07 Romans 4:16-25
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Romans
4:16-18
16 Therefore 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 17 (as it
is written, “I have made you a
father of many nations”) 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; 18 who, 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.”
The Unmerited Promise
The promise that
God made to Abraham, that he would be heir of the world was fulfilled, because
he believed that God would do what he promised. He knew that he didn’t deserve
it in any way, and that it was God’s gift to him. This promise was concerning
all people – not only the Jews, but all people who would believe God, just like
Abraham did. That’s why He is considered the ancestor of all who receive God’s
righteousness through faith in Jesus.
Paul then goes on to quote from Genesis 17:5, where God said that Abram would no longer be called Abram, (which meant ‘exalted father’) but would thereafter be called Abraham, (which meant, ‘father of many),’ and He added that He would be the father of many nations. In God’s eyes Abraham was the father of the many who would believe God just like he did. Abraham believed God, who could bring dead things to life, and who referred to things which did not exist as though they did. (We’ll see what he’s referring to later in this study).
Faith in a Seemingly Impossible Promise
Paul then goes on to say that Abraham
believed God’s promise to him, despite the fact that what God was promising,
seemed like an impossibility. Based on his faith in God’s promise, he did
indeed become the father of many nations, just as God said to Abram in Genesis 15:5, when He took him out, and
showed him the stars. He told him to count the stars if he could and then He
said, “So shall your descendants be.”
What Paul is saying here in essence is, that just as Abraham believed God’s
promise that he would be the heir of the world, and God made him righteous as a
result of his faith in God, so also, all of us (Jews or non-Jews) who put our
trust in Jesus’s work on our behalf, will be a part of those people God was
referring to, who will be made righteous. That’s why God considers him our
father (ancestor).
Romans 4:19-25
19 And 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. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God
through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and
being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to
perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 23 Now it
was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but
also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up
Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered
up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
Un-weakening and Unwavering Faith
When Paul said
earlier, “God, who gives life to the
dead,” he was referring to the time that God appeared to Abraham when he
was almost 100 years old, 99 to be precise. Abraham did not weaken in his faith
in God’s promise, even though he was quite old, and his wife was way past the
age of child-bearing. Paul refers to Abraham as being ‘dead’ as it were, and Sarah’s womb being ‘dead’ as well. Abraham did not waver in his faith regarding God’s
promise but instead, his faith only grew stronger and he gave glory to God. We
usually give glory to God after a promise if fulfilled, but Abraham gave glory
to God even while waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. He was convinced
that God was able to do what He had promised. He was, in essence believing,
that God would do the impossible. That’s why it was credited to him as
righteousness.
We are Heirs of the Promise
Paul goes on to say
that not only was Abraham imputed righteousness, but it referred to all of us
as well who would be imputed righteousness through faith in God who raised the
Lord Jesus from the dead. God was going to intervene in our sinful lives and
make us righteous, not based on anything we did, but based on our faith in God,
who raised Jesus from the dead. He was punished for our sins and was raised
from the dead, so that we would be justified (made righteous). Those who
believe it, receive it.
Jesus Rose to Justify us
If Jesus died and did not rise from the dead,
then we would not have forgiveness for our sins. We would still be dead in our
sins. But by Jesus rising from the dead, the work of redemption was completely
paid for, and we are now free to live the life that God intended for us to live
because Jesus is alive. (Read 1
Corinthians 15 about the significance of Jesus’ resurrection). If Christ
didn’t rise, we’d be believing in a God who’s dead. Because Christ rose, we
have hope that when we die, we will rise again, and meet Him when He returns.
A Shadow of Things to Come
It might seem like Paul is making a lot of connections with Abraham, who lived thousands of years ago, and this can sometimes seem irrelevant to our lives today. But Paul is making a very important point here. He’s establishing the fact that just like Abraham was made righteous by believing in the promise of God, that he would be the father of many nations, so also we are called to have faith in God, to do this impossible thing of making us righteous by nothing we do, but by merely believing God, who made the way of Salvation available to us through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son Jesus. God had planned the way of salvation a long time back and Abraham’s faith was a glimpse of how God intended to do it – through our faith in Jesus.
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