06 Romans 4:1-15
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Romans 4:1-4
“What then shall we say that Abraham our father has
found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works,
he has something to
boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham
believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to
him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
Abraham’s Gift
Paul asks what Abraham received from God as a result
of works that he did. He goes on to say that if Abraham was justified (made
righteous) by God based on any works of his, then he might have had something
to boast about, but that’s not the case with Abraham, because we know from the
Scriptures that Abraham was made righteous by merely believing what God had
promised him – not by any works on his part.
Wage and Gift
He then uses an illustration of everyday labour to
drive home the point even further. He says that if someone works for something,
then it can’t be called a gift but is really a wage that the person has earned.
Romans 4:5-8
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who
justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just
as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes
righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds
are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom
the Lord shall not impute sin.”
Faith like Abraham
Paul goes on to say that for the person who does
nothing to earn righteousness but merely trusts in God, who makes the ungodly
righteous, that person’s faith is counted as righteousness.
Faith like David
He goes on to explain how King David had spoken of
this righteousness through faith a long time back in Psalm 32:1,2. David talks about people’s lawless deeds being
forgiven by God, and their sins not being exposed (being covered). Once God
forgives our sins, He never brings them to remembrance again – we might do
that, but never God. He goes on say that blessed are the people to whom the
Lord does not impute sin (but rather imputes righteousness). This is something
alien to any religion in the world. God is the One we sin against, and on
account of our sin, we need to be punished, but God In His Justice, punished
His Son Jesus, who bore the penalty for our sin. In His Mercy, God pardons us
and in His Grace, God bestows us with righteousness.
Romans 4:9-12
Does this
blessedness then come upon
the circumcised only, or
upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for
righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or
uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he
received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith
which he had while still uncircumcised,
that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are
uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the
father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of
the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
The blessing’s available to all
Paul is asking if only the Jews are blessed or does
this blessing extend to non-Jews as well. Let’s take a look at when Abraham
received righteousness as a result for his faith – was it after he was circumcised
or before? It was before.
Circumcision was a seal of justification by faith
Circumcision was only a confirmation of that
righteousness he had received while he was uncircumcised.
Abraham, the father of all
This way he becomes the father of all who trust in
God, including the uncircumcised so that they too will receive the same
righteousness he received through the same trust he put in God. He’s also the
father of those who are not only circumcised but also who obey God just like
Abraham did while he was still uncircumcised.
Romans 4:13-15
For
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. For if those who are of the law are heirs,
faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law
brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no
transgression.
The promise of God was through faith – not the law
God’s promise to Abraham or to his seed, that he
would be the heir of the world was not fulfilled through him obeying of the
law, but rather through him believing God, and being made righteous as a
result. (There was no connection to the law at that point, as the law had not
yet been given. It was given a long time later through Moses).
If the promise was through the law, then faith would be futile
If one became an inheritor of the promise by keeping
the law, then what role does faith play in the process? Nothing. It makes it
meaningless. In fact, the law only causes us to suffer wrath, because no one
can keep the law and would therefore have to bear the consequences - the wrath
of God. There would have been no disobedience had there been no law to obey.
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Michael Collins
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