Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading 
Romans 4:13–25

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. (NRSV)

Reflection

Abraham’s faith, not the law, is what God seeks in making him as world powerful. This sounds very much akin to God maybe predicting Luther (Solo Fide) and Reformation theology (faith, not law or ritual, and the universal priesthood). It is Abraham’s faith, and his steadfast love of God, that impress God.

In phenomenological philosophy, Paul Ricoeur would have us reintroduce works, ritual, and law into faith. Human factors engineering designs furniture, cars, aircraft cockpits, and so on to take the user into account. Such design engineers would want to reintroduce objects into the individual. The engineers would want the religious to reintroduce objectivity into faith. Yes, there are links between Judaism, Scripture, Christianity, engineering, philosophy, and who knows what else. I am a retired philosophy instructor and have articulated these and related items in my book, Unified Philosophy, and a related PowerPoint.

Faith moves mountains, says scripture. Jesus, though he is the Son of God and has powers we cannot imagine, when the sick man asks to be healed, asks the man, “Do you believe I can do this?”

Prayer

Dear God, be with me always and watch that I live in prayer and faith. Help me understand that right makes might instead of the reverse. Every day, steer me toward steadfast faith, enabling me to succeed in glorifying you through faith. Scholarship, wealth, powerful and other contingent things are fleeting. Faith in you never fails. Amen.

Written by Michael Kazanjian, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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