Faith in His Details

Faith in His Details

Comments on Galatians with an ear to Luther’s commentary

Scripture Text: Galatians 3:7 and Revelation 21:21–27

Series: Comments on Galatians

Today's Scripture Jigsaw

Luther tells us that some find fault with Paul for connecting faith or believing in Genesis 15:6 to faith in Christ. I suppose it is natural to restrict terms to their context — in the narrowest case, that Abraham believed simply God’s promise of seed, or that he would have a child. Yet, God’s promise, within that same context, assured so much more. He also said that in this seed all the families of the earth would be blessed. Now, Abraham could conceive of having a child, as improbable as that sounded. But how would his offspring be a blessing to the nations? In regards to that, Abraham would have to trust God’s plan. He had no idea what God was going to specifically do; all he could do was trust him, believe him, have faith. 

We do much the same. We trust God to bear us to heaven. We have no idea, however, what that will be like. We have wide-stroked ideas of its glory but no details. Faith believes God when he makes the promise of eternal life, without knowing the particulars. Abraham had faith in God’s Christ without knowing the particulars — that there would be a Messiah or that this Messiah or Christ would be in his own lineage, let alone that he would be God and Man, and die for the sins of the world. And we have yet to speak of resurrection and ascension. 

All this Abraham believed because he had faith that God would make good on his promise as he saw fit. 

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