¹⁶ For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, 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, ¹⁷ (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

Not only was the promise to Abraham available to all people, but it was personally guaranteed by God. Often a person can buy a product that has a lifetime guarantee. However, if the company goes out of business or the owners die, then the guarantee—even though legally binding—is useless. However, the One who guaranteed the promise to Abraham was none other than the Creator God of the universe, who “gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” He is the one who created “ex nihilo,” out of nothing. There is no greater force, being or legal authority than He.

So one could say that as long as God exists, His promise is good. It would be ludicrous to even consider what would happen if He ceased to exist—all bets would be off, so to speak. There would be no basis for any kind of certainty (or as academics would say, certitude); all would be random, governed only by chance, which itself contains no certitude. In our world today, evolution theory is the human attempt to provide a cogent explanation of the processes involved. The problem behind all this is, as Paul wrote earlier, is that “even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rom 1:21-22). The Jews believed in God, yet they, like unbelievers in general, have become foolish as well. In their case, they have adopted the foolishness of relegating God to the background while they attempt righteousness on their own. God may as well not even exist!

But God does exist, and He has provided another way based on His grace, not on our measly human efforts. His way is simply to grant righteousness to all who believe, as a simple yet profound gift. This faith involves letting go of the self-defeating efforts to earn or merit righteousness on our own through our good works. This faith, demonstrated in Abraham, is the key for every human being without exception, both for those who have the Law (Jews) and for those who do not. As abhorrent as it may have seemed to the Jewish objector, Abraham is the “Father of us all,” not of Jews exclusively, but also of Gentiles.

Father God, thank You for the promise that is my hope as “an anchor of the soul…both sure and steadfast” (Heb 6:19).