“And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God”

(James 2:23 NASB)

You might be asking this morning, why is this passage so crucial to our faith? Because it points back to one of the most important passages in all of Scripture, the one that marks Abraham’s day of salvation. This was the day he was justified by faith, apart from works of righteousness. And this is how every sinner in the Old Testament became a saved saint. It was not by works, not by keeping the law, not by sacrificing animals. Salvation has always been by grace through faith.

Notice also that the events of Genesis 15 took place long before the law was ever given. In that same chapter God told Abraham, “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete” (Genesis 15:16 NASB). Abraham’s justification came more than 400 years before the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. There is no way the law could have saved Abraham. The law was never given to save. Among its other purposes, it was meant to drive fallen humanity to understand its need for a Savior, because of our inability to keep it.

If you have not memorized this verse, do so immediately: “Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6 NASB). Don’t be surprised if God gives you many opportunities to share the great truth of this verse with others, including those who call Abraham their father but do not do what Abraham did. “They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham’ ” (John 8:39 NASB).

Reckoned

“And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (James 2:23 NASB).

The word reckoned is logizomai, from the root logos, meaning reason, word, or account. It means to reckon, compute, calculate, take into account, deliberate, and weigh. It refers to careful reasoning that arrives at a conclusion, and it carries the idea of calculating or estimating.

It was a term frequently used in the business community of the New Testament era, meaning to impute, to put something to one’s account, to credit it to one’s account. Righteousness was reckoned to Abraham. Reckoned, then, is a legal and financial term: to place on one’s account.

Think about the spiritual transfer that occurred. Before God, who demands perfect righteousness, Abraham’s account was bankrupt, as is every person’s account. We are all born into Adam’s line, inheriting his sin, and as a result we are spiritually dead. But when Abraham trusted God, God placed perfect righteousness on Abraham’s account. It was a gift, not something Abraham earned.

Justified

Abraham was declared righteous by faith. He was justified by faith. And yet James also writes, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24 NASB).

Please do not be confused. Abraham experienced justification, which is the once-for-all-time, unchangeable act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous on the basis of Christ’s finished work on the cross. God did not make Abraham righteous, because that would imply a process, and justification is not a process. It is an act. Justification is not something the sinner does. It is a declaration God makes about the sinner’s standing before Him when he or she places their trust in Christ.

So let me ask a question and then answer it. Does Father God need to see your works to know whether you have faith? Of course not. James is speaking of what people see. Paul says that in God’s sight, Abraham was justified by faith (Genesis 15). James says that in human sight, the most telling proof that Abraham was a justified man was that he was willing to obey God even to the point of offering up his son on the altar.

Our Best Friend

So today, know that you know: Christ’s friendship prevails even when human friendship fails.

It is the privilege of my life to hear my wife say, “You’re my best friend,” which she says often. It’s an honor I cherish and one I try to live up to, but I don’t always do it. As much as I love her, I occasionally do something that is not very “best friend-ish.” Have you noticed that no matter how hard we try, we cannot live up to the high standard of being a friend who never lets anyone down? We all fail from time to time, forgetting to do what we should do as believers.

We take comfort in knowing that we are called friends of God, and He is a true friend who will never falter. Michael Gungor’s joyous song “Friend of God” captures the wonder of this relationship, echoing the psalmist’s own astonishment: “What is man that You take thought of him?” (Psalm 8:4 NASB).

Too many Christians today think there is some darkness in our light and some light in the world’s darkness. We half-doubt our own gospel and half-believe the religion of this age.

But look again at Abraham. His account was bankrupt, and God reckoned righteousness to it as a gift. He did not earn it, and he could not have earned it, because the law had not even been given. He simply believed God. And the faith that was credited to him did not sit still. It climbed a mountain with his son and an altar. That is what it looks like to be called a friend of God: a heart that believes Him, and a life that proves it.

Our friendships will fail. Even our best ones. His will not. So here is the question this morning, plain and simple: Are you a friend of God?