“What shall we say then that Abraham hath found, who is our father according to the flesh. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the scripture? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.’ Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt. But to him that worketh not, yet believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reputed to justice, according to the purpose of the grace of God.”
St. Paul then moves to the topic of Abraham, the father of Jewish and Christian faith, for his covenantal relationship with God, indicative of love, pointed in a particular way to his offspring being the people of God: “That day God made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18). This covenant, in which Abraham believed: “Believe God, and he will recover thee: and direct thy way, and trust in him” (Ecclesiasticus 2:6) preceded the institution of circumcision: “And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, that it may be for a sign of the covenant between me and you” (Genesis 17:11). Rather, it was Abraham’s trust of God that gave him glory, for while it is a grace to observe the commandments, doing so with a heart that trusts in the infinite reaches of God’s merciful love is greater: “Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart” (Proverbs 3:5). Consider, Theophila, that in marriage, simply doing what the spouse asks the other to do is one thing, but to spend time resting together in love, trusting in the love one has for the other, being confident in this love rather than worrying if they are pleasing to the other, this is the faith of love. It is God that has made a covenant with His people, and by your inclusion in this, yourself: “And I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth: and I will establish with thee an everlasting covenant” (Ezechiel 16:60). It is not in the works done by Abraham but his familiarity with God, just as a spouse does not boast of the things done for the beloved, but rejoices in the love they have found: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). This love becomes planted in the heart: “I will give my law in their bowels, and I will write it in their heart: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremias 31:33). Therefore, if Abraham was justified by his own works, he could boast, but before the love of God there would be nothing, for the love of God is not something that has to be earned, but is freely given: “The love of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us” (Romans 5:5). Likewise, it is not in consenting to facts but in trusting in love at all times that one has this faith: “But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, believe in the merciful love of God, believe in His love at all times, for this is the faith that justifies, not your abstinence or good deeds, but in your childlike trust in the goodness of the Father, who always cares for you: “Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Even when everything seems averse to this: “Deep calleth on deep, at the noise of thy flood-gates. All thy heights and thy billows have passed over me” (Psalm 41:8), have faith, always believe in love: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jeremias 31:3). Abraham believed in the loving voice of God when He promised children to a couple that was far beyond the age of childbearing: “Shall a son, thinkest thou, be born to him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sara that is ninety years old bring forth?” (Genesis 17:17). Likewise, if you believe that the love of the Father is at work in you at all times, even in the darkest of nights: “My Father worketh until now; and I work” (John 5:17) that He loves you even when your misery and unlovability seems most manifest: “Love never falleth away” (1 Corinthians 13:8). The work that then springs from love is not what justifies, but is rather an expression of the love that was received: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmoveable; always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The ability to love well and avidly is a gift of grace: “Dearly beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. And every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God” (1 John 4:7), and for the one that is too feeble to work, such as a child, they too are justified, being living expressions of the simplicity of love: “Suffer children to come to me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16). Begin as a beloved child: “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22), and make the rest of your life tell a marvelous love story, not focused on the work itself but on how it shows how in love you are: “I say to you, that if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40) with the one that has first loved you: “Let us therefore love God, because God first hath loved us” (1 John 4:19).