Romans 4:1-12

1-8 9-12

1-8

1

After chapter 3 and saying that we are not justified by the law but by faith Paul brings up the root of the Jewish heritage, Abraham. Most of the Jews at the time that Romans was written believed that Abraham was made right with God because of his own righteous character and that he was the most righteous man on earth during his time. Some even saying that he served God from his birth and kept the law even before it was given to Moses. Paul had just stated that all Jews and Gentiles are justified by faith and not works or the law but then what about Abraham?The inclusion of our forefather according to the flesh could mean that Abraham is the example of our human descendant and Paul could have included it to mean that Abraham is the human standard of a genuine Jew and of a man who is right before God.

2

This could also refer to a reliance on human works for salvation because verse 2 poses that if Abraham was justified by his works, his own righteousness as many Jews did believe. If Abraham was justified by his own efforts, his works then he would have something to boast about, and as Paul already stated before in 3:27 that all boasting is excluded, and Paul says this at the end of verse 2. Abraham did not have any reason to boast before God because all of our works are just filthy rags before a holy God.

3

Paul then asks a very good question, one that Jesus also often asks, what does the Scripture say? The quote is from Genesis 15:6 “And he, Abraham, believed the Lord, and he, God, counted it to him, Abraham, as righteousness.” When God called Abraham, at the time Abram, He gave no reason why He chose Abraham, nowhere in Scripture is the reason given, God chose him out of his divine will which requires no justification or explanation. God spoke to Abraham and told him that he would be the father of a great nation and that He would bless him. Just on the word of God Abraham left his country, his livelihood, his friends and most of his relatives and possessions to go to where God commanded him, he did this on faith. Genesis clearly says that it was because of Abraham’s belief, his faith is what brought about his being counted as righteous or his belief in God and no other reason, none of his works or his deeds, but his belief was reckoned to him by God as righteousness. Was reckoned’s Greek word carried an economic and legal meaning of crediting something to another’s account, God recieved from Abraham his imperfect faith and God through his grace and mercy credited Abraham’s spiritual account righteousness, and more precisely the righteousness of Christ who would come.

4

In verse 4 he uses a bit of logic and reasons that if a worker or employee does a job the pay that they get their paycheck is not a gift from the employer, the employer does not give them money out of the goodness of their own hearts, the paycheck of someone doing a job is their wages, it is what they have earned, they have a right to expect that pay, their wages. If a person can do a work and that work is what brings about their justification and righteousness before God, then their justification cannot be a gift, it is their pay, their expectation, their right.

5

But the one who does not work, is not involved in their justification before God but believes and has faith in God, like Abraham did, his faith is counted as righteousness. Faith IS required for salvation, but it in itself does not have the power to save, if it were it would be a work on our part, it is the power of God’s redemptive grace and the work of Jesus Christ alone that saves. There was also a mention of this verse “canonizing laziness” and that is not the case, Paul is not advocating that the believer in faith never does anything, as a result of God’s grace and our faith we will produce good works, or good fruit that shows us to be a good tree and not a thistle tree. But these “good works” are not the cause of our righteousness but a result of our changed life.

6-8

Paul here shifts from talking about Abraham and his righteousness by faith to quote David from Psalm 32. There is a few reasons why bringing in a quote from David fits in with the previous verses discussing Abraham. One is that from the Old Testament there needed to be two witnesses to prove something true, one from Abraham and the other from David. And also the key word in Genesis 15:6 “reckon” also is in Psalm 32 in verse 2 “not reckon” making a parallel between the two verses. Where Genesis 15 reckons Abraham’s faith as righteousness, to credit his account, what David writes in Psalm 32 is that our sin is not credited against us Psalm 32:1-2 “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity” counts no iniquity, does not reckon our sin against us. Just as the Genesis verse God is the one crediting Abraham, David’s Psalm says that God is also the one not crediting our sins against us, He is the one forgiving them, in neither passage is there anything works related, God is the driver and one responsible.

9-12

9

Once again Paul is anticipating that there will be some who say that if it is faith that saves and Abraham was the father of all who would have faith, then is this blessing of grace from God for our faith only for the Jew, the circumcised and not for the Gentile, the uncircumcised because Abraham was the root of the Jewish race?

10

Before he answers the question of verse 9 Paul ask another question in verse 10, How was this faith that Abraham had reckoned or counted to him? Was before or after he was circumcised? These two question tie together and are asking if Abraham was justified by faith alone why did God demand circumcision of him and all of his descendants? Was his faith the circumcision? Again Jews believed very strongly in their circumcision as a sign of their guaranteed admittance in heaven. This question is still very relevant today, just replace circumcision with any other work that every other religion uses as a means of righteousness. Catholics are taught that their salvation is achieved through human works. In the Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma by Dr. Ludwig Ott, it says that the Catholic sacraments, which are baptism, confirmation, Eucharist or communion, penance or confession, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders or becoming a deacon, priest or bishop, confer grace immediately without the mediation of a person’s faith, and that the sacraments confer sanctifying grace on the receivers. Also that neither orthodox belief nor moral worthiness on the part of the recipient is necessary for the validity of the sacrament. I read that as the person receiving these Catholic sacraments does not have to believe or have faith or show any worthiness, fruits of the spirit, or good works that show salvation has taken place for that person to receive sanctifying grace from these human works. Paul quickly answers that Abraham had the faith that was counted, credited to him as righteousness before and not after he was circumcised thus removing any notion that it was any work of Abraham in circumcision that was the reason for his righteousness. Abraham was said to have faith 14 - 29 years before he was circumcised.

11-12

The circumcision was never the way to become justified, it was a seal of the faith that Abraham had that was counted to him as righteousness, a seal in the same way a king would put his seal on a new law or important document providing some proof that it was from the king. Paul then informs us of the reason of the order, Abraham was counted righteous because of his faith before he was circumcised so that Abraham can be the father, or model for everyone who believes, has faith without being circumcised, the Gentiles, us. Abraham is the genetic or linage father of all the Jews and a seal of their being part of the chosen people of God, which also required faith from them or walking in the footsteps of the faith, this seal of being the chosen people of God whom the messiah would come through and the law was given to was the circumcision but it was just that a seal, a sign and not the cause of righteousness. Abraham is the father to all who believe and have faith the Jews who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised or are a Gentile, he was an example for everyone, but not because of anything he did, including the circumcision, it was grace from God which enabled him to have faith and be counted, reckoned, or imputed the righteousness on him because of his faith, so that righteousness would be counted to all who believe through faith as a work of grace from God.