Faith: looking to Christ and not on our deadness

"He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised" Romans 4:19-21

"Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 8:24-25

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" Galatians 5:22-23

God gave his promise to Abraham that he would become "the father of many nations". Abraham kept on believing in that promise, even though his was a "body of death", and his wife was past child-bearing age. Yet Abraham did not look to his own deadness, but he looked to God whom He thought could do the impossible, and bring life to his and his wife's dead bodies.

Likewise we Christians believe in God's promise of resurrection of our bodies, when we shall be revealed and declared to be the children of God, when we shall finally be "righteous", not just counted as righteous. We shall be completely free from sin, and we shall be like angels of the Most High, never dying again, but living forever in eternal enjoyment of our Saviour who saved us by His death.

We Christians believe that though we are dead and barren of any fruit of righteousness in and of ourselves, but we trust in Christ to live in us, and to bear in us the fruit of the Spirit. We don't look to ourselves and forever wallow in our wretchedness and our corruption, but we look to the life of the risen Christ to supply us with the Holy Spirit from heaven. We believe that God can bear in our sinful flesh the Isaac of righteousness, so that we may give glory to Him.

Thus we cry to God always "Abba, Father!", asking that He may give us the heavenly Water of the Spirit always, that we may be enabled to live this life always for Him. This is the life spent waiting for the hope of righteousness that is to be revealed when Christ shall come.

"For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness" Galatians 5:5