1. Which question fit come our mind when we think about Abraham faith?

 MANY people don hear about Abraham, but them no know plenty things about-am. As servant of Jehovah, you know plenty things about Abraham. For example, you know say Bible talk say, Abraham na “the papa of everybody wey get faith.” (Rom. 4:11) But, you fit de ask yourself say, ‘I fit get strong faith like Abraham?’ Yes, you fit.

2. Why e dey important make we study about Abraham example? (James 2:22, 23)

² One way to get the kind faith wey Abraham get, na to learn from im example. Abraham always obey Jehovah. For example, e obey when Jehovah tell-am say make e carry im family go de stay for another land wey far from where e be dey before. This one make-am live for tent for plenty years. And when Jehovah tell-am say make e sacrifice im special son, e ready to do-am. All this one show say e get strong faith. Because of im faith and the things wey e do, Jehovah happy with-am and this one make Jehovah call-am im friend. (Read James 2:22, 23.) Jehovah want make all of us, even you, enjoy the same blessing. Na this one make Jehovah use Paul and James, write about Abraham example. For this article, we go discuss wetin them talk about Abraham for Romans chapter 4 and James chapter 2. Wetin them talk really dey important.

3. Which Bible verse James and apostle Paul quote from?

³ James and apostle Paul quote wetin dey Genesis 15:6, wey talk say: “[Abraham] put faith for Jehovah, and this one make  God see-am as righteous person.” Jehovah de see person as righteous person or person wey no get sin, when e de happy with the person. Na really better thing say Jehovah fit see person wey get sin for body, as righteous person! We dey sure say you go like make Jehovah see you like that, and this one dey possible. To know wetin you need to do so that God go see you as righteous person, make we see wetin Abraham do wey make Jehovah see-am as righteous person or person wey no get sin.

4. Why e no de easy for us to do wetin go make Jehovah happy?

⁴ For the letter wey apostle Paul write to Christians for Rome, e talk say all of us get sin for body. (Rom. 3:23) So why Jehovah go happy with person sotey e see-am as righteous person? Apostle Paul use the example of Abraham help us fit answer that question.

5. Wetin make Jehovah see Abraham as righteous person? (Romans 4:2-4)

⁵ Jehovah call Abraham righteous person, when e still de stay for the land of Canaan. Why Jehovah see Abraham as righteous person? You think say na because e obey everything wey dey the Law of Moses? No, no be because of that one. (Rom. 4:13) Jehovah give the Law of Moses to Israel people more than 400 years after e don call Abraham righteous person. So, why Jehovah call Abraham righteous person? Because Abraham put faith for Jehovah, na im make Jehovah show-am special favor and call-am righteous person.—Read Romans 4:2-4.

6. Wetin fit make Jehovah see person wey no perfect as righteous person?

⁶ Apostle Paul talk say when person put faith for Jehovah, E go see the person as righteous person. (Rom. 4:5) Apostle Paul still talk say: “Just as David still talk about the happiness of person wey God de see as righteous person even though say the person no work to get-am, when e say: ‘People wey . . . God don forgive and wey e don cover their sins go happy; the person wey Jehovah no go hold for im sin again, go happy.’” (Rom. 4:6-8; Ps. 32:1, 2) God de forgive or cover person sin, if the person put faith for-am. So, when e forgive person for something wey e do, E no go punish the person for that thing again. E go see the person as righteous person or person wey no get sin, because of the person faith.

7. Why Jehovah call people wey worship-am well for Bible time, righteous people?

⁷ Even though say Abraham, David, and other people wey worship Jehovah well no dey perfect, Jehovah see them as righteous people. Why? Na because of their faith and especially when e compare them to people wey no de worship-am. (Eph. 2:12) For the letter wey apostle Paul write to the Christians for Rome, e explain say we need faith to fit be God friend. Na so e be for Abraham and David, and na so e still be for us today.

8-9. Wetin some people talk about wetin James and apostle Paul write, and why wetin them talk no correct?

⁸ For plenty-plenty years, some people wey de lead for religion believe say na faith dey important pass, but some other ones talk say na wetin person do, dey important pass, to make person dey righteous. Na im make some of them de teach say the only thing wey person need to do so that God go save-am, na to believe in Jesus Christ. You fit don hear when them talk say, “Make you accept Jesus as your lord and personal savior and e go save you.”  Some of them de even quote wetin apostle Paul talk, say God de see person “as righteous person even though say the person no work to get-am.” (Rom. 4:6) But some of them talk say wetin fit save person na to travel go visit place wey them see as holy place and de do the things wey church leader say make e do. Them fit even quote James 2:24 to support this one. E talk say: “Wetin de make God talk say person dey righteous na the things wey e de do, no be only im faith.”

⁹ Because of this one, some people wey de write things about Bible talk say Paul and James no agree about wetin de make God see person as righteous person. People wey de lead for church talk say, Paul believe say wetin de make person dey righteous, na only im faith, but James believe say na the things wey person do, de make-am dey righteous. One professor wey de talk about religion, talk say: “James no understand why apostle Paul talk say na only faith de make person dey righteous for God eye.” But make we no forget say na Jehovah move James and apostle Paul, to write wetin them write. (2 Tim. 3:16) So wetin the two of them write need to connect. To fit really understand wetin them talk, we need to understand other things wey them talk about.

10. Wetin be the main thing wey apostle Paul de talk about for Romans 3 and 4? (Romans 3:21, 28) (Still check the picture.)

¹⁰ So wetin be the main thing wey apostle Paul de talk about for Romans 3 and 4? E de talk about wetin the law wey Jehovah give Moses for Mount Sinai talk say make Israel people do. (Read Romans 3:21, 28.) E be like say for apostle Paul time, e de hard some Jew people wey don become Christians, to believe say them no need to follow the Law of Moses. So,  to make the matter clear, apostle Paul use Abraham example, to show say person no need to de follow the Law of Moses before God go see-am as righteous person. Instead, Paul talk say na faith we need. This one na really better thing because e make us know say if we put faith for God and Jesus Christ, e go fit make us dey righteous for God eye.

11. Wetin James talk about for James chapter 2?

¹¹ But for James chapter 2, James no de talk about the things wey the Law of Moses say make Jew people do. James de talk about things wey we de do for our life everyday. And this things de show whether we really get faith. Make we talk about two example wey James use.

12. How James take show say wetin person do, de show if e get faith? (Still check the picture.)

¹² For the first example, James talk about why servants of Jehovah need to treat everybody the same way. E use the example of person wey treat rich person well, but treat poor person anyhow. That kind person fit talk say e get faith, but wetin e do show say e de deceive imself. (Jas. 2:1-5, 9) For the second example, James talk about servant of Jehovah wey see brother or sister wey need cloth or food, but e no gree help-am. Even if the person talk say e get faith, im faith dey useless, because e no gree help im brother. As James talk, “if person talk say e get faith but e no do something to show-am, that faith dey useless.”—Jas. 2:14-17.

13. Which example James use to show say e dey important to use wetin we de do show say we get faith?

¹³ James use Rahab as better example of person wey use wetin e do show say e get faith. (Read James 2:25, 26.) The things wey e hear about Jehovah help-am see say Jehovah de support Israel people. (Josh. 2:9-11) Then,  e do wetin show say e put faith for Jehovah; e protect two Israel people wey Jericho people be want kill, when them come check how the land of Canaan be. Jehovah see Rahab as righteous person, just the way e see Abraham as righteous person, even though say e no be Israel person wey de follow the Law of Moses. We learn from Rahab say e dey important to use wetin we de do show say we get faith.

14. Why we fit talk say wetin Paul and James talk connect with each other?

¹⁴ James and apostle Paul de talk about this matter for two different way. Apostle Paul de tell Jew people wey be Christians say them no go fit dey righteous for God eye, just because them de follow the Law of Moses. And James make-am clear say, all servants of Jehovah need to de do good for their brothers and sisters, to show say them get faith.

15. Wetin be some things wey we fit do to show say we get faith? (Still check the picture.)

¹⁵ Jehovah no talk say if person want make e see-am as righteous person, e must do the same thing wey Abraham do. E clear say plenty things dey wey we fit do to show say we get faith. We fit welcome new people wey come our congregation, help brothers and sisters wey really need help, and treat people for our family well. All this one go make God happy with us and bless us. (Rom. 15:7; 1 Tim. 5:4, 8; 1 John 3:18) One major thing wey really dey important, wey we fit do to show say we get faith, na to de preach the good news to people. (1 Tim. 4:16) All of us go fit do things wey go show say we get faith for Jehovah promise and say we trust say the way e de do things na the best. Make we get-am for mind say if we do like this, God go see us as righteous people and call us im friend.

16. Wetin Abraham hope for, wey e get faith say go happen?

¹⁶ For Romans chapter 4 we learn another important lesson from Abraham. For that chapter, we learn say we need to de put mind for the time wey God go do wetin e promise. Jehovah promise Abraham say e go be papa to many nations and say “many nations” go get blessing because of-am. Na really better hope Jehovah give Abraham! (Gen. 12:3; 15:5; 17:4; Rom. 4:17) But even when Abraham dey 100 years and Sarah dey 90 years, them never born the pikin wey Jehovah promise them. For people mind, e go just be like say Abraham and Sarah no go ever fit born pikin again. This one na real test for Abraham faith. But ‘because of im hope, e get faith say e go be papa of many nations.’ (Rom. 4:18, 19) And Jehovah do wetin e promise Abraham. Even for that age, Abraham become papa to Isaac, the son wey e don de hope for.—Rom. 4:20-22.

17. How we take know say God fit see us as righteous people and call us im friend?

¹⁷ We don see say just as Jehovah see Abraham as righteous person and call-am im friend, Jehovah fit see you as righteous person and call you im friend. In fact, apostle Paul talk about-am when e talk say: “No be only because of-am them write this things say, ‘this one make God see-am [as righteous person],’ but na still because of us. Them go see us as righteous people too because we believe God, the Person wey bring Jesus our Lord, back to life.” (Rom. 4:23, 24) Just like Abraham, we need to get faith, de do wetin go show say we get faith, and trust Jehovah say wetin e promise go happen. For Romans chapter 5, apostle Paul talk about the hope wey we get, and we go talk about-am for the next article.