Week 04 – 2012
Rom. 4:17: “Before him who he believed, even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth things that are not, as though they were.” God calls the things that are not, as though they are, and they become.
Abraham said, “Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken.” Abraham had a battle against [natural] hope. He believed against [natural] hope. Natural hope says: well…I hope so. [It is not absolute; it is likened to wishful thinking.] God’s hope is a confident expectation of good! Thus, Abraham counted God’s word to be absolute.
“Without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Rom. 4:19-20
Abraham looked at his body and saw it exactly as it was, impotent and worn out. He looked at Sarah, another broken vessel. Yet looking unto the promise of God, he waxed strong. He counted that God could make good what He had promised. Abraham moved into God’s class! He counted the things that were not as though they were, and they became.
Reason would have conquered had he yielded to it. Abraham believed against all the evidences of Sense Knowledge!