What About Abraham?

Abraham was the patriarch of Israel.

And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:Genesis 32:9

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.Exodus 3:6

If anyone could have been saved based on what they had done, it would have been Abraham.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?James 2:21

Many Jews were more loyal to Abraham than the God of Abraham.

I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.John 8:37-39

If Abraham’s works justified him, we should praise Abraham.

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.Romans 3:27

While Abraham would have a reason to brag to others, he has no boast before God.

Abraham is justified by faith, the same as any other person in world history.

And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.Genesis 15:6

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.Galatians 3:6-8

Old Testament saints believed in the coming Messiah, whose work was shown by the sacrificial system in Old Testament worship.

New Testament saints believe in the sacrifice of Christ, whose work was shown on the Cross.

If you’re working for your salvation, you’re working to pay a debt that will never be paid.

If you’ve put your faith in the finished work of Jesus, you have been declared righteous.

Because heretics misuse the language of Scripture, we must know the meaning behind theological terms.

Forensic Justification: the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, as if they conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law., Easton’s Bible Dictionary

Synthetic Justification: Synthetic justification means that something is added to the sinner, in his standing before God. At the moment of salvation, the holiness and righteousness of Christ are assigned to the believer. When we say that justification is synthetic, we mean simply that when God looks at the believer, he sees him as having the merits of Christ added to him.

Analytical Justification: A flawed theological concept which says when God analyses the sinner, unless he finds true righteousness within the sinner, he cannot be justified. According to Catholic teaching, analytical justification involves a cooperative relationship between the individual and God, where the person must demonstrate their faith through good works and obedience to God’s commandments. This process includes an examination of conscience, confession of sins, and participation in the sacraments, such as baptism, confession, and the Eucharist. So, in a certain sense, before a Roman Catholic can be justified, he must first be sanctified.

In analytical justification, God’s grace is seen as necessary but not sufficient for salvation. The person must also contribute their own effort and obedience to God’s will.

The Bible is our sole authority for all matters of faith and practice.

There is only one way to be made right with God and go to Heaven, faith in Jesus.

We must know truth to spot and correct errors.