The Formula for Salvation

Genesis 17:1-10, 15-19; Romans 4:16-25; Mark 8:31-38

As we look, again, at the words of our Old Testament lesson for today, we notice that the subject of the scripture lesson is God's covenant with Abraham. God declared that it was to be an everlasting covenant. And, as a part of that covenant, God was going to give the whole land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants. In return for this, Abraham and his descendants would promise to be faithful to God's commandments. And, as our Old Testament lesson concludes, Abraham laments about the fact that God's covenant won't apply to the children of his son, Ishmael, but only to the children of his son, Isaac.

The land of the Canaanites was what we now call Palestine. The descendants of Abraham, through his son Ishmael are the Arabs, and the descendants of Abraham, through his son Isaac, are the Jews. What is amazing is that the land of Palestine is being hotly contested, today, between the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael, just as it always has been since the day that Israelites entered into the Promised Land. And this contest now includes even those who claim to support the descendants of one brother or the other.

There is warfare, today between the children of Isaac and the children of Ishmael. Only the weapons have changed. Instead of arrows, now it is bullets. Instead of catapults, now it is SCUD missiles. Instead of boiling oil poured down the city walls upon invading armies, now it is chemical weapons. Instead of shields and body armor, now it is gas masks, and steel helmets. Instead of horses and chariots, now it is jet airplanes and battle tanks. Indeed, little has really changed between the children of Isaac and Ishmael in the past 4,000 years. The fighting goes on.

I had someone in my office the other day who reminded me that the scriptures have numerous warnings for those who would fight against the children of Isaac. For even though Isaac's children can sometimes be difficult and even ungodly to live with, and even though Isaac's children, like Jacob, can be shrewd and even cruel to Ishmael's children, it is still Isaac's children who have God's Promise living on in them, through Abraham's covenant with God. And, so, Israel is still a power in the Middle East that must be reckoned with and respected, unless we would choose to be at odds with God.

Whether you agree with it or not, I believe that it is this reasoning that is at the root of our involvement in the War in the Gulf, today. Certainly, our need to protect our oil supply is important. Certainly, our desire to put down a ruthless dictator is another motivation. But, I believe that more than anything else, Saddam Hussein's threats against the children of Isaac are at the very heart of our government's motivation to be involved in this conflict.

But, writing in the book of Romans, the apostle Paul told the early Christians that God's promise doesn't only come to those who are children of Abraham through Isaac. But, Paul told them that God's promise of salvation also comes to those who are of the faith of Abraham. The apostle Paul recognized that Abraham's complete faith in God was "credited to him as righteousness." In other words, Abraham received God's Promise, not because of his own goodness, not because he was better than anyone else, but because of the righteousness credited or given to those who put their faith in God.

The apostle Paul saw a very real parallel between the salvation Abraham was given because of his faith in God and the salvation Christians are given because of their faith in God through Jesus Christ. As Paul pointed out in our scripture lesson for today: "God will credit righteousness to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. For Christ was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."

In a very real sense, these few words that I just quoted from the fourth chapter of Romans are the essence of the gospel message, very similar to the words of John 3:16 -- "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life."

But, some things are hard to believe. When Jesus began his ministry he told his disciples that he would suffer and die and then be raised from the dead. But Peter found this hard to believe. In fact, Peter found this so hard to believe that he took Jesus aside and began to scold him for talking like this. As far as Peter was concerned, if Jesus was the Son of God there was no way that he could fail in his mission on earth. If Jesus was the Son of God it was inconceivable that people wouldn't listen to him. If Jesus was the Son of God it was unimaginable that God would allow anyone to make him suffer and die.

But, how did Jesus answer Peter? He said, "Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Peter couldn't get beyond his own limited vision to see the will of God. Peter couldn't get beyond his own stereotypes and culturally inspired rut in order to be liberated by the Spirit of God.

When God asks us to believe the impossible, how do we respond? When God asks us to love our neighbor, to love our enemy, to bless those who curse us, how do we respond? When God asks us to walk the extra mile, how do we respond? When God asks us to work miracles, how do we respond? When God gives us a challenge that may look impossible, do we respond like Peter who scolded Jesus, or like Abraham who believed, in spite of the impossibility?

The Lord gives us challenges and gives us the gifts to meet them. When he tells us that we may have victory over death, he gives us the righteousness of Christ through our faith in him. When God tells us that we can take up our bed and walk, it is only up to us to claim the healing. When God tells us that we can move a mountain, it is only up to us to use the faith he gives us to make it happen. Amen.