Romans 4:17-22 comments: the Holy Spirit speaks well of His saints, regardless of how imperfect their faith

 

Romans 4:17 ¶  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

 

Again, I want to quote the verse to which Paul is referring.

 

Genesis 17:4 ¶  As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

 

Here also are two important statements about God’s sovereignty over life and creation. God can make alive anyone or anything who is dead physically. Quickeneth means to make alive.

 

In addition, God has created all things out of nothing. Every thing that exists began with the Spirit of God, His mind, and was spoken into existence by His Word. It did not exist in the physical world before He spoke it into existence. All of the reality we know is a production of God although suffering from the taint of judgment for mankind’s rebellion. This must be sorted out.

 

Abraham believed, trusting God to be true, even though what He had promised Abraham did not seem to be in the realm of the possible. Although we know from his behavior that his belief and hope were imperfect, like ours, it was still there and God honored it. Even our little faith is recognized by God.

 

One of the characteristics of the Holy Spirit speaking about the saints of God in the Old Testament is His glowing report of their faith, as weak and imperfect as it might have been. We will see this again in Hebrews, chapter 11. Notice the background from Genesis of what actually happened…

Genesis 17:15 ¶  And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16  And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18  And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20  And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21  But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22  And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

For those of us who lament our weak and imperfect faith consider how the Holy Spirit extolls and lifts up the faith of His saints whose shortcomings are illustrated in the text of the Bible.