Did Abraham have "faith" without having done any work such as "circumcision"? Yeah! How is this possible when "faith" must have at least one act of obedient "righteousness" to be faith rather than just belief that is not faith? Abraham has "faith" because his having "believed" was also credited to him as an act of "righteousness", as if he had done work to complete his "faith". He was rewarded for his faith with forgiveness without having performed a single act of obedient "righteousness", such as circumcision. This "blessing" is made clear in David's forgiveness for taking another man's wife. Then murdering her husband, to hide the initial sin of disobeying the seventh commandment with another sin of disobeying the sixth commandment. God helped him see his sins by making him judge his actions as if they were done by another man, before telling him that he was the man he had judged, but that God had forgiven him and that he would not die for these sins.
FAITH (noun) = BELIEVED (verb) + RIGHTEOUSNESS (noun)
David, having believed, is also "faith" without having done any work of obedience such as the animal sacrifices in the temple, because David, having believed, was also credited to him as an obedient act of "righteousness", completing his faith that granted him forgiveness. David had "faith" which must have at least one act of obedient work without having worked, because having believed that he had sinned is also credited to him as work that completes his faith. Before being credited with work, it was belief without a single act of obedience, which is not "faith" until at least one act of obedient "righteousness" is done. The key to understanding this "blessing" is David's forgiveness for his disobedience in taking another man's wife. David did not ask for forgiveness or do the work that others had to do to obtain forgiveness in the temple.
Then David confessed to Nathan, “
I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the LORD has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. (
2 Samuel 12:13 NLT)
David is the best example of someone who was "blessed" with forgiveness for his "faith" before he did any work that shows he has "faith" rather than just belief without works of "righteousness". A faith that grants him forgiveness when God also gave him credit, as if he had done obedient work of "righteousness" in having believed he had sinned. David, having believed he was a sinner, was credited also as having done at least one obedient work of "righteousness", completing his faith. God attributed this belief that David had sinned to also having worked to complete his faith, a faith that earned David's forgiveness without actually having done any normal works of "righteousness" for his forgiveness in the temple. David's experience confirms that "faith" is obtained by completing two parts: David believed God that he was guilty of sin, plus at least one obedient act of "righteousness" that completes our faith. In this case, having believed that he had sinned, God credited it also as an act of obedient "righteousness", so that he gained the "faith" that grants forgiveness without having done a single act of work of "righteousness" as others have to do in the temple, in accordance with God's regular works of "righteousness" in the temple to obtain God's forgiveness for past sins.
When people work, their
wages are not by grace, but something they have earned. But
people's faith is credited as righteousness (noun), not due to work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. David also spoke of this when he described
the blessing (makarios) of those who are credited righteousness (noun) without having worked for it: “Oh,
what blessing (makarios) for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what blessing (makarios) for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.” Now,
is this blessing (makarios) only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that
Abraham's having believed was credited as righteousness (noun). But how did this happen?
Was his faith credited as righteousness (noun) only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised! (
Romans 4:4-10 NLT fixed)
David, like Abraham, was forgiven for his past sins when God accepted him by crediting his having "believed" as an act of "righteousness" among the many more acts of "righteousness" they would do. They followed that first act by obeying all that God asked of them, thus making them "righteous" over time. Being "righteous" is a pattern of many "righteousness" actions and not the single act of having "believed".
You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you!
Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Don’t you remember that our ancestor
Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “
Abraham believed God, and God credited to him as righteousness (noun).” He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. (
James 2:19-24 NLT fixed)
That you become "righteous" the minute you believe without the need for growth in "righteousness" is a human invention not expressed by God when Abraham and David "believed".
“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. However,
if righteous (adjective) people turn from their righteousness (noun) and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins. (
Ezekiel 18:24 NLT fixed)
David's "faith", like Abraham's "faith", grew as they grew in the "righteousness" of obeying God.
FAITH (noun) = BELIEVED (verb) + RIGHTEOUSNESS (noun)
United in our hope for the soon return of Jesus, Jorge