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What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

It’s about thirty years after Jesus has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven. His followers have eagerly shared the Good News of what Jesus has done. As a result, many have come to faith in Jesus as their Savior from sin. New congregations are forming. There is even a gathering of Christians in the capital city of the Roman Empire.

Moved by the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul sits down to write a letter to these Roman believers. What Paul writes is a letter that outlines some fundamentals of the Christian faith. As he does so, he quickly takes on one of the oldest assumptions people make about their relationship with God.

That old assumption is this: I assume that, somehow, some way, I have it in me to set things right with God. Sure, I know I’m not the person I should be or could be. But if I keep improving myself, if I make up for the bad in my life by doing good, if I can live a life that’s a little better and more spiritual than most, then I’ll be in a proper position to receive blessings from God.

It’s an old assumption that never dies. If Paul were to have a chance to tour our twenty-first century society, nothing would shock him. Even secularists are using the same old tools: Trying to find peace, meaning, fulfillment, identity in what I do.

As old as this assumption is, Paul asserts that it is wrong. The answer to “ultimate meaning” lies not in me. It lies only in Jesus Christ. And all he has won for me—forgiveness, peace, meaning, identity, fulfillment—all this is mine through Spirit-created faith in my Savior. Faith alone.

To prove it, Paul points back 2,000 years. He points back to Abraham. After God gave Abraham a cluster of promises, at the heart of which was the promise of the coming Savior, the Bible records that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

For Abraham. For Paul. For us. The answer is the same. The answer is Jesus.

Lord Jesus, when the temptation comes to look inward, move me to look to you. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.