Calling Things That Are Not As Though They Were

Romans 4:17 (NIV)

As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom
he believed?the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.



Introduction: Human beings are different from animals, particularly because human beings have a special ability to dream about things that are not as though they were, while animals can only see what is visible with their eyes. This is why human beings can create new things.

1. A life guided by common sense.
- What can be sensed does exist and what cannot be sensed does not exist.
1) They should see with their eyes.
　　2) Hear with their ears.
　　3) Smell and taste.
　　4) Feel with their touch.
- A life guided by human instinct and senses.

2. A creative life (Job 32:8; Ro 4:17).
1) Think things that are not as though they were (Eph 3:20).
　　2) Dream things that are not as though they were (Ps 81:10).
　　3) Believe things that are not as though they were (Mk 9:23).
　　4) Speak things that are not as though they were (Nu 14:28).

3. A life of faith that believes in God.
　　1) Christians believe that God exists although He cannot be experienced with human senses
　　 (2Co 5:7; Jn 20:29).
　　2) Christians believe in the Word of God that transcends our senses (Heb 11:3; Ro 10:17).
　　3) Abraham the father of faith.
ⓛ He believed the word of God and set out for the land of Canaan (Ge 12:1-2).
② He imagined things that are not as though they were?Canaan, a star, one son
(Ge 13:14-15; 15:5).
③ He believed things that are not as though they were (Ro 4:18-22).
④ He professed things that are not as though they were:
Abram → Abraham, Sarai → Sarah (Ge 17:5, 15-16).

4. Conflicts in a life of faith.
　　1) Physical eyes and spiritual eyes (1Co 12:4).
　　2) Physical thoughts and spiritual thoughts (Ro 8:5-7).
　　3) Physical senses and the Word of God (Ro 7:22-8:2).
　　4) Physical words and spiritual words (Jas 3:8-10).

5. A victorious life of faith.
　　1) We must change our way of thinking?according to the Word (2Co 5:17; Php 4:13).
　　2) We must have a dream (Pr 29:18; Php 2:13).
　　3) We must keep faith alive (Heb 10:38).
　　4) We must speak positive words (Pr 18:21).

Conclusion: We live in a three-dimensional world guided by our senses. But our spirit lives in a four-dimensional world. Because of this, there is a huge difference between life subject to the domination of the physical world and life subject to the spiritual world.