This is the fifth chapter of my book on the Patriarch Jacob. The introduction and chapters 1-4 can be found in previous posts. The purpose of this book is to present Jacob in a different light than he is often portrayed. Many of us have been taught things about Jacob that I believe are not consistent with scripture. Please enjoy and do not hesitate to comment. Shalom! Mike
Chapter Five
The Righteous Will Live by Faith
The question and answer to, “On what account was Abraham credited with righteousness?” was foundational to the Protestant Revolution and is the keystone of modern evangelical Christianity. It is the basis of Martin Luther’s doctrine of Sola Fide, or Justification by Faith. We accept that we, like Abraham, are justified through our faith in the promises of God.
In his letter to the assembly in Rome[1], the apostle Paul, quotes from Genesis, “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” [2] Paul goes on to state in chapter 4 verse 16 that, “He [Abraham] is the father of us all.
There is a popular children song that teaches that we are all children, by faith, of Abraham. The main verse states,
Father Abraham, had many sons,
Many sons had Father Abraham,
I am one of them, and so are you,
So let’s all praise the Lord!
Although Paul calls Abraham “the father of us all” in Romans 4:16, Abraham is not the first to be considered righteous through faith alone. The first person in scripture to be recognized as righteous through faith is Abel, the son of Adam and Eve.
The author of the letter to the Hebrews states,
“By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.”[3]
It is critical to recognize from the context of Romans 4:3 Paul is using Abraham as the example because the Jews recognized Abraham to be the father of the Jewish people. (It would not help Paul’s argument to establish the gentiles as children of Abel, or Enoch, or Noah, although each of them –Abel, Enoch and Noah, according to Hebrews 11, shared in the same faith as Abraham – the faith that accredits one with righteousness.) Paul was teaching them that although Abraham was the progenitor of their physical lineage, unless they also shared in his spiritual lineage, as the believing gentiles did, they were not his true offspring, for Abraham was both a physical and a spiritual man.
Going back to the letter to the Hebrews, we find chapter 11 begins the chronology of what the author later calls the “great cloud of witnesses.”[4]
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.[5]
Abraham’s faith was in God’s promise of the seed, and that the seed promised was Jesus Christ[6], the author of our salvation; salvation found through His offering of Himself as the sacrifice for our sin. I also believe that the “good tidings” proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah speaks directly of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”[7]
I believe that the first pair of feet to present the gospel message belonged to Adam, the father of all mankind, and particularly, the father of Cain and Abel. I believe that Cain and Abel both heard the gospel message of how God had provided a substitute on behalf of Adam and Eve, a substitute that was later showed to Abraham atMountMoriah, and to all of mankind atCalvary. The reason I believe that Adam was the first “evangelist” is because the Apostle Paul stated,
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” [8]
Abel heard, and believed.
If we accept that Genesis 3:15[9] is the first prophetic announcement of Messiah – the seed of Abraham, through the offspring of the woman- we must also conclude that this is the first telling of the gospel message. This gospel message must have been told by Adam to his sons, Cain and Abel. I believe that Cain and Abel heard the gospel message and that the firstborn Cain, like the firstborn Esau, showed contempt for the things of God and rejected the message. I believe that Abel’s heart, upon hearing the gospel message, was pierced and he believed.
What would this gospel message have consisted of? It was, and remains a simple message. The message has not changed from the very beginning. The message is that sin will be defeated. Not through the efforts of mankind, but through the mercy of God. God himself offered a sacrifice to cover the sin of man. Man cannot atone for his own sin. The gospel is that God himself offered a substitute on behalf of Adam and Eve and for all of humanity. I believe that this is the message that Cain and Abel heard from Adam and Eve. I believe that this is the message that Abel took to heart when he offered portions of “the first born of his flock.” I believe it was the same gospel message that the first born Cain showed contempt for when he offered “some of the fruits of the soil” –the soil that had been cursed due to the sin of his father.[10]
Yes, I believe that Abel heard and believed, and that Paul had Abel in mind when he said in his letter to the church atRome,
“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”[11]
[1] Romans 4:3 KJV;”For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
[2] Genesis 15:6 NIV
[3] Hebrews 11:4 NIV
[4] Hebrews 12:1 KJV
[5] Hebrews 11:1-2 NIV
[6] Galatians 3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripturedoes not say, “and to the descendants, referring to many, but “and to your descendant,”referring to one, who is Christ. NET Bible®
[7] Isaiah 52:7 NIV
[8] Romans 10:17 KJV
[9] “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 NIV
[10] The Genesis account of the fall of man notes that Yahweh covered Adam and Eve with skins. These skins would replace the coverings that Adam and Eve had fashioned from leaves to cover their nakedness. Abel’s offering was similar to that which was used by Yahweh to cover the sins of Adam and Eve, Cain’s offering was similar to that of Adam and Eve.
[11] Romans 1:17 NIV
The Restorahter 