This chapter is pivotal in establishing that justification is by God’s grace through faith alone. Verses 1-8 demonstrate that justification is a gift and cannot be earned by works. Verses 9-12 argue that since Abraham was justified before he went circumcised, circumcision is not a basis of justification. Verse 13-17 proves that since Abraham was justified hundreds of years before the Mosaic Law, then justification cannot be based on the Law. Verses 18-25 summarize Paul’s arguments by concluding that Abraham was justified by his faith and not by his works.
As the father of the Hebrews, Abraham (Gen 12:1; Romans 4:1) features prominently in the New Testament. Here in Romans 4 he is recalled as an individual. Elsewhere he represents the entire people of Israel, and especially those who have placed faith in God (Romans 9:7; 11:1; Gal 3:6-9). Indeed Abraham’s faith is what makes him so important to the NT writers. God made important promises to him and his descendants, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons-promises that God repeated throughout Israel’s history. Abraham is remembered as the man who believed that God would do what He said He would do (Rom 4:3)-a remarkable thing when we consider that at the time of the promises, Abraham had very little evidence that God would follow through, certainly far less than the NT writers or we who live today. One of those most important promises was that God would send a Messiah, an “Anointed One.” Jesus claimed to be that messiah. The central question of the NT becomes, Do we believe that? Do we take Jesus at His word? Do we accept His claim and his implications? Abraham believed God; do we? Another important question raised by the coming of Jesus was, What happens to Israel? Even though many Jews believed Jesus’ claims and followed Him, by and large the nation rejected Him. What did that mean for the promises of God? Paul deals with these issues in chapters 9-11.
The comparison between Romans 4 and Galatians 3:6-14 is surely an important discussion for us to have as we open here. The appeal to the example of Abraham is briefer in Galatians and cites Scripture less extensively. Romans associates Abraham and Sarah with an argument about life from the dead by means of divine miracle, as further illustrated by the resurrection of Jesus while Galatians has an argument about the cross connected with the blessing, of Abraham being extended to Gentiles in and through Jesus. Yet in both arguments what we see clearly is the issue of priority who came first: the promise to the one who believed or the action on the basis of a work of the Law, namely circumcision is important.
In Galatians Paul argues against a temptation by the audience to get themselves circumcised and keep the Law. In Romans Paul is trying to get the audience to place more value on their Jewish inheritance and on the fact that Abraham is the father of all who believe, and he is trying to undercut the boasting and ethnic and cultural arrogance of Roman Gentiles. The lever of egoism is the fact that all have sinned and are equally saved by grace through faith. Now we discover clearly that both Jew and Gentile are in debt of Abraham the Jew, exemplar of what true faith is all about.
Quintillion stresses that the strongest kind of proof from analogy is the proof from historical example (Instit. Or. 5.11.6-. This appeal to examples is taken from Aristotle’s, for he says, “examples are most suitable for deliberative speakers, for it is by examination of the past that we divine and judge the future” (Rhetoric 1.9.40). So the use of examples is in fact the inductive method of persuasion of which Quintillion associates with the usage of the diatribte (Instit Or 5.11.2-3). Paul then is going by the rhetorical book when he presents his historical example in the context of a diatribe form.
Romans 4:1, “(A) 1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?[a]”
God credited Abraham’s faith as righteousness (Gen 15:6) before Abraham was ever circumcised (Gen 17:10; Gal 3:17-1 and before Abraham had been tested as well (Genesis 22). Paul does not simply draw his conclusions but follows logically the path of the argument. There is before and after dimensions for Paul’s thought. Witherington points out, “This brings up an important point for understanding Paul: he does not think through issues as a systematic theologian might, lining up a series of topics or ideas and then assessing them. There is a narrative logic to his thought patterns. He does his theology out of his storied world and into the world of his audience. So what we have in Romans is not so much an “introduction to Pauline theology” as an excellent and fulsome example of his theologizing out of his own stories world and into a rhetorical and social situation.”
Paul would disagree with those Jewish predecessors who contended that Abraham’s faith was reckoned righteous on the basis of his deeds or faithful obedience rather than his intimacy with God. He does not use Abraham as the poster child for obedience to the Law, as we find in Mishnah Kiddusin 4:14; “We find that Abraham our father had preformed the whole Law before it was given…” To the contrary Paul uses Abraham as the paradigmatic example of faith reckoned as righteousness.
Paul is thinking in terms of a of a dialogue followed by a summary conclusions based upon the argument. The questions for Paul is that Abraham found in the early Jewish discussion what would center around Abraham being our forefather according to the flesh found. Paul would argue that Abraham was set right from works, he has grounds for a boast, but not before God. If that is so the validity of the argument would also have to be valid for the circumcised only, or also for the uncircumcised. For that later also Paul would argue. In what state was he then when it was counted? In a state of uncircumcision? Paul would argue, not in a state of circumcision Paul is thinking in terms of salvation-historically or perhaps better in terms of eschatological-history. History for Paul is the future re-envisioned in light of eschatological Christ-event.
Abraham our Father: Paul uses the model of Abraham to prove justification by faith alone because the Jews held him up as the supreme example of a righteous man (John 8:39), and because it clearly showed that Judaism with its works-righteousness had deviated from the faith of the Jew’s patriarchal ancestors. In a spiritual sense, Abraham was the forerunner of the primarily Gentile church in Rome as well (1:13; 4:11, 16; Gal 3:6-7).
The Jews were proud to be called children of Abraham. Paul uses Abraham as a good example of someone who as saved by faith. By emphasizing faith, Paul is not saying that God’s law is unimportant (4:13) but that it is impossible to be saved simply by obeying it.
Romans 4:2, “2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.”
Justified by works: Declared righteous on the basis of human effort (3:24). Boast: If Abraham’s own works had been the basis of his justification, he would have had every right to boast in God’s presence. That makes the hypothetical premise of v.2 unthinkable (Eph 2:8-9; 1 Cor 1:29).
Paul’s quoting of Genesis 15:6 proves that Abraham was not justified by works. God made a promise to Abraham, and Abraham trusted God to fulfill it. Because of Abraham’s faith God credited Abraham with righteousness. In gaining this righteousness from God, Abraham did not obey some law or perform some ritual like circumcision; he simply believed God.
Romans 4:3, “3For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."[b]”
If we are to understand this chapter properly then we must understand Genes 15:6. Paul is not speaking first off of Christ’s righteous counting in place of Abraham’s righteousness or for that matter believers’ righteousness. The exchange is between Abraham’s faith presently and Abraham’s righteousness. Abraham’s righteousness was because of his faith was held secured in the promises of the Word, from the Word Himself, Abraham was not perfect but he trusted in the righteousness of the Lord of hosts to keep to that which he was promised; therefore, his faith was true not built upon the shaky foundations of milk, but upon the meat of the promise of Scripture itself. Abraham was declared righteous, because of his trust in Messiah not because of what he did.
Abraham made mistakes just as we do today, but its our trust in the Lord through those mistakes, which is why we must accept the correction of His Word because that marks our true trust in Him. Abraham was counted righteous because he walked through his trials with the reality that the promises would never fail him but that they would cause him to be made righteous by trusting in them. Is your faith based upon the rock of God’s promises today? His Word is true; His promise secure.
This verse is taken from Genesis 15:6, one of the clearest statements in all Scripture about justification (3:24). Believed: Abraham was a true man of faith (1:16; 4:18-21; Gal 3:6-7,9; Heb 11:8-10). But faith is not a meritorious work. It is never the ground of justification---it is simply the channel through which it Is received and it, too, is a gift. (Eph 2:. Accounted (5,9,10,22. Also translated “imputed” (vv.6,8,11,23,24). Used in both financial and legal settings, this Gr. Word, which occurs 9 times in chap.4 alone, means to take something that belongs to someone and credit to another’s account. It is a one-sided transaction—Abraham did nothing to accumulate it; God simply credited it to him. God took His own righteousness and credited it to Abraham as if it were actually his. This God did because Abraham believed in Him (Gen 15:6).
Romans 4:4-5, “4Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,”
The Old Testament is very clear upon the point that God will not justify the wicked (Exodus 23:7) and that God despises those who do so (Proverbs 17:15; Isa 5:23). Yet, it is only because of the death of Messiah that God can set right the ungodly and not be unjust in doing so. The OT texts in question know nothing of a situation where God could be both righteous and the one who sets right the ungodly. It should be duly noted that Paul is using a Jewish technique called gezerah shewah. This technique involves setting two passages beside each other to aid in gaining and allowing one to aid intreptation of another (Byrne, Romans, p.146). Here Genesis 15:6 is interpreted in light of Psalm 32:1-2. The text then suggest and introduces the conversation in question. It addresses the issue of the issue of forgiveness in 6-8 which is not present in Genesis 15. Paul by exegetical skill is able to imply the counting of righteousness entails the negative corollary of not counting sin. This is not done so that we cannot understand it or make a great deal out of it, but lays the groundwork here for further argumentation.
Paul’s quotation of the Psalm propels Paul back to the Genesis text in that the interlocutor asks about the Psalm text who receives this blessing of forgiveness, the circumcised, or the uncircumcised, Paul is able to respond, the uncircumcised on the basis of the condition of Abraham in Genes 15:6. Paul here broadens his argument from Abraham to all men; the apostle here makes it clear that the forensic act of declaring a man righteous is completely apart from any kind of human work. If salvation were on the basis of one’s own effort, God would owe salvation as a debt-but salvation is always a soveringly given gift of God’s grace (3:24; Eph 2:8-9) to those who believe (1:16). Since faith is contrasted with work, faith must mean the end of any attempt to earn God’s favor through personal merit. Justifies the ungodly: Only those who relinquish all claims to goodness and acknowledge that they are ungodly are candidates for justification (Luke 5:32).
This verse means that if a person could ear right standing with God by being good, the granting of that gift wouldn’t be a free act; it would be an obligation. Our self-reliance is futile; all we can do is cast ourselves on God’s mercy and grace. When some people learn that they are saved by God through faith, they start to worry. “Do I have enough faith?” they wonder. “Is my faith strong enough to save me?” These people miss the point. It is Jesus Christ who saves us, not our feelings or actions, and he is strong enough to save us no matter how weak our faith is. Jesus offers us salvation as a gift because he loves us not because we have earned it through our powerful faith. What, then, is the role of faith? Faith is believing and trusting in Jesus Christ and reaching out to accept his wonderful gift of salvation.
Romans 4:6-8, “6just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
8Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin."[c]”
Paul turns for support of his argument to Psalm 32:1-2, a penitential psalm written by David after his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband (2 Sam 11). In spite of the enormity of his sin and the utter absence of personal merit, David knew the blessing of imputed righteousness. According to Jewish law, a question was settled by two or three witnesses. Paul calls two witness from the OT to testify to justification through faith: one from the Law (4:1-5) and one from the Prophets (4:6-8; 3:21; Acts 2:29-30 where David is called a Prophet).
What an we do to get rid of guilt? King David was guilty of terrible sins-adultery, murder, lying-and yet he experienced the joy of forgiveness. We, too, can have this joy when we 1) quit denying our guilt and recognize that we have sinned, 2) admit our guilt to God and ask for his forgiveness, and 3) let go of our guilt and believe that God has forgiven us. Yet, this can be difficult when a sin has taken root in our life over many years, when it is very serious, or when it involves others. We must remember that Jesus is willing and able to forgive every sin. In view of the tremendous price he paid on the cross, it is arrogant to think that there is any sin too great for him to forgive. Even though our faith is weak, our conscience is sensitive, and our memory haunts us, God’s Word declares that sins confessed are sins forgiven (1 John 1:9).
Pastor David Jenkins
