I wish our dear deluded dispensational friends knew this precious fact. Sadly, some of them (John Hagee, e.g.) still preach that the blood of Jesus Christ is unnecessary for certain people, who are saved by genetics and self-righteousness instead of by saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, when he left Ur of the Chaldees, his homeland, to follow where God ordered him to go (to a land that He would show him), he was NOT rendering any obedience to God?
Would you believe that statement if you hadn’t any preconceived positions, read it for yourself, then some pastor tried to convince you?
Why conflate circumcision with “any obedience to God”?
An Israelite (what Abram’s seed would later be called) could easily be circumcised yet rebel and disobey all others of God’s commands.
Just so, one could obey God’s other commands but delay circumcision as he did, but it can’t be accurate to say that such a person never rendered any obedience to God.
As between faith and works, my reading of Scripture is that obedience is the key. God doesn’t like it when humankind refuse to obey him. He also reveals that “without faith it is impossible to please God”.
I don’t call obedience “works”. I call obedience, obedience.
A person can do works that aren’t even demanded by God. He or she can decide for themselves what they will render to Jehovah, apart from what God himself has asked of them. The religious elite in Bible times did just that. People today often do that. That isn’t obedience. It is a form of works but not according to what God asked. Jesus condemned such.
So, the issue isn’t framed this way in Scripture but is framed obedience vs. disobedience to the Divine Word. Jesus said, if you continue IN MY WORD, then are you truly my disciples.
Faith is ALWAYS required.
James wrote that if it produces no works it is a dead faith.
The Bible says even the demons believe (because they actually KNOW the truth) and tremble (but obviously they refuse to obey).
"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Romans 10:1-4)
Amen to that. Incidentally, Abraham walked out his faith by accepting the new name that God had given him. From his birth, his name was Abram which is what everyone called him. God changed his name to Abraham which means Father of Nations. So his declaration of faith was activated every time someone uttered his new name. When Sara told him to take out the garbage, she was declaring, "Hey, Father of Nations, take out the trash."
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. God gave man the ability to create. It is an ability that satan does not possess. So satan tries to get man to create for him. The choice is ours. We can either get in agreement with God or get in agreement with satan. Abram made the decision to get in agreement with God, and thus Abraham was born.
Just what can anyone possibly give that he didn't already make/have anyway?
Worthy is the lamb!
Excellent teaching
In this passage the purpose - the aim - the goal - is to show that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is the key.
It is fairly narrow in that scope because that very issue was constantly being pressed by what were called “the Judaizing teachers”. They followed everywhere the disciples went to evangelize, trying to convince the converted that they must be circumcised as well, in order to be one of God’s own. This passage is aimed squarely between their eyes.
But to us today, unless we are Jews believing in circumcision in order to please God, it isn’t squarely between our eyes. The temptation is to broaden its scope as if it were saying something beyond what it says.
Circumcision was NEVER the key to becoming one of God’s own. Yet here are these Judaizing teachers running around with the gall to demand that Christians of Greek (read Gentile) decent also be circumcised. And that Jews who became Christians continue to practice circumcision in their families IN ORDER TO BE SAVED.
If Abraham had not obeyed God, his faith would have been dead. (per James). If so, he would have refused to follow God’s directives and continued in his idol worship in his native land, and would have never been justified.
Even the demons believe in God and his power, because they KNOW and FEAR Him. Satan is a fallen angel who rebelled against God in Heaven. These can never be justified because they are the disobeyers-in-chief and entice others to disobey.
faith without works is dead...so what’s the difference?