In Galatians Paul argues hat Christ is the seed of Abraham, and so the blessing comes to the Gentiles as well as the Jews through Christ. The promise in Romans, this promise is not based on Abraham’s works or merits as in Galatians. Paul is following his argument chronologically by applying his theology in different contexts to give his readers, and us a clear understanding while not denying as well is other teachings. Paul’s way of thinking, a promise falls within the sphere of gift, that is of grace according to Barret, Romans, p.89. The promise has been given on the basis of the Law for works of the Law such as circumcision then it would be a contractual arrangement, and grace and faith would not enter in it. Thus, Paul reasons if heirs were heirs on the basis of the Law and works of the law, then faith and the promise would be in effect nullified (v.14). Faith, grace, and promise stand on one side of the ledger, and works, Law and sin stand on the other. This explanation is not sufficient by itself, so Paul adds the explanation that the Law causes wrath and that where there is no Law there is no transgression.
Romans 4: 13For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.”
Just as Abraham was not justified by the rite of circumcision (vv.9-12), neither was he justified by keeping the Mosaic Law (vv.13-15). Promise.. heir of the world: This refers to Christ and is the essence of the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants (Gen 12:3; 15:5; 18:18; 22:1. The final provision of that covenant was that through Abraham’s seed all the world would be blessed (12:3). Paul argues that “the seed” refers specifically to Christ and that this promise really constituted the gospel (Gal 3:8, 16; John 8:56). All believers, by being in Christ, become heirs of the promise (Gal 3:29; 1 Cor 3:21-23). Not..through the law: That is not as a result of Abraham’s keeping the law. Righteousness of faith: Righteousness received from God by faith (1:17). Those who are outside of the law: If only those who perfectly keep the law-an impossibility-receive the promise, faith has no value. Promise.. of no effect: Making a promise contingent on an impossible condition nullifies the promise (v.13). Law brings about wrath: By exposing man’s sinfulness (7:7-11; Gal 3:19,24).
The promise to Abraham was not through circumcision (vv.9-12) nor through the law (vv.13-16), but through the righteousness of faith. Heir of the world means that Abraham and his seed, in particular Christ, will inherit the earth, a promise that will be fulfilled in the kingdom to be established when Christ returns.
This verse is important in understanding the logic of Paul’s argument and of his view of the Law. Paul basically believes that the existence of the Law turns sin into transgression which would be a willful violation of a known Law. One is thus all the more accountable but most importantly the wrath of God ensues. This is not to say that God does not express his wrath against sin that is not transgression as in 1:18-32 has made evident. The point is that the Law there are even more accountable and a risk of even greater wrath.
Romans 4:16, “16Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Romans 4:17, “17(as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations"[d]) in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;” Romans 4:18, “18who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be."[e]”
Paul here is linking together grace, faith and the promise by explaining that God did things as he did so that the promise be secure or reliable, both for those who are linked to Abraham by faith alone (Gentiles) and for those linked to him by circumcision and “works of the Law” as well as by faith. The promises not been based on the law, then only those who did works of the Law could inherit it. The promises; however are based on grace appropriated through faith so everyone can inherit it. Paul then relies upon Gen 17:5 and 15:5 to support his case from the outset that Abraham was meant to be the forefather not only of the Jews but also of the Gentiles. Dunn points out, “God’s gracious outreach to man is of such a character that it can only be received in unconditional openness (J.D.G. Dunn, Romans 1-8, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, 1988), p.215).
Of faith: Justification is through faith alone (1:16-17; 3:24). According to grace: But the power of justification is God’s great grace (1:5), but not man’s faith. Those who are of the law: Believing Jews. Those who are of the faith of Abraham: Believing Gentiles. Therefore it is of faith: Paul concludes that God’s promises to Abraham were founded on his faith so that it would be acknowledged that salvation was only through grace, that is, God’s favor. Since the promise was not based on adherence to any law or to the performance of any ritual, such as circumcision, Abraham is the forefather of all who believe. Paul explains that Abraham has pleased God through Abraham’s faith alone before he had ever heard about the rituals that would become so important to the Jewish people. We, too, are saved by faith plus nothing. It is not by loving God and doing good that we are saved; neither is it by faith plus love or by faith plus good deeds. We are saved only through faith in Christ, trusting him to forgive all of our sins.
As it is written comes form Gen 17:5. Gives life to the dead: Abraham had experienced this firsthand (Heb 11:11-12; Romans 4:19). Calls those things which do not exist as though they did: This is another reference to the forensic nature of justification. God can declare believing sinners to be righteous even though they are not, by imputing His righteousness to them, just as God made or declared Jesus “sin and punished Him, though He was not a sinner. Those whom He justifies, He will conform to the image of His Son (8:29-30).
Gives life to the dead is a reference to the birth of Isaac from Abraham’s “dead” body and Sarah’s “dead’ womb; both were far beyond the age of child bearing (vs.19). The promise or covenant God gave Abraham stated that Abraham would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:2-4), and that the entire world would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3). This promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus was from Abraham’s line, and was truly the whole world was blessed through him.
Having shown that justification is through faith not of works(vv.1-, and that it is by grace, not the keeping of the law (vv.9-17), Paul now concludes by showing that it results from divine power not human effort (vv.18-25). Paul’s discourse in 18-25 will focus on another Abraham story, the miraculous story of the pregnancy of Sarah and the birth of Isaac which resulted. Genesis 17 teaches us that Abraham was already 100 years old, even more critically Sarah had been unable to conceive, but this is more amazing by the fact that she was 90 years old at the time of the miracle pregnancy. To this Paul is able to say that the conception of Isaac was an example of God quickening the dead, that is both a Abraham’s body which was “as good as dead,” and Sarah’s barren womb, and in fact calling into being things which do not exist. This example then is an example of taking that which was not into the present being which for him was as close to the example to the raising of Yeshua Hamasriach from the dead.
What ought to be shockingly fresh for us is that the story of the resurrection is not a new story, but the story of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac. It is the message of the resurrection that for Paul is the remarkable resurrection power of God to bring life out of death and something out of nothing as was evidence long before Jesus’ resurrection. This was already evidenced in Abraham’s time and life.
To continue the point another way Paul is showing the Jews and Gentiles alike that Abraham is the Father of many(non-Jewish) nations. Chapters 9-11, there seems to have been a problem that arose with the Gentile Christians in Rome appreciating their Jewish lineage. Paul has to emphasize to them who are the root, vine and who are wild olive branches grafted in later. Here Paul will prepare for that discussion by making it clear that Abraham is the Gentiles’ father too, not just the father of the Jews. Abraham is their father not just as the paradigm of the sort of faith Gentiles have sought to have but ought to have, but because they share in the salvation promise made to Abraham. It was God who appointed Abraham to be the blessing to many nations, for this was God’s plan. God did not supersede an original plan for the Jews with one for the Gentiles; rather Jews and Gentiles were in the plan from the time of human progenitor of God’s people-Abraham.
Contrary to hope: From the human perspective, it seemed impossible (v.19); Gen 17:5. What was spoken; Quoted from Gen 15:15. When Abraham was physically beyond any hope of having a child, he based his hope on God’s promises instead. He believed that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars of the heavens because the all-powerful God had promised it.
Romans 4:19, “19And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.”
Weak in faith: When doubt erodes one’s confidence in God’s Word. The deadness of Sarah’s womb: She was only 10 years younger than Abraham (Gen 17:17), 90 years old (well past child bearing age) when they received the promise of Isaac. Deadness of womb: Sarah had no children previously in her life, and by the time God gave this promise she was well past child bearing age.
Romans 4:20-21, “did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”
The promise: Of the birth of a son (Gen 15:4; 17:16; 18:10). Giving glory to God: Believing God affirms His existence and character and thus gives Him glory (Heb 11:6; 1 John 5:10). Glory: Glorifying God means declaring who God is. Abraham by his faith, acknowledged that God was faithful and powerful enough to keep his promise. Abraham was not just wistfully hoping that God would make him the father of many nations, but was fully convinced that what He has promised he was able to perform. History teaches us that what God promises, He also performs.
Abraham never doubted that God would fulfill his promise. Abraham’s life was marked by mistakes, sins and failures as well as by wisdom and goodness, but he consistently trusted God. His faith was strengthened by the obstacles he faced, and his life was an example of faith in action. If he had looked only at his own resources for subduing Canaan and founding a nation, he would have given up in despair. But Abraham looked to God, obeyed him, and waited for God to fulfill his word.
Abraham’s faith never wavered during his time of testing nor did it give way to unbelief, but was strengthened during his time of testing and gave glory to God. Faith can only ever be strong when it is dependant and not dependant. Faith looks forward to the promises, but not independently, but dependently. If one is to look forward to faith as revealed through the promise of Abraham, one has to understand that along the way Abraham made mistakes as well. Abraham was not perfect, he was justified by walking in the reality of the presence of faith, not by the absence of faith. The mentality of superhero would not apply to Abraham, because his faith was a faith that was moved by action, which meant that along the way he would make just as many mistakes as any one of us. Yet, unlike many of us, Abraham’s faith was fully secure in the promises of the implication of faith. Faith is weak when it allows itself to be determined or by depending upon what lies within human power. Paul takes for granted that faith is not a fixed packet, but what can grow stronger and weak at the same time.
Abraham was convinced that the promise itself was a power packed promise. Abraham’s faith is the kind of remarkable faith not just any sort of faith that was reckoned as righteous-a faith that hoped against hope, a faith that in the time of testing glorified in the presence of the trial, but continually grew in the awareness of the presence of the passionate pursuit of the Master in whom He called beloved. Abraham was convinced and convicted that God could bring life out of death and accomplish what was humanly impossible, a faith which is described in Heb 11:1, as “the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction about things not seen,” Being full convicted comes from (plerophorethesis), which Paul correlates with strong faith here.
Romans 4:22-25, “ “22And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."[f] 23Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, Romans 4:25, “25who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”
Paul returns to the theme of faith as reckoned as righteous at the end of this argument by again quoting from Gen 15:6, and then in vv.24-25 he draws the analogy to Christians who place such faith in the One who raised Jesus “our Lord” from the dead. V.25 may have involved a creed established which Paul obviously endorsed. It may also allude; however to Isaiah 53:12. “Handed over”” also refers in possibility to God’s action, just as raising from the dead was what God did for us” (Dee, Romans 1-8, p.224). Witherington points out, “The emphasis is both on Christ being given up for our transgressions and being raised for our being set/right acquittal. The passage thus ends stressing the Christian believers’ being set right. Nothing is said about Christ’s righteousness being imputed to the believer.” The reality is that the believers final acquittal or being set right is when they appear before the bema seat of Christ where they will be judged according to what they have done with what they have been given in relation to their intimacy with Him.
Therefore. Because of his genuine faith (Gen 15:6). Abraham’s faith was creditd to Him as righteousness. Not..for his sake alone; All Scripture has universal application (15:4; 2 Tim 3:16-17) and Abraham’s experiences is no exception. If Abraham was justified by faith, then all others are justified on the same basis. God has Abraham’s faith recorded in Scripture not to immortalize Abraham but to be a model for others. Who raised up: Abraham’s faith was a model because he believed in a God who can raise the dead. We follow Abraham’s example when we have faith, when we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and will grant us eternal life also. Belief in Jesus’ resurrection and ours is central to the gospel (15:4).
A paraphrase of the LXX (Gr. Translation of the OT) rendering of Is. 53:12. Perhaps these words were adapted to and quoted from an early Christian confession of hymn. Delivered up: crucified. Because of our justification: The resurrection provided proof that God had accepted the sacrifice of His Son and would be able to be just and yet justify the ungodly.
Jesus was delivered up to death, taking the penalty of our sin on Himself. Just as God brought life from Abraham and Sarah, who through they were unable to have children, so God raised Jesus back to life. Jesus’ resurrection brought us justification before God because the Resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for us. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, an exchange took place. We give him our sins, and he forgives us and makes us right with God (2nd Corinthians 5:21). There is nothing we can do to earn this. Only through Christ can we may be made right in God’s eyes. What an incredible bargain this is for us! But sadly, many still choose to pass up this gift to continue “enjoying” their sin.
Jesus was fully man, while still fully God, and as the God-Man He died the horrific death which did not for Paul’s make him any less than the divine Lord. This for Paul was of utmost importance for it describes the two important things that are true of Jesus. In Phil 2:5-11 Paul will say that it was precisely at the resurrection that Yeshua was given the divine name Lord. This verse sets the stage for the seque into the argument which begins in Romans 5:1.
Abraham who was a man who walked an incredible journey of faith. His journey was not a perfect journey and neither is ours. We walk by faith not by sight, driven by intimacy, not by performance. Abraham was a sojourner, a man who walked a journey just as many of us do, today. Yet Abraham, walked when he didn’t even know the whole revealed Word as do we today, which is why, we ought to have that much more trust as believers than even our forefather Abraham! How much more our love for Yeshua should rise up truly on account of all, He has demonstrated historically through the history of our own lives and the lives of others.
Paul is then again reiterating the salvation message historically culminating in the eschatological event of the coming of Messiah, which for Paul was always on the lips of his tongue. Their are certain times in life when faith is stretched to the limits and it is times such as these that is indeed a matter of hoping against all by trusting in the visible evidence and natural conditions of faith by hoping against hope.
Jim Wallis of Sojourners once called hope as “trusting God in spite of all the evidence, then watching the evidence change (Cited by Grieb, the Story of Romans, p.53). Paul’s use of two stories from Abraham’s life for Paul just proves who a man who walked with the Lord who was justified by faith when he didn’t know the direction that faith would take him. Abraham is our father because he walked in the reality of the invisible and the tangibles, of faith all at the same time by clinging to the promise given to him. Paul focuses on the true nature of what faith is all about, but doesn’t elaborate about the ultimate test of Abraham’s faith when he had to offer up Isaac to God. Rather he focuses on Abraham’s initial trust in God and then on his trust regarding the miraculous conception of Isaac. This could be because the Isaac story could be read as an example of Abraham’s faithfulness or obedience to God, and Paul instead wishes to focus upon faith rather than faithfulness here where the issue is how one comes to be reckoned as righteous.
Paul’s argument then in Romans 4 is about Abraham’s nodal trust in God, which God reckoned as righteous. It is not about Christ’s righteousness being imputed to Abraham or to those who follow his example. The discussion on faith verses works is not about again about Christology vs., anthropology. The dominant metaphor used is not forensic but commercial, the reckoning of a credit because of faith and the non-reckoning of a debit namely sin. The only plausible solution is to come to the Righteous One-Yeshua Hamasriach and be made righteous by the invisible reality of faith present on account of Christ’s resurrection which will make you righteous in His sight since He was declared Righteous thus received into the Father’s arms through the declaration of the Resurrection.
Pastor David Jenkins
