Gold Tried in the Fire - Robert J. Wieland

Romans 4:13.
Please remember: Abraham's faith does not
equal righteousness; it was counted for it. When he
"believed God," his faith was neither an intellectual
assent to doctrines nor a self-centered grasping for
reward. It was not a clever move on his part to
ensure for him or his descendents some valuable
real estate, that is, the earth. Such "faith" would
merely have been a smart yet selfish bargain.
Neither was his faith a fire escape from the terrors
of hell. That would mark him as merely a
knowledgeable opportunist. It was not a trust built
on self-centered insecurity.
"With the heart man believeth unto
righteousness." Romans 10:10. Emphasis supplied.
Abraham's faith was a heart-experience, or "heartwork,"
as earnest people of a former generation
used to call it. By his faith Abraham was himself
transformed from an enemy of God into a friend of
God. He was actually reconciled to God, although
he had no works to offer on which to be justified.
All he had was faith, and that, Paul adds, while he
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