This is Romans lecture number nine. Romans lecture number nine. We're on Romans chapter four. Romans chapter four. Remember, we're on the section that deals with justification or salvation through Christ. And that began in Romans chapter three, verses 21, verse 21. And now Paul here and Romans chapter 4 verses 1 to 25 throughout the entire chapter. I titled this section, Justification by Faith Taught in the Old Testament. Justification by Faith Taught in the Old Testament. Brief introduction, Paul declared that all men are condemned sinners. He said that salvation is not by works and that salvation comes only through faith in Christ. And now Paul uses two Old Testament examples, Abraham and King David, to show that what he is teaching is not anti-Jewish. And also to show that what he is teaching is not new. So Paul wants to make it clear that he is not going against the Old Testament of the Jews. That this is what the Old Testament of the Jews taught. The Old Testament is as much God's Word as the New Testament. And Paul is not teaching a new way of salvation, but it's the way of salvation taught in the Old Testament, only now it is made more clear by the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ and his death on the cross and resurrection. In verses 1-5, Paul's point is that Abraham's righteousness was apart from works. Abraham's righteousness was received apart from works of the law. Look at verses 1 and 2. Verses 1 and 2 of Romans chapter 4. What then shall we say that Abraham our forefather according to the flesh has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. And so now Paul states, he has a hypothetical situation. What if Abraham was justified by works? Now, first he says that what shall we say about Abraham, our forefather, according to the flesh, what he found according to the flesh. By flesh, the word in the Greek is sarx. It deals with the human frailty. At times flesh is used of the sinful nature of man. Many passages Paul says don't live according to the flesh but instead live according to the spirit. Here he's talking about the sinful nature. But it doesn't have to mean a sinful nature because the scriptures teach that Jesus is without sin, yet it said the Word became flesh. But the emphasis even there is on the weakness, the frailty of being human. And so when the Word became flesh, he took upon himself many of the weaknesses of human nature, added a human nature, a finite, limited human nature, at the same time he was without sin. And so here flesh is speaking about human effort. What shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, according to the flesh, according to his human effort, has found? What has he achieved? And Paul is basically saying that if Abraham was justified by works, he could boast. but he could only boast before men. In other words, Abraham could be justified before men by his good works, but he could not be justified before God by works, therefore he has no right to boast before God. You see, men are imperfect, and therefore they do not demand perfection, but God does demand perfection. And so Abraham may have been righteous and he was before men, before his neighbors, but he was not righteous before God by his works. Now verse 3 tells us how Abraham was declared righteous. Verse 3 of Romans chapter 4. For what does the scripture say? And Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. So Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith in God. The word for believe is pastuo. It means to trust in, to rely upon. It's more than just intellectual assent, at least the way Paul uses it. More than head knowledge, but it's heart commitment as well. Now let's take a look at that whole passage. Paul is quoting Genesis 15-6, but if we look back at Genesis 15, verses 4-6 we see the context of this saving faith that Abraham exercised. Genesis 15 verses 4-6 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This man will not be your heir, but one shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir. And he took him outside and said, Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And he said to him, So shall your descendants be. Then he believed in the Lord and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. And so Abraham was declared righteous. because of his faith in God, his belief in God and in the promises of God, that God would keep his promises. Abraham was old, too old to have children, his wife was barren, she also was too old to have children, and yet God promised to bring a child through them and raise up from Abraham a mighty nation. Now Abraham was having a hard time accepting that, so he told God, you know, just take Eliezer, my servant, born in my own household, but of course not related to Abraham. And he said, why don't you just give him my inheritance, make a mighty nation out of him. And God knew that Abraham just wasn't able to. placed his trust in such a miraculous promise so God had him look up at the stars and when he looked up at the stars I think he was probably overcome with the majesty of the heavens of the universe and it probably dawned on him that the same one who was talking to him and making that promise to him a promise to bring about that which is humanly impossible But the promise, the one who is making the promise is the same one who created the entire universe, all the stars, the heavens and the earth. And Abraham then believed in the promise of this God, recognizing that if God could create the universe, He can bring a child and a nation from a barren womb. Verse 4 in Romans chapter 4. Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. So a worker earns his wages. A worker deserves his wages. He deserves the salary he receives, or the payment that he receives. So he receives what is due him. What this verse tells us, a worker, one who works, He doesn't receive charity or a favor, he receives what is due, what he earns. But the fact of the matter is, all mankind deserves the flames of hell. Just as Paul says in Romans 6.23, for the wages of sin is death, for the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. All mankind deserves the flames of hell. Matthew 19, 25 and 26. The apostles asked Jesus, how can man be saved? Jesus said it is impossible for man, but all things are possible with God. So all mankind deserves the flames of hell. They face nothing but the eternal flames of hell as what they earn for their lives. And it is by grace that we must be saved. Verse 5, but to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. So whereas a worker earns and deserves his wages and receives what is due him, a believer trusts in God for salvation. And then God justifies him, he declares the believing sinner righteous. It's by God's grace that we're saved, God's charity. And so Paul here was talking about the first five verses that Abraham, the righteousness that he received, was apart from works. Now in verses 6 to 8, Paul tells us that King David, another great saint from the Old Testament, King David, the righteousness that he received was also apart from works. And that's in verses 6 to 8. So take a look at verses 6 to 8 of Romans chapter 4. Just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works. Then he quotes from David. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account. And so David's righteousness was apart from works. Now Paul here is quoting from Psalm 32 verses 1 and 2 where David was so thankful that God had forgiven him for his horrible sins now when we look back at 2 Samuel chapter 11 we find out what exactly the sins were that David needed forgiveness look at 2 Samuel chapter 11 2 Samuel 11 1-5 Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. So, when the kings go out to battle, at the time of the year the kings are supposed to go out to battle, King David is just staying in Jerusalem, he's got some idle time, he's bored, he can't sleep, because, you know, a hard-working man, when his head hits the pillow, he's out like a light. A lazy guy, he stares at the ceiling all night long, he can't get to sleep. Verse 2, Now when evening came, David arose from his bed, and walked around on the roof of the king's house, And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. You know, Idle Time, David was referred to as a man after God's own heart. He had a man after God's own heart. is still only one bad choice away from blowing his entire ministry and blowing his family out of the water. Here David was a man after God's own heart. Because of too much idle time on his hands he ended up falling into sin and I try to keep real busy doing that which I know God's called me to do so I don't even have enough time to think about the evil things that my own sinfulness might lead me to do. So David sent and inquired about the woman, and one said, Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her. And when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David and said, I am pregnant. There's a lot of different things. We're not really preaching on this passage so I don't want to go too far into it. But obviously the sin that David's guilty of here in this particular passage is adultery. Adultery. He's having sexual relations with another man's wife. Now Uriah the Hittite turns out to be one of David's most loyal followers. One of the 30 mighty men that followed David around when he was a fugitive from King Saul. Also you could trace the whole, an overview of sin. First he saw the woman bathing. Then he desired her and then he took her. And you can follow those same three Seeing, you know, something, perceiving something through the senses, desiring it, and then taking it. And if we're going to stop sin, if you want to prevent yourself from sinning, I recommend that you get it at the initial point when your senses are perceiving that which tempts you. If a man is tempted by the female gender and a lady is walking by and she's dressed in such a way that it might lead the guy astray, his best bet is to stare at his feet and he'd be better off to walk into a telephone pole. rather than to see and then to begin to desire and then may even eventually physically sin by taking the woman and having relations with her. But you see that with the ancient who sinned in the book of Joshua He saw that which was forbidden for him to take. He desired it and he took it. You see that even with Eve in the garden. She saw that it was pleasing to the eye. She desired the wisdom that she thought she would get from it and then she took and she ate of it. And you see the same progression in sin. The sin is not that it doesn't become sin until you actually outwardly act. It's sin right at the first stage. Now, when you... It's like Christ said, when a man looks upon a woman and lusts for her in his heart, he's already committed adultery in his heart. So, if a man sees a woman, he hasn't sinned yet if he then turns his head and does not begin to lust after her. But if a man sees a woman and continues to look and begins to lust for her, he's already committed sin. though to take it to the physical act would bring the sin to a much greater degree of depravity than merely looking, but it is still sin even internally, even in the thoughts and the desires of the person. So David's first sin was adultery there. Now, as often is the case, one sin leads to another sin. Take a look at verses 6 to verse 17. Now David tries to cover it up. It's kind of like Watergate started out real small, but what got bigger and bigger was the cover-up. It just grew and grew and grew until eventually it was this horrible, horrible situation where President Nixon did things that you would never expect. from an American president. So now let's take a look at David's cover up in verses 6 to 17 of 2 Samuel chapter 11. Then David sent to Joab saying send me Uriah the Hittite. So Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war. Then David said to Uriah, go down to your house and wash your feet. And Uriah went out of the king's house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. You can tell David really felt guilty for what he had done to this guy. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord and did not go down to his house. Now when they told David, saying, Uriah did not go down to his house, David said to Uriah, Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house? And Uriah said to David, The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul I will not do this thing. And so Uriah is so loyal that he figured, hey, if the warriors of Israel are going to sleep under the stars, then there's no way I'm going to enjoy a pleasant evening with my wife. I'll sleep outside with the servants and the dogs outside rather than spend a pleasant evening with my wife so this guy is really really loyal to David and really really loyal you know it just compounds the sin that David had committed that he did such a loyal follower of his verse 12 and David said to Uriah stay here today also and tomorrow I will let you go so Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next And now David called him and he ate and drank before him and he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his Lord's servants but he did not go down to his house. Now it came about, so again David now tries to get him drunk to get him to go home and spend the evening. See David wants Uriah to have sexual relations with his own wife so that when the baby is born Uriah is going to think it's his and that will cover up David's scandal. Verse 14, now it came about in the morning that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. One thing about Joab, Joab was a lowlife. He was David's general and he was sadistic, he was cruel. David said, I want my son Absalom who rebelled against me, I want him brought back alive. Joab killed him. One of Saul's generals left Saul and came to came to David's side and actually I don't remember whose general he was. He was a general for one of the uprisings against David and I can't recall the exact name forgive me for that but But he came to David's side and Joab thought, well, I'm going to be out of a job, so Joab killed him. So Joab was a ruthless guy, so David knew that if there was one thing he could trust Joab on, it would be doing something ruthless. Of course, David, because of his sinfulness, never felt that he should execute Joab which is what Joab deserved but David knew he was a mighty warrior and his men were so loyal to him that Joab would never be able to overthrow David however when David was on his deathbed King Solomon was just a little kid and David figured Joab was going to tear this kid apart so one of the first orders he gave to Solomon was to have Joab executed and he sent Benaiah one of the craziest of David's mighty men, he went after him and killed Joab, executed him. Anyway, verse 15, he writes a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. David knows, he's got this letter about what he wants Joab to do to Uriah, but David knows he can trust Uriah enough that he can give basically the contract on Uriah's life, he can give that to Uriah and Uriah will not read it and was so faithful he'll deliver it into the hand of Joab and The loyalty of Uriah just compounds the sin of David here. Verse 15, And he had written in the letter, saying, Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle, and withdraw from him, so that he may be strung down and die. So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. And the men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David's servants fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died. David's sins were adultery and then in an attempt to cover up adultery, he compounded it with the sin of murder. So David's sins were adultery and murder. Now there's a problem here with David. Here is David always trying to obey God's laws, the Mosaic Law, the Law of Moses from the Old Testament. But there's a problem here. Look at Exodus chapter 21. Exodus 21. Exodus 21 and verses 12 to 14. And that says, "...he who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee." In other words, if the guy was just defending himself. then he could flee to a city of refuge and flee his case. Verse 14, if however a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from my altar that he may die. And so what it basically says right here in this passage is that premeditated murder, or may as be put it that, by the way, when Benaiah went to kill Joab, Benaiah was such a tremendous warrior, he had killed a seven and a half foot tall Egyptian giant in a pit with the Egyptian's own spear, but he was a tremendous warrior, so Joab feared him, and when he went after Joab, Joab found out Benaiah was after him, he ran into the tabernacle and grabbed the horns of the altar. and so he grabbed the horns of the altar but here in this verse it says that you are to take him even from my altar that he may die. So for a capital crime, if you murder somebody, you can't even run to God's altar for pardon. But David was guilty of murder, so the law, there was no sacrifice for the sin of murder. The death penalty was required by the law. You were to be stoned to death. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 22. Deuteronomy chapter 22, and verse 22. And that says, "...if a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman. Thus you shall purge the evil from Israel." So here adultery, the penalty for adultery is the death penalty. So David could not put his trust in the law to deliver him. His sins were adultery and murder and both sins demanded the death penalty. I mean, this guy should have died twice over. He should have been stoned to death twice. So David's response here, he couldn't trust in the law to deliver him. Therefore, he trusted in God for forgiveness and salvation. Obviously, when you're the king of Israel, Nathan the prophet confronted him and gave him this illustration, this parable of a man who had many sheep, who killed a man who had only one sheep, and he took the one sheep from him. David said that man made that man's punishment come down on him sevenfold. He said something along those lines. And Nathan the prophet pointed at David and said behold the man. Now David is the king of Israel. He could have told his guards right there execute this guy on the spot. But David was a man after God's own heart. It wasn't saying he was perfect. But the boy knew how to repent. And once he was confronted By Nathan the prophet, immediately he went into the repentance mode. But still, if you just go by the Mosaic law, they should have stoned him to death. But when you're the king of Israel, nobody's going to come walking in and say, okay, I'm going to cast the first stone at him. When you're the king of Israel, if you don't give the order for people to stone you, nobody's going to stone you. And so he thought, well, I could go by the letter of the Mosaic Law and order my men to stone me to death or I could throw myself at the feet of God for mercy. And that's what David did. David could not trust in the law to deliver him. Instead, he trusted in God for forgiveness, mercy and salvation. And so Just as Abraham's righteousness was apart from works, so too David's righteousness was apart from works. Now back in Romans chapter 4, verses 9 to 12 tell us that not only was Abraham's righteousness apart from works, but Abraham's righteousness was apart from circumcision. And the Jews might say, okay, well Abraham didn't have to do good works to get saved, but he was circumcised. And we know that all circumcised Jews go to heaven. And Paul is saying here, no, that's not the case. Abraham received his righteousness totally apart from circumcision. Look at verses 9 to 12 of Romans chapter 4. Is this blessing then upon the circumcised or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it reckoned? while he was circumcised or uncircumcised. Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had while uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believed without being circumcised, that righteousness might be reckoned to them. and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision but also follow the steps of faith of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. Okay, so here verses 9 to 12 Paul tells us that Abraham's righteousness was apart from circumcision. Now in Genesis 15.6, that's what Paul quoted earlier where God said to, you know, where Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him, God credited to him as righteousness. So Abraham was declared righteous in Genesis 15.6, but he was not yet circumcised until Genesis 17.10-12 and then verse 24. So Abraham was declared righteous by faith long before he was circumcised. Abraham was uncircumcised when he was first declared righteous by God. And so therefore Paul states that Abraham can be viewed as a father to the circumcised, to the Jews. I think Paul would say the same thing in this passage that Jesus said about the the Pharisees, he said that their father is really not Abraham, the devil is their father. Because if Abraham was their father, then they would listen to Jesus. But then later on, Jesus in John chapter 8 lets the Pharisees know, okay, in a physical sense, you guys are sons of Abraham, but not in a spiritual sense. Well, Abraham, Paul's saying here that Abraham is a father to the circumcised, he's a father to the Jews, those who are Jews physically, They're circumcised, they're physical Jews, but who also follow in his footsteps and believe in the promises of God. Abraham is a father to the circumcised Jews, those who are Jews physically, by nationality, and spiritually, through faith. But Abraham is also a father to the uncircumcised, the Gentiles, those who are spiritual Jews, those who trust in Jesus for salvation, even though they're not circumcised. You see, circumcision is an outward sign. It's an outward sign that symbolizes our inward belief in God. So without our inward belief in God, it is useless. It's just like water baptism. If you baptize somebody and they don't inwardly really believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, all you accomplished was you got the person wet. Without belief, circumcision, just like water baptism, is useless. So therefore, Paul is saying circumcision does not save. Abraham was saved, he was declared righteous, he was justified when he believed. While he was still uncircumcised, he was not circumcised until years later. And so Abraham's righteousness was apart from works. David's righteousness was apart from works. Abraham's righteousness was apart from circumcision. Circumcision doesn't save. Good works doesn't save. But Abraham's righteousness was also apart from the law. Look at verses 13 to 15. of Romans chapter 4, verses 13 to 15. For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified. For the law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there violation. verses 13 and 15 tell us Abraham's righteousness was apart from the law. Paul contrasts here the promise to Abraham, Abraham believing in the promises of God and the law. Now by the way, the promise to Abraham was not just to raise up for him a mighty nation, but the promise was also that through his seed through the seed of Abraham, a descendant of Abraham, through a descendant of Abraham, all the nations on earth will be blessed. So you're talking about spiritual salvation and the physical deliverance of the planet earth when Jesus Christ reigns on earth, brings in a thousand years, ushers in the millennial reign of a thousand years of peace and righteousness on earth. So the promise, Paul is equating salvation with trusting in the promises of God and he's contrasting trusting in God's promises with the works of the law, trying to save yourself through the law. So Paul says that Abraham's rising, this was apart from the law, but the promise given to Abraham and to his descendants to inherit the earth was not given through the law, says Paul. but it was given through faith. Or it was actually received through faith, not through the law. In other words, Abraham was not righteous, and then God said, okay, I'll make this promise to you. God made the promise to Abraham when he was unrighteous, and when Abraham believed in God's promise, then his belief was credited to him as righteousness. And the thing about God's promises, the promises depend on God's grace, God's charity, charis, the Greek word, God's grace and God's faithfulness. It does not depend upon our obedience. If God promises to do something and it's an unconditional promise, then it's the antithesis of the law. You see, because the law demands obedience. God's laws depend upon man's ability to keep it, which man cannot keep God's laws. So the law demands obedience, but the promises of God depend on God's grace and faithfulness. You see, the law is conditional. The law has a condition. If you obey all my laws and live a perfect life, you'll earn your own salvation, which of course is impossible. We can't do it. We're all sinners and we all fall short. But the law is conditional, whereas God's promises are unconditional. If God promises something and doesn't bring any conditions in that promise, then he's going to bring it about himself. So the law is conditional, It has certain conditions, and those who violate those conditions will be punished. God's wrath, His anger will be brought upon them. The law is conditional, but God's promises are unconditional. God keeps His promises. If it's a promise, it depends on God. Such as salvation by grace. We need to accept that through faith. If it's a promise, it depends on God. But if it's the law, it depends on us. If we're going to save ourselves through the law, and obviously we cannot do that, we fall short. So God's promises do not depend on man's works. Promises contain no laws and can't be violated. Now don't let that scare you there in verse 15. First time I saw that, I almost freaked out. It says, for the law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there violation. First time I read that, I thought, oh man, that means that before the law of Moses, God condemned all these guys, even though there was really no violation, because there was no law. The fact remains, yes, that there was law before the law of Moses. Right in the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve a law that they could eat from any of the trees in the garden, but not the tree of forbidden fruit. And they broke the law right then and there. and God had his laws written on our consciences so all mankind has been violating God's laws. All he's talking about here is a principle, a hypothetical principle, not an actual situation. There is no situation without God's law. God's law is written on your hearts or on your hearts plus on tablets of stone. You either have the law of Moses plus God's laws written on your hearts, or you have God's laws written on your hearts, but the fact remains we all have God's laws. What he's talking about is when a promise is given without any conditions attached to it, then there are no laws. There is no way for man to violate that. So what he's talking about, when a promise is given, there's no way that it can be violated. The promise is made by God. God is faithful. He will bring it about. And so Abraham, trusting in the promise of God, rather than his own human wisdom or his own good works, God declared that to Abraham as righteousness. Verses 16-22 tell us that Abraham trusted in God. Look at verses 16-22. Despite the horrible... the despair, the fact that at that time it was such a... you were considered cursed if you did not bear offspring and if you did not have descendants who would carry on your name and inherit that which you pass on to them. But Abraham, despite the bleakness of the situation, he trusted in God. Look at verses 16 to 22. For this reason it is by faith that it might be in accordance with grace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. As it is written, a father of many nations have I made you, in the sight of him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. In hope against hope, he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, so shall your descendants be. And 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 he had promised, what God had promised, he was able also to perform. Therefore also it was reckoned to him as righteousness." And so Abraham trusted in God. Abraham did not trust himself. He recognized that he was too old to have a son. He also recognized that his wife, Sarah, was barren. By the way, not only did God perform a miracle in Abraham so that he could have a son, Isaac, but after, in fact, it seems that God empowered him, enabled him to have a son, even before he had Isaac because then he had relations with Hagar and had Ishmael but even after Sarah died he bore children to his next wife so whatever work God did on Abraham Abraham probably kept those improvements until the day he died But Abraham did not trust himself. He was too old to have a son. His wife, Sarah, was barren. But Abraham trusted in God. God had promised him a son. And God had promised to raise a mighty nation through that son. It would be God's chosen nation. And God would raise it up to be the greatest nation on earth. But Abraham knew that God had the ability to give life to the dead. He had the ability to raise the dead. The author of Hebrews... Hebrews was not written by Paul. It's a different kind of Greek. the author doesn't claim to have apostolic authority like Paul claimed but he said that when the message was preached to him it was confirmed by miracles and this and that but he did not claim in Hebrews 2 I think verses 3 and 4 he did not claim to be an apostle himself he claimed to be a convert of the apostles yet the author of Hebrews though the grammar is not Pauline, nor is the author Paul, the theology is Pauline. There are so many different things that are throughout the book of Hebrews that you can find in Paul's writings that I think somebody, I don't think it was Luke, but maybe it was Apollos, maybe it was Barnabas, somebody who heard some of Paul's messages paraphrased them in their own words, took some notes, whatever, but this is Pauline theology, though Paul is not the author. But Hebrews 11, verses 17 to 19, and that says, By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. And he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son. It was he to whom it was said, In Isaac your descendant shall be called. He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead, from which he also received them back as a type. And so the author of Hebrews, just like the Apostle Paul, recognized in Abraham the ability to trust God even to raise the dead. And so Abraham did not trust in himself. He was too old to have a son. His wife Sarah was barren, but he trusted in God. God promised him a son and Abraham knew that God could give life to the barren womb of his wife. God could give life to his elderly body because God could raise the dead. He knew that God created the universe from nothing. When you look in Romans 4, He talks about there in verse 17, God gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. So he knew not only that God has the ability to raise the dead, but he knew that God created the universe from nothing. Had the power to create the universe from nothing. And therefore he recognized that God would not break his promise. When Abraham looked at himself, he saw an old man. But when he looked at the stars, he saw the infinite power of this God. And therefore, he trusted not in himself, but he trusted in God to bring about that which he had promised.