Justification by Faith: Our Father Abraham (Part 2)

PRAY: Holy Father, through the work of your Spirit from your word, let us see you more fully in Christ Jesus so that we will love you more deeply and magnify your more faithfully as the people you are making for your own possession. Amen.

INTRO: What do we need more than anything else in all the world? We need to be in right relationship with the almighty God of the universe, who created space and time for his glory and our good. God wants you to know, through the Apostle Paul, that being right with Him is not something you can achieve, something you can earn, but it is something you can receive as a gift from God’s gracious hand.

In fact, we are so mired in sin that we continually make our debt to God bigger and our distance from God further, storing up greater and greater wrath from a holy God against our sin. Therefore, justification—being in right relationship to God—is not something you can achieve, but it is something you can receive… by faith… faith in God’s promise through Jesus Christ.

That’s the broadest picture of our present context in Paul’s letter to the Romans. As we draw nearer to where we are in the second half of chapter 4, Paul has established that God’s means of justifying sinners is the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; it is Christ’s righteousness imputed to us which makes us right with God. So Paul sets out to defend further that such righteousness is a gift of God’s grace that can only be appropriated through faith, and not by our works, nor by our heritage, leaving us with nothing we can boast in from ourselves.

Using Abraham as the prototype, Paul demonstrates to his readers why we cannot be right with God by anything other than faith alone in God’s promise alone, the substance of which God has now revealed is the person and accomplishment of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 4:13–17 ESV

13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Just as Abraham was justified by faith and not by works of the law, the true spiritual heirs of God’s promise to Abraham are those justified by faith in God’s promise of salvation through Jesus.

Paul has been saying, even we Jews can’t boast in God for being the descendants of Abraham, because Abraham’s righteousness was by God’s grace counting it to him because of his faith in God’s promise, not because of his works… even circumcision was an outworking of faith. Abraham was justified by faith alone because God graciously counted him righteous, something King David also understood. That means that whether we are Jew or Gentile, God is justifying sinners by his grace as a gift, on the basis of faith in God’s promise. And God’s promise is now that Jesus is the promised Messiah, who died for sin’s penalty and God’s wrath against sin and rose again, so that by faith in him we can stand right with God and not have God count our sins against us (because God unites us with Christ).

The true heirs of God’s promise to Abraham are those who share Abraham’s righteousness by faith (apart from the law). Faith rests not in one’s own ability or faithfulness but believes in a God who is faithful and able to keep his promise. It is by such faith that God counted Abraham righteous, and is by such faith in God’s promise through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we may also be justified (counted right with God).

God’s promise to Abraham and his offspring (of inheriting the world) is realized through the righteousness of faith and not through works of the Mosaic law. (verse 13)

After all, God gave the law to Israel through Moses some 430 years after his promise to Abraham (according to Paul in Gal 3:17). Therefore Abraham appropriated God’s promise by faith, by which God counted him righteous (Ro 4:3), long before God gave Israel the law.

What is a little less obvious is what Paul means by saying that the content of the promise was that Abraham (or his offspring) would inherit the world. This “heir of the world” is also referred to with a singular pronoun, translated as “he.” That “he” must be either Abraham or Christ, the latter of which would be parallel to Paul’s argument in Galatians 3:15ff. In this context, both could be possible, which I’ll try to explain in just a minute.

But in either case, there is no explicit statement in the OT that Abraham or his offspring would inherit the world. Tom Schreiner explains that, “Examining the OT we find no explicit statement that Abraham would become heir of the world. God had promised Abraham that he would have descendants (Gen. 12:2; 13:16; 15:5; 17:4–6, 16–20; 18:18; 22:17) and the land of Canaan (12:7; 13:14–17; 15:7, 18–21; 17:8), and that all nations would be blessed through him (12:3; 18:18; 22:18).” (Romans, 2nd Ed, BECNT)

So Paul does not seem to be referencing any particular aspect of God’s promises to Abraham, but rather speaking of being heir of the world to come.

If the “he” is Abraham, then this would refer to a culminating promise of a final reward, which is the inheritance understood as a description of final salvation. Paul’s emphasis would then be the culminating promise, that by faith Abraham would inherit the world to come. As we shall see, all who are Abraham’s true spiritual descendants by faith are his offspring who will also inherit this salvation. (v. 16)

Alternatively, Paul could be referencing the Messiah as the singular offspring who is heir of the world to come. If so, Paul would be kind of assuming they readily see the specific point he makes in this regard in…

Galatians 3:16–18 ESV

16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

It is true that there are numerous parallels in the arguments Paul makes in Gal 3 and here in Rom 4, so if Paul intends to mean Christ with the “he” in Rom 4:13, the point would still be that Abraham was counted as righteous by God for believing the promise that a future heir would inherit the world to come, which would then reference a messianic kingdom in which this heir reigns over all (either in the millennium or eternal state).

Although either way Paul maintains doctrinal consistency, there is one primary thing that makes me favor that “he” is a reference to Abraham rather than Christ. Referencing the Messiah with a simple “he” here with no explanation seems too subtle for Paul’s very careful explanation of critical concepts. With the emphasis being on Abraham’s faith and that his true descendants are all people of faith in God’s promise, I find it more likely that the promise is salvation, a future inheritance of the world to come.

Again then (which is true in either case), what Paul sets up in v. 13 and continues to develop through v. 17a, is this: God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants is not realized through the law, which Abraham plainly didn’t possess, but through the righteousness of faith. This last phrase is an important reminder that links to Paul’s key point in this section of the letter: being right with God comes by grace through faith in God’s promise, not through our works somehow achieving sufficient righteousness, nor only by being of the people group with whom God covenanted.

Secondly, Paul is emphasizing not only that we receive the promise by faith and not by our works of the law, but also that the promise is not limited to those who have the law, but is also for people of all nations who would respond in faith to God’s promise. After all, Paul has just spoken of Gentile inclusion in this justification by faith apart from circumcision (v. 12), using Abraham’s faith prior to circumcision to make that point as well. And momentarily Paul will again reference Abraham as father of all who have faith (v. 16b), and quote Genesis where God said, “I have made you the father of many nations” (v. 17a). And how is Abraham the father of many nations? Through the Lord Jesus Christ, Abraham’s seed who secures our redemption when in him we are justified by faith.

In vv. 14-15 Paul once again emphasizes that by possessing and performing the law we cannot earn our place to inherit God’s promise. Paul makes this point by setting up a hypothetical argument:

If the people performing works of the Mosaic law were the true heirs, that would render faith pointless and even erase the promise itself because we would earn what we deserve: God’s wrath. Rather than justifying us, the law serves to expose our sin when we transgress it. (verses 14-15)

For if the people who are (literally) “of the law” are heirs, then faith is pointless (empty, devoid of significance) and God’s promise is abolished (set aside, wiped out). It seems clear in this context that Paul means the people of the law as those who depend on their possession and performance the law to make them right with God.

“If the inheritance is gained by observing the law, then righteousness is no longer by faith but by works. Faith and works are fundamentally opposed, for faith means trusting in or relying on a promise of God’s work and not depending in any way on human performance.” (ESV Study Bible) Trusting in our works in that way empties the purpose and meaning of faith. Faith and works, as a means of acceptance in order to receive the inheritance, are fundamentally opposed. Like Abraham, faith does lead to works that are an outworking of that faith. But it is not the works by which we are accepted, but rather by God’s grace received through faith.

So too, trusting in possession and performance of the law would abolish, set aside, wipe out the promise itself, because a promised inheritance means nothing if there is no one to inherit it. And why would no one inherit it? Because it is a plain matter of fact that no one keeps the law perfectly. And anyone who does not keep any part of the law is guilty of all of it (Cf. Jam 2:10). Or as Paul says in Galatians 3:10 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.””

That is where verse 15 here in Rom 4 is important, because this is not hypothetical (like v.14), but a fact: “For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.” Paul is using the word transgression in a technical sense, which is to be distinguished from sin more broadly. Paul has established that everyone is sinning, living in ways that do not give God the glory he deserves. But transgression specifically means to violate a revealed command. It is the people who have the law who transgress that law.

So the written law brings wrath because it gives us greater revelation and therefore exposes our sin in the most obvious ways when we do not keep the law. The law was given to highlight the holiness of God and our inability to live up to his holy character. That should lead us to faith in God’s promise and not our performance.

We can be exceedingly foolish and trust in our own righteousness (which will actually lead to wrath) or we can be foolishly frustrated in claims that God is being unfair, or we can in faith call upon God to be merciful and do for us what we do not deserve, which is to not count our sin against us (as David says) and to give us Christ’s righteousness (as Paul explains).

So if it is up to us to inherit the promise by keeping the law, the promise is effectually wiped out because no one can merit this inheritance. That is why it depends on faith. … which is exactly how Paul completes this thought, returning to two important emphases of justification by faith:

The promise corresponds to God’s grace and is not our due, which is why justification if by faith and not works. And this right standing by faith unites Jews and Gentiles as heirs with father Abraham. (verse 16)

Romans 4:16 “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,”

Faith means trusting in God’s willingness and ability, and not in one’s own efforts. So it corresponds to grace, trusting in God’s gift of unmerited favor. Our faith is not in our ability but in God’s promise and ability to fulfill it. And if unmerited, then this faith unites people of the law and people who don’t have the law, so long as they share the faith of Abraham, making him the father of all who have faith.

What Paul clearly implies for his fellow Jews, who are “of the law,” is that they must not rely on their works but must trust in God’s promise, sharing Abraham’s faith to share in the promised inheritance.

Paul continues to combine the two applications: being right with God is not by works but by faith, and this offer of justification by faith is not only to those of the Mosaic covenant, but to any who would receive Jesus Christ as Lord.

But for Paul, how is Abraham “the father of us all,” the father of many nations (Gen 17:4-5)? It is through the Lord Jesus, who is not only the chosen seed of Abraham, God’s anointed, but has also become the specific means by which God remains just while being the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (3:26). Who Jesus is (the God-Man) and what Jesus did (his sacrificial death for sin and vindicating resurrection) is how God remains perfectly righteous while imputing Christ’s righteousness to the one who has faith in Jesus as God’s promise of a righteousness that leads to salvation.

[Conclusion] Paul has asked the reader…

Who are the true descendants of God’s promised salvation—those who try to merit righteousness by keeping the law, or those whom God counts righteous by faith in his promise?

Paul’s goal is to convince his readers that justification (forensically declared by God to be in right standing with him) is by faith in God alone and trusting in his promise, and not by any achievement of our own to be righteous enough to merit right standing with God.

If you try to merit the promised inheritance (which is eternal salvation, the world to come) by your works, you will fail. But if by faith you trust that God, by his grace, is willing and able to make you righteous so that you may enter his kingdom of righteousness, God credits righteousness to your account. And this forensic righteousness, Paul has said, God accomplished through Jesus, allowing God to be both just and justifier of the one who has faith in God’s promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus.

Using Abraham as the prototype, Paul demonstrates to his readers why we cannot be right with God by anything other than faith alone in God’s promise alone, the substance of which God has now revealed in the person and accomplishment of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you would follow the example of Abraham, you must respond in faith to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Paul leaves no other alternative to being right with God. Not being a physical descendant of Abraham. Not keeping the Mosaic law. Not observing religious ritual. Not proximity to other people of faith. Only a personal submission to God that he is willing and able to save the one who believes in Jesus Christ, who died for our trespasses and rose again for our justification.)

*** application for believers

God’s promises are bigger than our particular situation, and are more sure than any plans we make. Our confidence is not in our works but in God’s promise.

PRAY

COMMUNION: