Daily Digest: Capstone Capsule

“And being FULLY CONVINCED that what He had PROMISED He was also able to PERFORM” – Romans 4:21

Faith in God precedes DIVINE PERFORMANCE: “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, “And being FULLY CONVINCED that what He had PROMISED He was also able to PERFORM” (Rom.4:20-21). Here, “divine performance” refers to God's act of fulfilling His promises through His Power, which is activated by human faith, not human effort or works. It is the act of God making good on His promises, because He is all-powerful and faithful. Human faith is the necessary response that allows individuals to receive the promised act of God's Grace, ultimately leading to justification through Jesus' death and resurrection. The example of Abraham illustrates how God’s Promise is secured by Faith, even in His ability to perform the impossible!

God’s Promise is received by Faith, making it a free gift of grace, available and guaranteed to all people: “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” (v.16).The object of his Faith was God's Creative and Life-Giving Power to do what is humanly impossible. This was not a vague hope but a firm conviction in the God "who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did" (v.17b). He was "fully convinced that what He had promised, He was also able to perform" (vv.20-21).

When the promise was given, Abraham and his wife Sarah were far past childbearing age, a "hopeless" situation from a human viewpoint. But he looked past their physical limitations, to God’s Word and Power: “Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb” (vv.18-19). “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief,” but “was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God…:” (v.20).

By his strong trust in God's ability to fulfill His promise, Abraham’s faith was credited as righteousness (v.22). His story was recorded as example for all Believers (vv.23-25). Our faith in God, who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, is credited to us as righteousness, enabling us to be declared right with God. Not only as regards salvation, but in other contexts, God is fully able and faithful to perform what His promises, regardless of human limitations or impossible circumstances. Divine Performance is activated by faith, not by human effort.