Genesis 15. 1-12, 17-18
Believing is nothing more – or less – than taking god at god’s word!
And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.
And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.
He, of course, is Abram. (Abraham before the name change.) Genesis. Chapter fifteen. Verse six. In his lectures on Genesis, Luther said of this verse, “This is one of the foremost passages of all scripture!” High praise coming from a professor of theology. Thirty-one thousand verses in the bible and Luther says this one, in particular, is one of the most important. “And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.“ This is where Paul gets his inspiration in his letter to the church in Rome. This is where Luther received his insight that led, ultimately, to the Evangelical – Lutheran – Reform. Justification by faith alone!
As the story goes, god tells Abram, “Don’t be afraid! I’m your shield! Your reward shall be great!” The conversation goes back and forth, for a verse or three. And then, comes the passage … “And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Important words. And you and I wouldn’t be here without them. But I want you to notice something. There’s no threat. No ultimatum. No “Believe, or else!” There’s no altar call. No ”Just As I Am” playing in the background. No invitation extended. No prayer offered. There’s only god speaking and a simple, “Amen! Yes, it’s going to come about! Just! Like! This!”
Here in America, we make a lot of faith. Of believing. We consider it a decision. A choice. Freewill we call it. And we place it at Luther’s doorstop. Justified by faith! Saved by believing! And more often than not, it’s a hot mess. Everything’s about faith! About believing! We, even, made it our national motto! “In God We Trust!” We put it on our money! On our police cars! Our firetrucks! Short! Sweet! Easy to remember! I’m just not sure Abram would understand … or Paul … or Martin … Faith, for us Americans, has become more a wand, than anything. A magic formula. An abracadabra. A hocusPocus. Faith’s the secret – the not-so-secret – ingredient! For santaClaus! For the easterBunny! The toothFairy! For the candles on the cake! ShootingStars! You gotta, first, believe!
Here in the church, it’s the same thing. Believing like a child! Believing with all our heart and all our mind, all our strength and all our being! Faith’s the key! Believing’s crucial! The rubyRed slippers that make it all possible! Without it, there is no happily-ever-afters! All the dreams evaporate!
Last week, I watched a sermon on youTube. At one point, the preacher talked about originalSin. (Which, by the way, he described not as, actually, being “unable-and-unwilling-to-do-what-god-wants,” but as, simply, BELIEVING we are “unable-and-unwilling.” Not exactly the same thing. Anyway …) “The only way,” he said. “The only way we put that sin to death is by believing!” By BELIEVING! Nothing about Jesus! Nothing about the cross! Faith’s what we look to for all good! Believing’s what we find refuge in all need! By doing that, faith – believing – becomes our god!
But there’s none of that here in Genesis. None of that in Paul. There’s none of that in Luther. Our believing isn’t what determines whether or not god loves us. Our believing isn’t what governs our future. There’s only one thing that saves us … God’s! Amazing! Grace! And only one person that holds our destiny in their hands … god!
Look again at the story … It begins with the word of the LORD coming to Abram; the word of Abram didn’t go to the LORD! The LORD speaks to Abram; not the other way around! God tells Abram, “Do not be afraid! I’m your shield!” “I’ve got your back,” the LORD says! “I’ve got you!” No ifs. No ands. No buts. No unlesses. No untils.
The LORD doesn’t ask Abram for anything! The LORD says, “Do not fear,” and Abram doesn’t fear! The LORD says, “I’m your shield;” and the LORD is Abram’s shield! And Abram believes! Abram trusts! Abram has faith! And it was reckoned to him as righteousness! Abraham wasn’t obedient! God didn’t command him to believe! He just reacted! He simply responded!
It’s all pretty simple, actually. God didn’t need to organize a revival. God didn’t need to entertain the multitude. To convince the crowd to believe. God said, “Don’t be afraid!?” God said, “I am your shield!” And Abram believed! God said, “I love you! You’re mine and I’m yours!” Abram believed what god said! And funny thing, whether Abram believed-or-didn’t has no effect on the validity of god’s words. It doesn’t make god any more or any less of a shield! The LORD said and, like in the beginning, it was!
That’s what believing looks like! What it sounds like! Feels like! It’s not a choice! It’s not a decision! It’s an echo, a reflection, of the gospel of the LORD that came to Abram in a vision. An echo, a reflection, of the goodNews of the LORD that comes to us. In word. In sacrament. The important thing isn’t our trust; it’s god’s trustworthiness! The thing that matters isn’t our faith; but god’s faithfulness! The necessary thing, the essential thing, isn’t that we stake our life. It’s who – it’s what – on which we stake it! Unfortunately, as the church, here in America, we’re too busy believing … too focused, too fixated, on faith … that we forget all about god. Believing in the bible … Believing in creation … Believing in angels … Believing in miracles … Believing in the power of prayer … But seldom … seldom in what god said. seldom in what god still says.
So, my friends, don’t be confused! And don’t be distracted! God speaks and we believe! Nothing more; nothing less! God says, “I love you!” And we say, “Amen!” This is most certainly true!