In Romans 4, Paul proclaims that the way we receive God's promise is not through the law, but through faith that belongs to grace. The statement, "This inheritance is by faith so that it may be in accordance with grace," means that the position of inheriting God's kingdom and promises is not based on our merits or religious qualifications, but solely on God's gift. Therefore, God made the promise "firm for all descendants." It is not about when one is born or what religious background one has, but whether one responds in faith before the gospel. Thus, God establishes anyone who comes to Him in faith as a descendant of Abraham and an heir of the promise.
The text embraces not only those under the law, namely the circumcised, but all who believe like Abraham within the scope of the promise. Whether circumcised or uncircumcised, Jew or Gentile, regardless of one's faith background, anyone who responds in faith before the gospel becomes "one who belongs to Abraham's faith." God does not make the boundaries and distinctions created by humans a condition of the promise, but rather bestows grace that transcends those boundaries. Therefore, Abraham is not just the ancestor of one nation, but "the ancestor of all of us before God." This message gifts us with a spiritual identity that we have received a new family and new roots in faith.
In our daily lives, this truth changes the way we view others. Instead of drawing lines based on how long I have had faith compared to someone who is just starting, we cultivate the awareness that we are "brothers and sisters who have become Abraham's descendants in faith." In families, workplaces, churches, and society, we can engage without ranking people based on their faith or the length of their faith journey, remembering the direction of God's promise. Additionally, regarding our own past and background, we can look at ourselves not with despair of 'I am unqualified,' but through the gospel's perspective of 'I have been called to the place of grace given by God.' In this way, we can take a step forward into the wide embrace opened by God's promise, rather than having closed hearts towards one another.
It may be good to reflect if I still feel sidelined from the promise due to my lack of faith or past failures. However, God establishes Abraham as "the ancestor of all who believe before God" and invites us to stand together in that line of faith. What you need to do today is not to build up your qualifications, but to trust in the grace given in Christ and take a step forward in faith. When you step forward in faith, you are no longer an outsider but a descendant of Abraham within the promise, a child of God. I encourage you to remember that identity of grace today, to pray boldly, to obey joyfully, and to walk in a day sharing love within the expanded family of God.