Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness (Rom 4;3, Gal 3:6, Jm 2:23)
The word imputed means 'to put on our account'. God keeps an account every time that we believe and agree with Him. We believe that Christ died and paid for our sins on the cross, so God imputes His righteousness or writes it in the book of our account. God keeps tract when we believe His word and His promises and when we do He writes it down as an act and work of righteousness on our part. When He says that we have been saved by grace through faith and we believe that, God writes down our faith in His word as an act and work of righteousness. When He promised to never leave us or forsake us and we believe that promise, God writes it on our account. When He has promised to make known unto us the mystery of His will (Eph 1:9) and we believe that, He puts it on our account. When God imputes righteousness on our account every time we believe His word and promises, those acts of righteousness can not be erased from the record of our account.
Abraham got a promise from God that a son would be born to him in his old age that would make him the father of many nations. He believed God and had to wait for that promise by faith. There was no works associated with that promise except the work of faith and of patience as he waited for it to come to pass. Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness.
When the promise came and Isaac was born, God told Abraham to offer his son upon an altar. God was testing the faith that He had imputed unto him as righteousness. Was Abraham going to continue to believe the promise when he had the evidence of Isaac before him and direction from God to offer him up? Abraham followed through with the work of faith and never staggered at the promise from God. In (Rom 3,4) we have justification between Abraham and God through faith in believing in the promise and in (Jm 2) we have the evidence and justification of that promise made to Abraham being tried by a work of faith through the sacrifice of Isaac.
In both cases Abraham believed the promise of God, one when the promise was made and the other after the promise was given. The first was by faith and not seen and the second was by a work of faith that was seen. The first was by believing in the promise and the second was by the obedience of faith to the promise. Neither time was the faith in Abraham that was exercised in relationship to the promise a dead faith. If the faith of Abraham was dead in the first then the second could have never happened. We must first believe and be justified positionally by faith in the unseen promise before we can be justified experientially through a work of faith that can be seen through our obedience to that promise.
The word imputed means 'to put on our account'. God keeps an account every time that we believe and agree with Him. We believe that Christ died and paid for our sins on the cross, so God imputes His righteousness or writes it in the book of our account. God keeps tract when we believe His word and His promises and when we do He writes it down as an act and work of righteousness on our part. When He says that we have been saved by grace through faith and we believe that, God writes down our faith in His word as an act and work of righteousness. When He promised to never leave us or forsake us and we believe that promise, God writes it on our account. When He has promised to make known unto us the mystery of His will (Eph 1:9) and we believe that, He puts it on our account. When God imputes righteousness on our account every time we believe His word and promises, those acts of righteousness can not be erased from the record of our account.
Abraham got a promise from God that a son would be born to him in his old age that would make him the father of many nations. He believed God and had to wait for that promise by faith. There was no works associated with that promise except the work of faith and of patience as he waited for it to come to pass. Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness.
When the promise came and Isaac was born, God told Abraham to offer his son upon an altar. God was testing the faith that He had imputed unto him as righteousness. Was Abraham going to continue to believe the promise when he had the evidence of Isaac before him and direction from God to offer him up? Abraham followed through with the work of faith and never staggered at the promise from God. In (Rom 3,4) we have justification between Abraham and God through faith in believing in the promise and in (Jm 2) we have the evidence and justification of that promise made to Abraham being tried by a work of faith through the sacrifice of Isaac.
In both cases Abraham believed the promise of God, one when the promise was made and the other after the promise was given. The first was by faith and not seen and the second was by a work of faith that was seen. The first was by believing in the promise and the second was by the obedience of faith to the promise. Neither time was the faith in Abraham that was exercised in relationship to the promise a dead faith. If the faith of Abraham was dead in the first then the second could have never happened. We must first believe and be justified positionally by faith in the unseen promise before we can be justified experientially through a work of faith that can be seen through our obedience to that promise.