Abraham Justified By Faith

4:1

“What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?”

Let’s look at this verse, as all the others, one word at a time. “Then” is “therefore” in this text. Based on all Paul has told us about sin, righteousness, judgment – by the way, the three things Jesus said the Holy Spirit would major in when He came – based on all these things, what shall we do with Abraham? How does Abraham fit into the picture? What did he discover 4,000 years ago? What has he already found that we need to know?

Abraham lived before the law. Six hundred years before. He knew nothing of all the rules and regulations, though he did understand sacrifice, as it had been around since Adam. He didn’t know fully of a Savior that would come, of Calvary, of resurrection, of so many theological points that we deem necessary. A very simple man in the things of God, however educated and trained he might have been in the ways of the world.

So this man lived so long ago, so removed from Moses, that he becomes a perfect example of salvation by faith alone apart from the works of the law (3:28).

He found something that Paul believes is necessary for us to find, and for the Jews of his day to find. You see, they had other ideas about Abraham, and Paul has to set them straight.

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Before we go into that, we need to look at two different wordings of this first verse. Not overly important but once again symptomatic of the surface problem of textual criticism.

In short, there are different Greek texts from which the New Testament comes. Two of the major ones that our English translations come from are the 19th century Westcott-Hort or Nestle-Aland, and the “Received Text” that goes back to the 1500’s and Erasmus. Both of these of course depend on Greek manuscripts of much earlier dates. The manuscripts each of them depended on gives us the variations in the text.

Nothing in these variations is serious. The truth God wants us to have is clear in both manuscripts. Conservative Christians tend toward the Received Text which gave us the KJV.

As I put these two texts together, the Nestle-Aland and Textus Receptus, I get two different readings of Romans 4:1.

Here is the Nestle-Aland, which gives rise to the more modern translations: I am translating the English words as they appear in the text. “What therefore shall we say has found Abraham the father of us according to flesh?”

And in the Textus Receptus from which comes the KJV:

“What therefore shall we say Abraham the father of us has found according to flesh?”

Do you see the difference? Is Paul saying simply that Abraham is the physical ancestor of the Jews and that he found something? Or that Abraham has discovered a principle about reliance on human works for salvation? The KJV favors the latter.

I notice that Macarthur straddles the fence here and says it could mean either.

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Other researchers lean toward the evidence from the greater number of manuscripts that show Paul is simply saying that Abraham is their natural ancestor. This man that we claim this physical connection to, what did he find? What does he add to the argument I have brought forth?

What argument? That no man can be justified by the law. That salvation is by faith, and not by works. Does Abraham say or do anything about this? You trust this man, your “father” as it were. You hold him up, as well you should. A friend of God. Father of the faithful. A good man. A holy man.

We must know: was he saved by faith or by works?

You who know your Bibles will be thinking, if I don’t mention it aloud, about the book of James. James declares that Abraham was justified by works. Paul, justified by faith. Conflict.

Not really. James is talking about justification before men. Proof before men that a man is saved. That is the place of works. Faith without works is dead faith and not saving faith.

This is not at all what Paul is discussing. Paul is talking about the entrance into justification and salvation. How do you get in the door? Being good? Trying hard? No.

No, because

4:2

“For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.”

A man who does good deeds can cry all day long that he is doing more than most Christians, but that boast, that complaint, will not open Heaven’s doors to him! I mean, can you imagine it. You get to Heaven, and instead of falling at His feet in worship and praise you start out with, Hey God, I made it! I did it! I’ll bet you’re glad I worked so hard so I could