A Look at Romans - Chapter 4

I have not yet given up on this exercise. Even though it has taken me 10 days to get through 4 chapters, I am learning so much. I can't just read each chapter through once and write my thoughts - I am reading from several different versions and then doing some other 'research' to get a broader picture of what circumstances Paul is writing in. I know that my "journaling" has different tones to it depending on what is going on in my life on any given day, why wouldn't Paul's?

In Romans chapter 4, Paul is charging the Romans to think about the patriarch of the Jewish faith, Abraham. Because Abraham was from the Old Testament, he didn't have Jesus' death to save him from his sins. He only had the promises from God Himself to cling to, not the hope of eternal life. God told Abraham at a 'young' age that he would be the father of many nations - the thing was, his wife, Sarah, was barren and couldn't have kids. So, Abraham had to wonder, "so, how am I going to be the father of many nations when I don't even have a son?" Abraham didn't try to make a deal with God or look at God's words as a contract. That would have meant that Abraham would have had to do something to EARN what God was promising. God gives His promises WITHOUT strings attached. Even when it doesn't seem possible (fathering many nations without even a son), God lays everything out and just waits for us to walk in faith towards the promises He has given.

What promises does God give to us in 2010? The same ones He gave to those in the Bible. Is He telling each one of us that we will be fathers of many nations? Not necessarily - but He isn't asking us all to sacrifice our first born son either. The Bible is not an exact blueprint for each of us - it is a guide book. We are all asked to step out in faith in different ways, but we are all asked to step in faith.