Paul was writing at a time when the Christian church was debating whether anybody could be a Christian without first being a Jew. Not a debate now, but we still may argue over specific entry requirements and ways to maintain our eligibility to stay on the team.
But, even though our specific concerns may change, we can still look to Paul's words to help us. In the passage we're reading today, he uses Abraham as a demonstration of imputed righteousness.
Abraham believed God, and did what God called him to do--see this week's reading from Genesis 12. Abraham was chosen by God and responded to God long, long before the time of Moses. That is, Abraham was not declared righteous because he followed the law because he hadn't had the opportunity to hear the law yet.
Abraham trusted God, and that faith was reckoned to him as righteousness.
Two points are important. 1. God's reach is wider than that of any particular denomination. 2. Paul is not belittling the law. Once we know the law, we live it out, so that the way we live demonstrates what God wants the world to be like.
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