When Abraham lied that Sarah was only his sister, the king took her into his harem. But before the king could do anything, God appeared to him in a dream and warned him that he will die if he touched Sarah. God also told him that Abraham was a prophet and that when he prays the people of the land will be healed.

Now, if you read this chapter for the first time, which of the two men would you say was a God-fearing man? Surely not Abraham the liar but Abimelech. It was not Abraham who showed integrity, and it was not Abraham whom God kept from sinning. If anyone was innocent it was Abimelech the King. What Abraham did was selfish but Abimelech responded with generosity and revealed excellent character.

But still, we know that it was Abraham that God deemed “righteous” and was made the father of nations. Isn’t that confusing? How come a man who does so many mistakes is never rebuked by God for them but is called a “Prophet”? It is precisely because Abraham was made righteous by faith and one of its benefits is that our sins are not imputed to us (Rom 4:7-8).

Friend, being justified means that you are accepted before God just-as-if-you’d-not sinned. So take a deep breath! From the time you received Jesus into your heart, your sins are not counted against you. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Amen?

God bless you!