Day Three Romans 4:11-15 Spiritual Father
Pray: Invite God into your time and ask Him to speak to you, then read the passage.
11Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.12And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.14If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.15For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) – Romans 4:11-15 (NLT)
Discover: Use the Discover section of your Recalibrate journal to write down your answers to the following observation and interpretation questions.
- What was the point of circumcision (verse 11)?
- Who is Abraham the spiritual father of (verses 11-12)?
- What promise is Paul talking about in verses 13-14?
Respond: Use the Respond section of your journal to answer the following application prompts.
- What does this passage teach me about God?
- How does this aspect of His character change my view of self and others?
- What should I do in response and when?
For Further Reading
Becoming Heirs of the Kingdom
For Families with Kids at Home:
Have your kids think of the BEST possible thing they could try to do to earn God’s love. Maybe it’s giving all their toys away to needy kids or serving other people. While those might be good things, they don’t ultimately make God love us more. Our actions alone don’t make God love us; It’s ultimately our faith in Jesus that makes us right in God’s eyes and allows us to be friends with God!
*If you don't have a Recalibrate journal, you can use any journal available to you to write down your responses.
**TPCC does not necessarily endorse all For Further Reading/Learning sources. They are simply meant to be a helpful tool.