Rev. Dr. Troy Troftgruben
In Romans 4, Paul connects the notion of justification by grace through faith to Abraham. Paul uses Abraham as a leading example of what faith looks like: “being fully convinced that God was able to do what [God] had promised” (Rom 4:21).
Abraham’s example makes me ponder how faith, for Paul, was more than merely intellectual affirmation – something like saying, “I believe walruses are nice.” (I have never met a walrus. And I’m OK with that.) For Paul, faith wasn’t an abstract, theoretical belief. It was more of a conviction, a trust on which life depends – something more like saying, “I believe this bungee rope will hold” before jumping.
The word “faith” (Greek pistis) in the New Testament is a multi-faceted word. It may mean “faith, trust, confidence, belief, commitment, loyalty, conviction.” While we parse out these English words, the many nuances remained for Paul and his hearers. When Paul says, “the promise depends on faith,” his hearers heard all these nuances.
For Paul, Abraham was a classic example of faith, not because he sat back and watched, but because he lived into faith in a way that changed the course of his life. Because he trusted God, Abraham packed up everything and moved. Because he believed God, Abraham planned on descendants. Because he had faith in God, Abraham believed the impossible was possible.
We Protestants sometimes forget faith is more than an abstract idea. It’s an orientation to a new way of life, centered in trusting God.
Faith is also a gift of God—not something we muster up on our own. This makes faith a bit like an invitation to a life rightly oriented to God. While God has done the hard work in Christ, the Holy Spirit invites us to live in step, “being fully convinced that God [is] able to do” what God has promised us.
Lent is a season that invites us to live more genuinely into faith. Like Abraham did. One step at a time.
