*^Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken. So shall thy seed be. ^9And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb : ^^he staggered not at the promise of God through un- belief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God ; '^^and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. ^'^And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. ^sjsJq^ [^ ^ag not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him ; ^^but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead ; ^^who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
The object of this section is the illustration of the faith of Abraham, and the application of his case to our instruction. With regard to Abra- ham's faith, the apostle states, first, its object, viz. the divine promise, V. 18. He then illustrates its strength, by a reference to the apparent impossibility of the thing promised, vs. 19, 20. The ground of this con- fidence was the power and veracity of God, v. 21. The consequence was that Abraham was justified by his faith, v. 22. Hence it is to be inferred that this is the true method of justification; for the record was made to teach us this truth. We are situated as Abraham was; we are called upon to believe in the Almighty God, who, by raising up Christ from the dead, has accepted him as the propitiation for our sins, vs. 23—25.