When we look at Abraham, the man of faith, what did God do with him? God gave him some good news that was totally unrealistic and far too good to possibly be true. Yet, in that moment Abraham did the one thing God required, he believed! God took Abram outside and said,

‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘so shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:5-6

When we look back onto this amazing moment between Abraham and God, we need to understand that it is also a moment we all share with God. Abraham’s story is our story. We walk in his footsteps of faith. The Apostle Paul tells us that when God spoke those words it was not meant only for Abraham, but for all of us who put our faith in Christ.

The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Romans 4:23-24

The truth is God has always had Jesus on his mind. Even before the coming of Jesus, God was preparing mankind to understand him. Even before Jesus came to reveal and proclaim the gospel, the Scriptures teach us that God announced the gospel in advance to Abraham.

The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ Galatians 3:8

Have you ever wondered how God did this? How did God announce the gospel (that is, the good news of Jesus) in advance to Abraham? When we go back and read the story of Abraham’s life, we find God asking Abraham to look at the stars. We also know that all Scripture finds its true meaning in Christ, as does all of creation. With this in mind, what do we believe the stars represent? God tells us what they represent in the creation account in Genesis one.

He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth. Genesis 1:16-17

The stars were given as light to the world and they were the same stars that God asked Abraham to look to. Now we know that the true light of the world is not stars, but it is Jesus Christ himself. However, before Christ was given God used the stars to preach the gospel in advance to Abraham! We can see that God used the stars to help Abraham believe the promise of God when he was looking to the light of the world.

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. John 1:9

So when God asked Abraham to look to the stars and believe, he was announcing the gospel of Jesus in advance to Abraham! Stop and think about it, what did God ask Abraham to do? He asked him to look to the light of the world and believe. In doing this, God was proclaiming the gospel in advance to Abraham. Like Abraham, we too look to the light of the world and believe! Just as the Spirit of God announced the gospel in advance to Abraham, we know that the Spirit continues to announce the gospel to all who believe upon Jesus today. God asks of this generation of believers the same thing he asked of Abraham. He asks us to look at Jesus, the true light of the world, and see all of the promises and blessings that are attributed to him. God has revealed to us that it is through Christ, and by faith in him, that we have been credited with all of them.

This is the reality of being a disciple of Jesus: we have not earned any of God’s promises and blessings, but God freely credits all of them to us who look to his Son and believe in him!

(For more resources, please visit: www.loaves-and-fishes.org)
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