Gloria Copeland — Stand On God’s Promise
Posted by admin | Filed under Gloria Copeland, Kenneth Copeland Ministries
Romans 4:16-21
KJV—Therefore it is of faith, that it might
be by grace; to the end the promise might
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, I have made thee
a father of many nations,) before him whom
he believed, even God, who quickeneth the
dead, and calleth those things which be not
as though they were. Who against hope
believed in hope, that he might become the
father of many nations, according to that
which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
And being not weak in faith, he considered
not his own body now dead, when
he was about an hundred years old, neither
yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:
He staggered not at the promise of God
through unbelief; but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded
that, what he had promised, he
was able also to perform.
Amp—Therefore [inheriting] the promise is
the outcome of faith and depends [entirely]
on faith, in order that it might be given as
an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make
it stable and valid and guaranteed to all
his descendants; not only to the devotees
and adherents of the Law but also to those
who share the faith of Abraham, who is
[thus] the father of us all, As it is written,
I have made you the father of many nations.—
He was appointed our father—in the
sight of God in Whom he believed, Who
gives life to the dead and speaks of the
nonexistent things that [He has foretold
and promised] as if they [already] existed.
[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being
gone, hoped on in faith that he should
become the father of many nations, as he
had been promised, So [numberless] shall
your descendants be.
He did not weaken in faith when he considered
the [utter] impotence of his own
body, which was as good as dead because
he was about a hundred years old, or [when
he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s
(deadened) womb. No unbelief or distrust
made him waver or doubtingly question
concerning the promise of God, but he
grew strong and was empowered by faith
as he gave praise and glory to God, Fully
satisfied and assured that God was able
and mighty to keep His word and to do
what He had promised.
Moffatt—That is why all turns upon faith; it
is to make the promise a matter of favour,
to make it secure for all the offspring, not
simply for those who are adherents of the
Law but also for those who share the faith
of Abraham—of Abraham who is the father
of us all (as it is written, I have made you a
father of many nations). Such a faith implies
the presence of the God in whom he believed,
a God who makes the dead live and
who calls into being what does not exist.
For Abraham, when hope was gone, hoped
on in faith, and thus became the father
of many nations—even as he was told, So
numberless shall your offspring be.
His faith never quailed, even when he
noted the utter impotence of his own body
(for he was about a hundred years old) or
the impotence of Sara’s womb; no unbelief
made him waver about God’s promise; his
faith won strength as he gave glory to God
and felt convinced that He was able to do
what He had promised.
NEB—The promise was made on the
ground of faith, in order that it might be
a matter of sheer grace, and that it might
be valid for all Abraham’s posterity, not
only for those who hold by the law, but for
those also who have the faith of Abraham.
For he is the father of us all, as Scripture
says: ‘I have appointed you to be father
of many nations.’ This promise, then, was
valid before God, the God in whom he put
his faith, the God who makes the dead
live and summons things that are not yet
in existence as if they already were. When
hope seemed hopeless, his faith was such
that he became ‘father of many nations’, in
agreement with the words which had been
spoken to him: ‘Thus shall your descendants
be.’
Without any weakening of faith he contemplated
his own body, as good as dead
(for he was about a hundred years old),
and the deadness of Sarah’s womb, and
never doubted God’s promise in unbelief,
but, strong in faith, gave honour to God, in
the firm conviction of his power to do what
he had promised.
Gloria Copeland
Tags: dead, Faith, father, glory, grace, hope, nations, promise
