This post was last updated on January 18, 2026

Day 323, Year 1

Abraham’s Justification by Faith

“In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, ‘So Shall Your Descendants Be.’ Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore It was also Credited to Him As Righteousness.” (Romans 4:18-22 NASB)

The above passage explains the secret of Abraham’s faith, which was reckoned righteous in God’s sight. He firmly believed in God’s words, specifically about the son born of Sarah, who would be fruitful and multiply, and would himself be the father of many nations. Eventually, he was justified by God. The words of God came to a hundred-year-old man and his wife, who had been previously barren. She then miraculously gave birth to Isaac. Notably, the event of Abraham’s justification did not occur during his early encounter with God.

God promised that Abraham would give birth to a son from his own wife. This is impossible for a person who had no children for such a long time, or even when her menstrual period stopped. But God’s promises are to break through the impossible. Nevertheless, believers should be careful not to confuse human wishes with God’s promises. There are many human wishes, and many of them are impossible to come true. The key to distinguishing between our wishes and God’s promises is clearly listening to Him. God wanted Abraham and his wife to have a child in their old age. This is His clear will, bringing forth God’s promise to them. However, under the influence of personal will, it can be difficult to understand God’s words. So, in any case, we who believe in Jesus must first let go of our wills before we can clearly receive His promises.

Abraham did not question God’s promise because of the past negative experience. Instead, he was filled with faith that His promises would be fulfilled. And his heart was strengthened, then he gave glory to God. Indeed, when God’s promises conflict with our experiences, we need to trust Him and put aside our experiences. Integrity with purity over bending or crookedness, discussed earlier, is a necessary foundation for faith in Jesus and also the key to firmly believing God’s Word. In the coming days, we will further discuss the elders of faith in Hebrews 11 and Abraham’s experience in detail.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you think the faith in Jesus means believing that God will do a miracle for you? Why?

2) Is there any difficulty in letting go of your personal will, wishes, or past contradictory experience to accept God’s promises? If you have some, how would you overcome it?