Would you rather earn it or be given a gift? Even those of us who are achievers would still likely love someone to gift us something. Debt paid off? Why thank you! What a gift! Why would you begrudge a gift like that?

This is at the heart of what Paul is pointing out at this juncture of the argument. He needs to point out that we can’t pay for righteousness, we can’t earn it. Yet he starts by showing that Abraham didn’t earn it either – as it would appear many believed at the time. Was circumcision something that earned them a right to God or was it a gift that marked what God did through Abraham’s faith? This faith is counted as righteousness, he concludes. Yet those who believe outside of the promise of circumcision are still given access by the simple fact that Abraham received the mark AFTER he had been credited righteousness by faith. He didn’t earn the mark and the mark meant nothing to his righteousness, but was a sign of had already occurred.

So, if faith was the main point, then what has changed? Nothing! We can’t earn this, but accept the gift by faith. Abraham held faith that God would give him a nation, despite his age or the age of Sarah, despite fact that it took 25 years (he was old when the promise was given and 100 when it came to be!). He had faith and trusted. So now we hold faith that one day He will return. One day this world will no longer be our home. So we live differently. We focus our hearts on the things of Him. We are sealed by faith. We don’t earn it, it is freely given – and our lives are a response to His goodness.