The Footsteps of Faith

Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Romans 4:9-12
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The Footsteps of Faith
We want it to be by our own works that we are justified until we see how horrible our own works are. When the Law acts as a mirror and shows us our sin, we despair. No man can be saved by keeping the Law. We all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. We need rescued. We need saving. It wasn't because of his good works or his good looks that God counted Abraham righteous. It was because of his faith. It is also because of your faith that you are counted righteous. That gift is the gift of the Holy Spirit in your life. But instead of a sign of God's righteousness, you get the actual righteousness of his cross wrapped around you in the waters of your Baptism. This righteousness is the blood of Jesus spilt from the cross for you. You have been made children of Abraham, not by circumcision, but by Baptism. Jesus washes your sins away and claims you as his own.