The book of Romans is very interesting. In the third, forth and fifth chapters, there is a concept which has never been presented in the Scriptures as clearly as has been intimated, but it is something beyond what the average mind has ever been able to grasp; and even now after almost two millenniums of this Word, we still don’t grasp it. It would be most profitable for you to read those chapters. In fact, it would be well to start with the second chapter also, dealing with the way a man is justified before God. It is not concerned at all with the way man is justified in his own sight or in the sight of the world, but how he actually comes to be called “righteous”; and it proceeds to give a beautiful picture of the law and the way sin came into the world. The fifth chapter describes how sin came through one man, Adam, and all were made transgressors; and how through the obedience and righteousness of one man, Christ, many are made righteous.
It’s rather surprising that we can believe so much in the depravity of man, coming through Adam, almost as though it gives us an excuse for being sinful by nature. We say, “I understand that. Adam and Eve sinned and now we’re stuck with it; we’re all in the same boat. All have sinned.” We can see that so clearly. After years of walking with God, I seriously question how many people, on the other hand, have the concept of how, by believing in Christ, we’re really made righteous; that through one man’s obedience and righteousness we are all made righteous.
A great deal is given about Abraham in the fourth chapter. The ninth verse tells us, his faith was reckoned for righteousness. This is difficult to understand. We say, “I’m believing for God to forgive me,” but we see that God looked upon the faith of Abraham and on the ledger chalked him up as righteous. Abraham was not necessarily believing to be righteous—he was believing a promise of God.
A passage in the fourth chapter will bless you if you’re believing in this walk and you’re hanging onto promises and standing on prophecies. You can stumble and you can go into some rough things which by everyone’s viewpoint could mean you really had failed; but if you believe the promises of God—though it seems to be something almost completely apart from your conduct, from your thought and from your mind—He imputes it to you for righteousness.
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, hath found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God. For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. Even as David also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin. Romans 4:1–8.
The Lord will not reckon sin to him. He may give him a warning like a traffic officer gives when he stops you and cautions, “You’re going too fast. Slow down.” And you say, “Yes sir. I’ll be more careful.” He lets you go without issuing a citation. The sin is not reckoned to you. The issue here is not once saved, always saved—or once saved, you can’t be lost. This is talking about what happens to a man who walks in faith. He’s believing to be righteous, he’s believing the prophecies and the promises. Because he’s believing, God is always reckoning it to him for righteousness. God is saying, “We won’t impute or reckon sin to him; we won’t even mark it down on his account.” God may chastise him and deal with him and do everything He can to drive him on into the perfection He has for him. We know that process will be unceasing.
Some of you have been concerned about losing out and not making it. I want to give you the key of making it.… for the law worketh wrath; but where there is not law, neither is there transgression. For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace; to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, A father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he believed, even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were. Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed be. And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Romans 4:15–21.
Here’s Abraham, not staggering at all at the promises of God through any unbelief. God had spoken things to him that seemed utterly impossible by all human judgment. He looked at old Sarah and he looked at himself. It didn’t bother him, he knew the score there—they were as good as dead—but he trusted God, “God is able to do it,” and that was reckoned unto him for righteousness. God gave him a promise and marked it down for righteousness.
I’ve wondered why there was never any reproval of Abraham, for there were times he really did some bad things. Twice he lied about his wife and said she was his sister. Once he led her into a compromise with another man. The second time, God brought such a plague, that it stayed it. He decided he’d rather remain alive even at the cost of his wife’s virtue. So we can’t say that Abraham was always such a brave soul. However, on another occasion he displayed great courage, when with some three hundred servants he overcame five kings from the Mesopotamia area, delivering Lot and all the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah who had been taken captive, out of their hands. If we had a special two-way radio right now so we could ask the recording angel, “What do you have against Abraham? We’re interested in finding out what our old father Abraham was really guilty of,” there would be none of his failings on the record against him. Everything was counted for righteousness. No sin was imputed to him.
There will be a perfection that people are going to walk in. A real release will come to this walk and you’d better start having confidence for the outcome of it, and not walk so thriftily. There will be some mistakes made, and occasions of sin, even as there was with Abraham. People often do not know which way to go when circumstances push them into situations where in a moment of utter terror and pressure they find themselves failing. God hasn’t said that this walk is just for those who use the best judgment, or are able to make the right decision in every situation. As we come to be led by the Spirit of the Lord, we won’t make wrong decision, but one of the things that brings us to the place of giving ourselves wholly to the leading of the Spirit, is all those times when we have not followed the leading of the Spirit.
It’s your faith that will count. The Lord will say, “I won’t impute sin to him. I’ll count everything for righteousness because of his faith.” If you keep believing, you’re going to make it; you have made it. Every day God looks down and says, “My, look at that faith. I’ll just count that for righteousness.”
Wherefore also it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was reckoned unto him; but for our sake also, unto whom it shall be reckoned, who believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification. Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh steadfastness; and steadfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope: and hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which was given unto us. Romans 4:22–5:5.
This is God’s way of judging. It would indicate that God doesn’t look back to the time when as just a babe in Christ you made a lot of mistakes and so those are chalked against you here. Then later on you grew up a little more and you didn’t make quite as many mistakes—and now He checks to see how you’re finally doing at the end. That isn’t the way God will judge you. From the moment you come into Christ—but particularly as it relates to your coming in this walk—you may see a lot of mistakes as you look back; but you were believing, you had faith, and I don’t believe God looks back on our failures. The only way you could be held accountable for all those mistakes and stumblings in your life, would be if you were to turn away from this walk, away from the prophecies and promises. Then you would have to answer for all of it. But as long as you’re like Abraham, “Lord, I’m hanging onto a promise; I believe it; though it looks impossible, I’m not going to stagger, I’m not going to waver,” God will say, “Fine, as long as you keep that attitude, I won’t impute sin to you. I’ll count your faith for righteousness. When I see your faith, I’ll chalk it up for righteousness.” Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness .… it was not written for his sake alone … but for our sake also, unto whom it shall be reckoned—that’s what the Word says.
Oh, how important it is to be a believer—a real believer. I want to establish a truth in your mind by the Holy Spirit that will live for you for many years to come, so you will realize that none of the things that have happened will be charged to your account, if you just keep on believing. We may see a situation in which individuals have walked in some real difficulties and sin, right down at the bottom of the barrel, and yet they never ceased to believe the promises; they wanted that walk with God. The signs of the Holy Spirit never failed them, they never ceased to have an awareness of this walk and of the signs, they kept moving right on in it. We might wonder why other people, who have committed offenses far less than they, have been wiped out. We come to the conclusion it isn’t the magnitude of a person’s mistakes or problems or sins or even moments of downright rebellion that washes them out. We know that in this walk the Lordship of Jesus and submission is of prime importance; and yet who among you has not rebelled enough that you should have been washed out long ago? Sometime or other all of you have rebelled. What is it that holds people in? It isn’t that God measures the sins by saying, “That’s a little sin, that’s a big one; therefore we’ll keep her, and throw him out.” That isn’t the way God looks at it. He looks at the faith of your heart. It’s rather surprising that some of the biggest mistakes are made by those who have so much to gain and are trying too hard. When they miss it, they’ve put everything right on the line and they seem to be completely wiped out—but God doesn’t let it be so. He says, “They’re believing Me. They’re not washed out. Hang onto them. Don’t let them go.” If we only knew the importance of faith! Paul says in Galatians 5:6, For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love. That is true—it’s faith which works by love—you have to believe!
What is the biggest job I have in this walk? How can I best fill the apostolic ministry? The answer has been given to me in the Word. What did Paul do? “I cease not to give thanks for you, believing for you, praying for you.” That’s where he made it. He said his bodily presence was weak and his speech contemptible (II Corinthians 10:10). He wasn’t much, was he? But he just kept believing, believing, believing. The Word says, the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, Ecclesiastes 9:11, and I Corinthians 10:12, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. If you really want to see the truth, believe God. Believe Him, and don’t let yourself fall into the rut of self-condemnation. Rather say, “Holy Spirit, You reveal it to me if there’s something wrong,” and He will. “Show me how I stand because I’m believing.” He will give you the assurance deep in your heart.
This walk is more a matter of faith than it is anything else. Everyone goes through problems. I think God orders them for this walk so that you are exercised and grow thereby. You’ve heard that tribulation worketh patience and steadfastness. (James 1:3). God keeps putting you through these tests. It doesn’t mean He doesn’t love you. It just means He wants you to grow fast and blossom out.
Someone asked “Will this habit spoil my walk with God? Will it hinder me?” I told him, “Son, your walk with God is a matter of believing, but the fact that you are concerned about it is good. You’ve been able to walk with God with that habit so far; and you know, and I know and God knows you’re going to drop it, aren’t you?” “Yes, I am.” I said, “That’s your answer right there. You’re going to get rid of it.” I’m not going to make an unbeliever out of him, because if he’s a believer he can drop that habit a lot easier that it I tell him—or even imply—that he’s not a believer if he keeps that habit. He has to remain a strong believer in order to overcome it. He must have the assurance, “God is with me; He’s helping me; He’s going to perfect what He has begun within my life. So what do I do now? I believe that it’s going to be just like God says it is.” Then everything within his nature and in his circumstances will yield to those promises. That’s the way it will come to pass. No one has ever yet seen a prophecy fulfilled without exercising faith in his own heart for it.
We read of Joseph, “Until the word came to pass, the Word of the Lord tried Joseph.” (Psalm 105:19). Eventually the word had a fulfillment, but until then, the Lord was trying him. When God gives you a prophecy, your battleground is the battleground of faith. I know we’re fighting against devils and evil spirits, but if we yield to stop and fight the devil and battle witchcraft and oppressions all the time, we’ve fallen for a trap of the enemy. The real battle is not resisting and judging spirits and seeing certain judgments come. That is a by-product. The real battle and the real thing is accomplished where you say, “Thus saith the Lord. Hear the word of the Lord.” When we believe the prophecies of the Lord and with all of our heart we stand upon what God has said about us and about this whole walk, from that position we have the leverage to enter into the judgment of spirits, into healing the sick—the ministry and all the other things follow. This is the principle battleground from which we must never be moved, this should be our definite area of conflict: we believe the promises of God! That’s where we stand or fall.
The minute you move into a new area, you feel the turbulence of it. Don’t be swerved by illusion. God has spoken something and it’s happening to you. Keep believing! Stand on those promises!
You can believe whatever you will to believe. I could believe the moon was made of green cheese if I could find a Scripture for it. I’d set my will to believe it and all the world could laugh at me and call me the “cheese-fink”—I wouldn’t care. I’d make it if I just kept believing that one word God had said. Just keep on believing. Keep saying, “I am a believer. I am a believer.”
Believing the promise is greater than what the promise has to offer. Believing a promise is greater that the fulfillment of the promise. Abraham believed the promise which was chalked up to him for righteousness. So the believing worked as great a thing as the fulfillment, which was the birth of Isaac.
We need to define the narrow line between the sovereign moving of God and our own initiative. For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:8. God has to even give you the faith with which to be saved—that’s true. He’s the Author and the Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). That is also true.
These Scriptures seem to imply a sovereign gift of faith. That might lead one to accept the teaching, “Who will be saved will be saved. God gives them the faith and they’ll be saved. And who will be lost will be lost.” The Word says, “He created the wicked for His pleasure and his destruction.” (Proverbs 16:4). But on the other hand it keeps talking about our faith, exhorting us to believe. Faith is not a static thing. It’s not just a gift or endowment that is given to you. The operation of faith is an interesting process. God will give you a word and a little measure of faith to believe it when you hear it. When you respond by using that faith and exercising it, then God gives you a little more faith and you use it and exercise it. Meanwhile, He will keep testing you on it. When God gives you a word and the little measure of faith, you respond with all of your heart to believe it. You respond with the faith He has given you, and that’s the way your faith grows. He gives a little and you respond; He gives you a little more and your respond; He gives you a little more and you respond; line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there a little (Isaiah 28:10). He’s still the Author and the Finisher of your faith but it does not happen apart from individual initiative or the set of your own will. It’s a constant reaction in a response. When God gives you a word, you may go into a period where it seems you’re almost overcome, through one test after another. But you struggle back up, exercise your faith, and say, “We have to believe that word God gave us.” When the prophecy came, you were strong to believe because God gave you the faith with it. When He starts testing you, go back and draw on that faith and exercise it. Come up the hill again, then He’ll give you another word and a little more faith. He’ll challenge you again and you keep exercising it. As long as you keep moving and believing God and exercising the little measure of faith He gives you, it is then on the human side, that you will to believe.
Many times you won’t feel like you want to believe. You’ll want to run; you’d like to doubt. At that moment, draw on all the times God has ever met your heart and just set your will to believe. Faith is never manifested at the time when it’s given. The manifestation of faith God is looking for comes when you go down the road and the devil meets you in a dark alley. That’s when you are to believe and draw it—not when He’s pouring it in and all the glory and blessing and the prophecies are coming. Faith is not manifested at the time of it’s inception—but when you’re tested and the pressures are on—that’s when the will to believe, the will to draw on that faith God has given you or made available to you really counts. When that faith is manifested, God counts it for righteousness. He reckons it to you for righteousness. God charges no fault against a man who consistently believes Him.
A carnal mind is one of the greatest enemies that we have, because it will judge the word of God and say, “It can’t be done.” Only faith in what God has said will spark our faith and our actions.
There was a time when a city was closed up because of the enemy, and the people were starving. Then Elisha prophesied that on the morrow there would be plenty of food, but the king’s captain doubted and said, “Well, if God opened the windows of heaven, could this be?” Then the prophecy came to him, “You’ll see it, but you won’t taste it.”
You know if I have doubts, I would rather keep my mouth shut and believe that the word can come to pass if the Lord has said it. Then I’ll have a taste of it too. Sometimes that’s good advice—if you hear a word and it doesn’t strike faith, just hold onto it, but don’t doubt it. The Lord is able to make it come to pass. We not only want to see it, but we want also to participate. We want a double portion.
Have you any idea how much the outcome of things and what you walk in, depends upon you consistently, with real determination, exercising the faith God has given you? You are what you dare to believe you are. When God gives a promise, it’s valid by believing it. You may say, “God prophesied over me that I would do such and so; but I am unworthy; there’s this or that or the other thing in my life” Who says so? Let’s look at the record. Are you believing God? “Oh yes, I’m believing Him.” Well, your failings don’t seem to be on the record. The only thing that’s reckoned to you here is righteousness. “Boy, I thought I had been wiped out over the moods and the problems I’ve had.” You’re believing to overcome them, aren’t you? “Sure.” You have a promise, haven’t you? “Yes.” You know what God wants you to do, don’t you? “Yes, I have the general idea. I’m right here in the will of the Lord. I’m set in this Body, waiting for further instructions. And I’m believing.” Keep on believing and you can’t miss.
The minute you set your heart to believe, you’ve made it. It’s not a matter of saying, “Will I make it or won’t I make it?” God has put it in your heart to believe. That in itself had to be a revelation from God. You wouldn’t believe in this walk if He hadn’t revealed it to you, or given you faith to believe and exercise it. All you have to do is stand fast and believe—and that is not a passive thing. This faith is an activity. It’s an action. Some of you folks are going to get the surprise of your life when you take your gun of faith and point it at the devil and pull the trigger. When you hear the roar and blast of the bullet you will say, “My goodness, I didn’t even know that thing was loaded.” You don’t realize what a tremendous instrument your faith is.
And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. I John 5:14, 15.