God's Righteousness And Justice
Genesis 18:16-33
Message #9
I want to thank my favorite commentator, R. Kent Hughes, for his help in preparing this message. Today’s message is about the character of God and us accepting that perfect character of righteousness and justice.
In our last message, Justo took us through the covenant meal that Abraham shared with the Lord and his two angels. And with that meal, the Lord again reconfirmed his covenant promise with Abraham, and Abraham and Sarah, and us, were all challenged with the rhetorical question, “Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord?”
But now, the covenant meal is over, and it’s almost like God says, “As long as I’m here, there’s some other business I need to attend to.” And so, today, we’re going to see an incredible interaction between Abraham and the Lord as Abraham intercedes with God for two of the most wicked cities in the Old Testament. And through it all today, we are going to see God’s righteousness and justice.
Genesis 18:16 (NLT)
16 Then the men (the Lord and two angels) got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom. As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way.
Abraham is walking them out (so to speak). But as they walked, the Lord and the angels set their sights on Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham is about to realize the Lord has some very sobering business to attend to.
And the Holy Spirit is going to reveal to us some of the Lord’s reasoning for bringing Abraham in on what he’s about to do.
Genesis 18:17 (NLT)
17 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked. (meaning the Lord asked himself)
God was developing an intimate relationship with Abraham. Abraham would become known as “a friend of God.” And so, the Lord was going to reveal to Abraham what was about to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Because of what God was going to do through Abraham, Abraham and his descendants (and his spiritual descendants) needed to know and see this event.
The first reason God is bringing Abraham into this event we see in Genesis 18, verse 18.
Genesis 18:18 (NLT)
18 “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.
Abraham was going to be the Father of the Nation of Israel, and all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him. (The singular seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ.)
And so, Abraham would have a great responsibility as the Father of the Faith, and we’ve seen in the life of Abraham that it’s not because he deserves it. It’s because God singled him out to do this through him. And so, with Abraham carrying this great responsibility, what is about to happen here will be an incredible lesson that will be forever etched in the minds of Abraham and the people of God.
This radical lesson is about God’s righteousness and justice.
We see the second reason in verse 19 of Genesis Chapter 18.
Genesis 18:19 (NLT)
19 (The Lord says) I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons (his heirs) and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just (there is our title - Righteousness And Justice). Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”
Abraham needed to be part of this because he would direct the people of God to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just so that the Lord may bring to them all he has promised.
There are few examples in the Bible that match the impact of this Sodom and Gomorrah event. These cities are well-known today as the antithesis (the total opposite) of righteousness and justice. They have provided millions of people with a stark, dark example of how God feels about people who blatantly reject God’s righteousness and justice. It’s extreme, and it’s dramatic because God wants us to see his character – what he can do in his character and what he cannot do in his character because he’s God.
What we are about to witness (next week) is a radical example of God’s wrath upon radical unrighteousness and injustice, and it is an example that is meant to leave a mark.
Guys, listen to me, please. God loves the people of this world! And because of his love for his people of this world, he has made it very clear when his righteous judgment must fall so that we can escape that judgment and instead enter into eternal life with God. God wants to make it clear when his judgment must fall on sin. And as we continue, you’ll hear me say that God’s judgment must fall on sin, or he cannot be righteous. And so, because he cannot not be righteous, he must be righteous, judgment must fall on sin. And he loves us so much, he makes sure we know, as much as we will listen, when his judgment must fall. This is so we can escape the judgment that must fall upon sin.
And so, God needs Abraham to be part of what’s happening here so that through Abraham, we can learn this lesson well.
Genesis 18:20 (NLT)
20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant.
This word for “a great outcry” refers to the cry of those being oppressed and brutalized. It’s the plea of a victim to be saved by God. And verse 20 says this outcry is coming from within Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Jewish Torah Commentary says of this word “outcry”: It implies the anguished cry of the oppressed, the agonized plea of the victim for help in the face of some great injustice.
Guys, the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was not just unnatural sexual sin (although the sexual sin of Sodom was so great that we get our word sodomy from it). And the extent of the sexual sin seems to be at the base of all the moral corruption of the city. But the Jewish Torah Commentary goes on to define the sin of Sodom like this.
The sin of Sodom, then, is heinous moral and social corruption, an arrogant disregard of basic human rights, (and) a cynical insensitivity to the sufferings of others.
Along with the unnatural sexual sin that the city is famous for.
And so, this great outcry has come to God. And the Lord says this in verse 21.
Genesis 18:21 (NLT)
21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”
Now, we know God is omniscient. He knows everything, and he cannot learn anything. And so, the Lord is not sending his angels to Sodom and Gomorrah to really learn anything. The Lord is responding to Abraham as a human being would (anthropomorphic). God is addressing Abraham at his level as a human. The Lord is assuring Abraham that his judgment will be one hundred percent righteous and just.
Genesis 18:22 (NLT)
22 The other men (the two angels) turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham.
The angels go on, and we will see them again (in the next chapter), but the Lord stays with Abraham.
So, we know Sodom and Gomorrah are going to become a “forever example” of God’s wrath upon flagrant unrighteousness and injustice. But here, we also have a beautiful example of intercession as Abraham responds to this information.
Genesis 18:23–25 (NLT)
23 Abraham approached him (the Lord) and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?
24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes?
25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
This may sound like Abraham is starting an argument with God (but he’s not). He is interceding for those under God’s judgment, just as we intercede for those we love. Abraham knows God will do what is right. He is “rehearsing God’s righteousness” back to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 32:4 (NLT)
4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! (There’s our title again – Justice and Righteousness)
And so, Abraham intercedes for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Genesis 18:26 (NLT)
26 And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”
But Abraham is far from done with his passionate intercession for these people. Abraham has an intense passion to intercede for people who are under God’s judgment so that they may escape that judgment. Isn’t that what we intercede for people that we love? And even our enemies if we have reached that level of maturity following Christ.
Listen, can I tell you something? From God’s perspective of perfect holiness, righteousness, and justice, you are either under judgment or you have escaped the judgment. That’s really only two places to be.
Genesis 18:27–29 (NLT)
27 Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes.
28 Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”
29 Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?” And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.”
This exchange is for Abraham’s benefit and for us. It shows us how a friend of God intercedes for other people. God is not offended by this. He is taking Abraham through this for Abraham’s benefit. And it continues in verses 30-32.
Genesis 18:30–32 (NLT)
30 “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?” And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.”
31 Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?” And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
32 Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?” And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
Abraham doesn’t want the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to experience God’s wrath… and neither does God, and this exchange proves that.
Ezekiel 33:11 (ESV)
11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live . . .
1 Timothy 2:3–4 (ESV)
3 . . . God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:8–13 (NLT)
9 The Lord . . . is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
Listen, God is not arbitrarily judging. Because God is first and foremost holy, and just, and perfectly righteous, he must judge sin, or he cannot be God. But his desire is that no one would be destroyed by his wrath but that everyone would turn to him and escape the judgment that their sin demands.
God’s judgment upon sin must come. But God is patient, not desiring that any should perish. In 2 Peter (we didn’t read these verses) goes on to say, “Since we know that this judgment is coming, what kind of life should we be living?” As his people, we are called to live lives of righteousness and justice. We are called to care for the innocent and the lost and to intercede for their salvation.
And so, Abraham ends his intercession here. The Lord has agreed to not destroy these cities if only ten righteous people are found in them. But we already know that will not be the case, and the Lord certainly already knew that as well.
Genesis 18:33 (NLT)
33 When the Lord had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent.
But Abraham’s intercession was successful because as God’s judgment falls on these cities, we read the following in Genesis 19, verse 29.
Genesis 19:29 (NLT)
29 But God had listened to Abraham’s request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain.
So, never stop praying and interceding for people in your life because God does hear you.
But the big truth here today is that God is righteous and just.
R. Kent Hughes
Righteousness is an attribute of God’s moral being (it’s WHO he IS), and because of that, all his actions are just. It is impossible for God to do anything that is unjust. His judgments are righteous and just. His mercies are righteous and just. We can rest everything in life on this truth. It will never change. The Judge of all the earth will do right!
And in this quote is our real application this morning. How we respond to God is based on what we believe about God’s character.
And if we see God’s character correctly, then we may not understand how or why he’s working, but we can understand God. We can say, “Lord, I know your judgments are righteous and just, and your mercies are righteous and just, and all of your actions are just, and it’s impossible for you to do anything that is unjust. And so, since I know that about you, Lord, I may not understand this, but I understand you; I understand your character.”
If we challenge who God is, like if we don’t accept his character but try to put on him whom we think he should be, then we say, “Yeah, well, if I was God, I’d do it differently. I wouldn’t do that. I would do this.”
The world questions God’s character:
“How could a God do this?”
“Why hasn’t God done that?”
And sometimes, if we are honest, maybe we kind of question God’s character too, maybe just more quietly than the world does.
Guys, we’ve got to base our life with the Lord on WHO our God IS – on his character – and in today’s message and next week’s message both about Sodom and Gomorrah. This is what we have got to know about God.
Righteousness is an attribute of God’s moral being (it’s WHO he IS), and because of that, all his actions are just. It is impossible for God to do anything that is unjust. His judgments are righteous and just. His mercies are righteous and just. We can rest everything in life on this truth. It will never change. The Judge of all the earth will do right!
And God hears the outcries of the oppressed and abused, and brutalized. And because of the sin that causes these outcries, judgment is coming because God must judge sin, or God cannot be righteous and just. God cannot be righteous and just without bringing judgment upon sin.
And what Abraham could not possibly know at this time is that God was beginning through Abraham the long process of bringing Jesus Christ into the world, and Jesus Christ would do what no man on earth could do because Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, and Jesus Christ came as God in the flesh to take all of our sin upon himself. In fact, Jesus became our sin, and then he took the full judgment upon himself that was required by God’s righteousness, and he paid the full and complete penalty for our sin in our place, making God righteous and just and making a way for us to escape that necessary judgment through the greatest exchange ever seen in all creation.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
And God offers us this free gift of being made right with God and being set free from sin by us putting our full and complete faith in Jesus Christ. Through our faith in Jesus, we become so identified with him that his payment for our sin is credited to us, and we receive the righteousness of God – in Christ.
And then, through our union with Jesus Christ, God calls us to live lives of righteousness and justice in response to WHO God IS, to WHAT God has DONE, to WHAT God has MADE US.
If you have not received the righteousness of God that can only be found through faith in Jesus Christ, I would implore you – do that today.
In our last message, Justo took us through the covenant meal that Abraham shared with the Lord and his two angels. And with that meal, the Lord again reconfirmed his covenant promise with Abraham, and Abraham and Sarah, and us, were all challenged with the rhetorical question, “Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord?”
But now, the covenant meal is over, and it’s almost like God says, “As long as I’m here, there’s some other business I need to attend to.” And so, today, we’re going to see an incredible interaction between Abraham and the Lord as Abraham intercedes with God for two of the most wicked cities in the Old Testament. And through it all today, we are going to see God’s righteousness and justice.
Genesis 18:16 (NLT)
16 Then the men (the Lord and two angels) got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom. As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way.
Abraham is walking them out (so to speak). But as they walked, the Lord and the angels set their sights on Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham is about to realize the Lord has some very sobering business to attend to.
And the Holy Spirit is going to reveal to us some of the Lord’s reasoning for bringing Abraham in on what he’s about to do.
Genesis 18:17 (NLT)
17 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked. (meaning the Lord asked himself)
God was developing an intimate relationship with Abraham. Abraham would become known as “a friend of God.” And so, the Lord was going to reveal to Abraham what was about to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Because of what God was going to do through Abraham, Abraham and his descendants (and his spiritual descendants) needed to know and see this event.
The first reason God is bringing Abraham into this event we see in Genesis 18, verse 18.
Genesis 18:18 (NLT)
18 “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.
Abraham was going to be the Father of the Nation of Israel, and all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him. (The singular seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ.)
And so, Abraham would have a great responsibility as the Father of the Faith, and we’ve seen in the life of Abraham that it’s not because he deserves it. It’s because God singled him out to do this through him. And so, with Abraham carrying this great responsibility, what is about to happen here will be an incredible lesson that will be forever etched in the minds of Abraham and the people of God.
This radical lesson is about God’s righteousness and justice.
We see the second reason in verse 19 of Genesis Chapter 18.
Genesis 18:19 (NLT)
19 (The Lord says) I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons (his heirs) and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just (there is our title - Righteousness And Justice). Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”
Abraham needed to be part of this because he would direct the people of God to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just so that the Lord may bring to them all he has promised.
There are few examples in the Bible that match the impact of this Sodom and Gomorrah event. These cities are well-known today as the antithesis (the total opposite) of righteousness and justice. They have provided millions of people with a stark, dark example of how God feels about people who blatantly reject God’s righteousness and justice. It’s extreme, and it’s dramatic because God wants us to see his character – what he can do in his character and what he cannot do in his character because he’s God.
What we are about to witness (next week) is a radical example of God’s wrath upon radical unrighteousness and injustice, and it is an example that is meant to leave a mark.
Guys, listen to me, please. God loves the people of this world! And because of his love for his people of this world, he has made it very clear when his righteous judgment must fall so that we can escape that judgment and instead enter into eternal life with God. God wants to make it clear when his judgment must fall on sin. And as we continue, you’ll hear me say that God’s judgment must fall on sin, or he cannot be righteous. And so, because he cannot not be righteous, he must be righteous, judgment must fall on sin. And he loves us so much, he makes sure we know, as much as we will listen, when his judgment must fall. This is so we can escape the judgment that must fall upon sin.
And so, God needs Abraham to be part of what’s happening here so that through Abraham, we can learn this lesson well.
Genesis 18:20 (NLT)
20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant.
This word for “a great outcry” refers to the cry of those being oppressed and brutalized. It’s the plea of a victim to be saved by God. And verse 20 says this outcry is coming from within Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Jewish Torah Commentary says of this word “outcry”: It implies the anguished cry of the oppressed, the agonized plea of the victim for help in the face of some great injustice.
Guys, the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was not just unnatural sexual sin (although the sexual sin of Sodom was so great that we get our word sodomy from it). And the extent of the sexual sin seems to be at the base of all the moral corruption of the city. But the Jewish Torah Commentary goes on to define the sin of Sodom like this.
The sin of Sodom, then, is heinous moral and social corruption, an arrogant disregard of basic human rights, (and) a cynical insensitivity to the sufferings of others.
Along with the unnatural sexual sin that the city is famous for.
And so, this great outcry has come to God. And the Lord says this in verse 21.
Genesis 18:21 (NLT)
21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”
Now, we know God is omniscient. He knows everything, and he cannot learn anything. And so, the Lord is not sending his angels to Sodom and Gomorrah to really learn anything. The Lord is responding to Abraham as a human being would (anthropomorphic). God is addressing Abraham at his level as a human. The Lord is assuring Abraham that his judgment will be one hundred percent righteous and just.
Genesis 18:22 (NLT)
22 The other men (the two angels) turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham.
The angels go on, and we will see them again (in the next chapter), but the Lord stays with Abraham.
So, we know Sodom and Gomorrah are going to become a “forever example” of God’s wrath upon flagrant unrighteousness and injustice. But here, we also have a beautiful example of intercession as Abraham responds to this information.
Genesis 18:23–25 (NLT)
23 Abraham approached him (the Lord) and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?
24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes?
25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
This may sound like Abraham is starting an argument with God (but he’s not). He is interceding for those under God’s judgment, just as we intercede for those we love. Abraham knows God will do what is right. He is “rehearsing God’s righteousness” back to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 32:4 (NLT)
4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! (There’s our title again – Justice and Righteousness)
And so, Abraham intercedes for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Genesis 18:26 (NLT)
26 And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”
But Abraham is far from done with his passionate intercession for these people. Abraham has an intense passion to intercede for people who are under God’s judgment so that they may escape that judgment. Isn’t that what we intercede for people that we love? And even our enemies if we have reached that level of maturity following Christ.
Listen, can I tell you something? From God’s perspective of perfect holiness, righteousness, and justice, you are either under judgment or you have escaped the judgment. That’s really only two places to be.
Genesis 18:27–29 (NLT)
27 Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes.
28 Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”
29 Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?” And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.”
This exchange is for Abraham’s benefit and for us. It shows us how a friend of God intercedes for other people. God is not offended by this. He is taking Abraham through this for Abraham’s benefit. And it continues in verses 30-32.
Genesis 18:30–32 (NLT)
30 “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?” And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.”
31 Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?” And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
32 Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?” And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
Abraham doesn’t want the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to experience God’s wrath… and neither does God, and this exchange proves that.
Ezekiel 33:11 (ESV)
11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live . . .
1 Timothy 2:3–4 (ESV)
3 . . . God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:8–13 (NLT)
9 The Lord . . . is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
Listen, God is not arbitrarily judging. Because God is first and foremost holy, and just, and perfectly righteous, he must judge sin, or he cannot be God. But his desire is that no one would be destroyed by his wrath but that everyone would turn to him and escape the judgment that their sin demands.
God’s judgment upon sin must come. But God is patient, not desiring that any should perish. In 2 Peter (we didn’t read these verses) goes on to say, “Since we know that this judgment is coming, what kind of life should we be living?” As his people, we are called to live lives of righteousness and justice. We are called to care for the innocent and the lost and to intercede for their salvation.
And so, Abraham ends his intercession here. The Lord has agreed to not destroy these cities if only ten righteous people are found in them. But we already know that will not be the case, and the Lord certainly already knew that as well.
Genesis 18:33 (NLT)
33 When the Lord had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent.
But Abraham’s intercession was successful because as God’s judgment falls on these cities, we read the following in Genesis 19, verse 29.
Genesis 19:29 (NLT)
29 But God had listened to Abraham’s request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain.
So, never stop praying and interceding for people in your life because God does hear you.
But the big truth here today is that God is righteous and just.
R. Kent Hughes
Righteousness is an attribute of God’s moral being (it’s WHO he IS), and because of that, all his actions are just. It is impossible for God to do anything that is unjust. His judgments are righteous and just. His mercies are righteous and just. We can rest everything in life on this truth. It will never change. The Judge of all the earth will do right!
And in this quote is our real application this morning. How we respond to God is based on what we believe about God’s character.
And if we see God’s character correctly, then we may not understand how or why he’s working, but we can understand God. We can say, “Lord, I know your judgments are righteous and just, and your mercies are righteous and just, and all of your actions are just, and it’s impossible for you to do anything that is unjust. And so, since I know that about you, Lord, I may not understand this, but I understand you; I understand your character.”
If we challenge who God is, like if we don’t accept his character but try to put on him whom we think he should be, then we say, “Yeah, well, if I was God, I’d do it differently. I wouldn’t do that. I would do this.”
The world questions God’s character:
“How could a God do this?”
“Why hasn’t God done that?”
And sometimes, if we are honest, maybe we kind of question God’s character too, maybe just more quietly than the world does.
Guys, we’ve got to base our life with the Lord on WHO our God IS – on his character – and in today’s message and next week’s message both about Sodom and Gomorrah. This is what we have got to know about God.
Righteousness is an attribute of God’s moral being (it’s WHO he IS), and because of that, all his actions are just. It is impossible for God to do anything that is unjust. His judgments are righteous and just. His mercies are righteous and just. We can rest everything in life on this truth. It will never change. The Judge of all the earth will do right!
And God hears the outcries of the oppressed and abused, and brutalized. And because of the sin that causes these outcries, judgment is coming because God must judge sin, or God cannot be righteous and just. God cannot be righteous and just without bringing judgment upon sin.
And what Abraham could not possibly know at this time is that God was beginning through Abraham the long process of bringing Jesus Christ into the world, and Jesus Christ would do what no man on earth could do because Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, and Jesus Christ came as God in the flesh to take all of our sin upon himself. In fact, Jesus became our sin, and then he took the full judgment upon himself that was required by God’s righteousness, and he paid the full and complete penalty for our sin in our place, making God righteous and just and making a way for us to escape that necessary judgment through the greatest exchange ever seen in all creation.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
And God offers us this free gift of being made right with God and being set free from sin by us putting our full and complete faith in Jesus Christ. Through our faith in Jesus, we become so identified with him that his payment for our sin is credited to us, and we receive the righteousness of God – in Christ.
And then, through our union with Jesus Christ, God calls us to live lives of righteousness and justice in response to WHO God IS, to WHAT God has DONE, to WHAT God has MADE US.
If you have not received the righteousness of God that can only be found through faith in Jesus Christ, I would implore you – do that today.