Romans 4.17a-God Appointed Abraham to be the Father of Many Nations
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday February 13, 2008
Romans: Romans 4:17a-God Appointed Abraham To Be the Father of Many Nations
Lesson # 130
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 4:13.
This evening we will continue the fifth section of Romans chapter four that appears in Romans 4:13-17, which teaches that the Lord’s promises to Abraham that he would be heir of the world preceded the giving of the Law.
Paul teaches in Romans 4:13 that the promises of the Abrahamic covenant were received by Abraham through faith and not by obeying the Law.
These promises collectively imply that Abraham would inherit the earth and those who like him exercise faith in the Lord.
In Romans 4:14, Paul teaches us that if the inheritance was based upon obedience to the Law, then faith is useless and the promise of inheriting the earth is meaningless.
Then, in Romans 4:15, he teaches that the purpose of the Law was to bring about wrath but where there is no law, there is no violation.
Romans 4:16a reveals that the promise of inheriting the earth can only, be received by means of faith in order that it might be fulfilled in accordance with God’s grace policy.
In Romans 4:16b, Paul says that the promise of inheriting the world is guaranteed to both Jewish and Gentile believers who are spiritual descendants of Abraham.
This evening we will study Romans 4:17a in which Paul quotes Genesis 17:5, which teaches that God appointed Abraham to be the father of many nations.
Romans 4:13, “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.”
Romans 4:14, “For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified.”
Romans 4:15, “for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.”
Romans 4:16, “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, 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, “(as it is written, ‘A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU’) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.”
The statement “(as it is written, ‘A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU’).” is a parenthesis as identified by the New American Standard Updated Version.
We will place this statement in parenthesis as well and note the reason why this should be done when translating the passage.
The conjunction kathos, “as” with the indicative mood of grapho, “it is written” introduces an Old Testament passage, namely, Genesis 17:5, which supports Paul’s assertion in Romans 4:16.
In Romans 4:16 Paul teaches that the promise of inheriting the earth is appropriated by means of faith in order that it might be in accordance with grace resulting in the promise being guaranteed to both Jew and Gentile believers.
Together, the conjunction kathos, “as” with the indicative mood of grapho, “it is written” signify that the Old Testament quotation from Genesis 17:5 that follows is a comparative clause.
This clause expresses a comparison between Paul’s statement in Romans 4:16 with the statement the Lord made to Abraham recorded in Genesis 17:5 that many nations would descend from him.
Genesis 17:5, “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.”
So to validate his assertion that both Jew and Gentile believers are spiritual descendants of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ, Paul quotes Genesis 17:5 from the Jews’ own Old Testament Scriptures.
In Romans 4:17, Paul is utilizing the “sword of the Spirit” by employing this Old Testament passage of Scripture to validate his assertion in Romans 4:16.
Romans 4:17, “(as it is written, ‘A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU’) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.”
“HAVE I MADE YOU” is the verb tithemi (tivqhmi) (tith-ay-mee), “HAVE I MADE” and the personal pronoun su (suv), “YOU.”
In Romans 4:17, the verb tithemi signifies God making a sovereign decision in “appointing” Abraham to be not only the physical progenitor of many nations but also the spiritual progenitor as well.
The personal pronoun su means, “YOUR” is a reference of course to Abraham since Genesis 17:5 records the Lord making this promise to Abraham.
“A FATHER” is the noun pater (pathVr), which denotes that Abraham is the spiritual “father” or “progenitor” of both Jews and Gentiles who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The word denotes the fact that Abraham was the “spiritual prototype” of those Jews and Gentiles who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Abraham’s spiritual fatherhood is being emphasized in Romans 4:17 even though when the Lord made this promise to Abraham, the Lord also meant that Abraham would be the biological progenitor of many nations and not just a spiritual progenitor.
Paul’s emphasis in Romans 4:17 is upon Abraham’s spiritual fatherhood.
This is indicated since in context, in Romans 4:11-16, he has been emphasizing that Abraham is the spiritual father of all those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, regardless of whether they are Jewish or a Gentile.
Romans 4:17, “(as it is written, ‘A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU’) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.”
“MANY NATIONS” emphasizes that Abraham is the spiritual progenitor of believers in Jesus Christ from every nation on earth.
This interpretation is confirmed by the context since in Romans 4:11-16, Paul is emphasizing Abraham’s spiritual fatherhood in that he is the spiritual father of all those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior whether Jew or Gentile.
In Genesis 17:5, the Lord’s promise to Abram to make him “the father of a multitude of nations” would be fulfilled in a two-fold sense: (1) Biological (2) Spiritual.
Genesis 17:1-5, “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.’ I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.’ Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, ‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.’”
The promise to make Abraham a father or progenitor of many nations was fulfilled in a “biological” sense through Hagar where he is the progenitor of the Ishmaelites (Gen. 17:20; 21:13; 25:12-18).
It would be fulfilled through Keturah, the Midianites and others (Gen. 25:1-4); through Isaac and Rebekah, the Edomites (Gen. 25:23; 36:1-43).
This interpretation is substantiated by the genealogies of Keturah (Gen. 25:1-4), Ishmael (Gen. 25:12-18) and Edom (Gen. 36).
When the Lord promises Abraham that he will be the progenitor of many nations, it includes the nation of Israel since in Genesis 12:2, the Lord promised Abraham that He would make him a “great nation” (cf. Gen. 18:18).
Therefore, Abraham’s “biological” descendants through Isaac are the Jews, the nation of Israel whereas through Hagar and Keturah, it is the Arabs.
The Lord’s promise to make Abraham a father or progenitor of many nations was fulfilled and continues to be fulfilled in a “spiritual” sense through those individuals who exercised faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:1-7; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28).
This is how the Lord’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that in him “all the families of the earth would be blessed” would be accomplished.
Genesis 12:1-3, “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
The promise “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” refers to the fact that through Jesus Christ, the Promised Seed of Genesis 3:15, Abraham would be a blessing to all mankind (Dt. 28:8-14; Is. 60:3-5, 11, 16) since it is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that one becomes Abraham’s seed and heirs of the promise (Gal. 3:29; Eph. 2:13, 19).
This promise was the Gospel of salvation proclaimed to Abraham (Gal. 3:8) and reaches back to the divided “families” (10:5, 20, 31) of the earth at the Tower of Babel who were alienated from God due to sin and rebellion and the deception of Satan but who would be blessed through faith alone in Christ alone.
In Romans, Paul teaches that God’s promise to make Abraham a father of many nations is fulfilled in the sense that they reproduce Abraham’s faith (Rom. 4:13-17).
Therefore, regardless of whether or not an individual is Jewish or Gentile biologically or racially, anyone who exercises faith alone in Christ alone becomes a “spiritual” descendant of Abraham.
The promise that Abraham would be a father of many nations was reconfirmed to his grandson Jacob.
Genesis 35:1-11, “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.’ So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.’ So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem. As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. He built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother. Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth. Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name. Thus He called him Israel.’ God also said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.”
The title El Shaddai, “God Almighty” emphasizes the omnipotence of God and describes the Lord as being able to bring to pass that which He has promised to Jacob.
Romans 4:20-21, “yet, with respect to the promise of God, he (Abraham) did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.”
The expression “God Almighty” (Hebrew: El Shaddai) was first used by God of Himself when speaking to Abraham as recorded in Genesis 17:1 and was used by Isaac when blessing Jacob as recorded in Genesis 28:3.
The promise “a company of nations…shall come from you” was fulfilled and continues to be fulfilled in a “spiritual” sense through those individuals who exercised faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:1-7; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28).
The expression “a company of nations…shall come from you” refers to a community of nations that will originate from Jacob and echoes the Lord’s promise to his grandfather Abraham that he would become “the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:4-5) and “the father of nations” (Genesis 17:6).
The Lord’s promise to Abraham to make him “the father of a multitude of nations” and Isaac’s desire that the Lord would make Jacob a “company of peoples” and the Lord’s promise to Jacob that “a company of nations…shall come from you” would be fulfilled in both a “biological” and “spiritual” sense.
In a “biological” or “racial” sense, the “company of nations” that would originate from Jacob would be the nation of Israel.
In a “spiritual” sense the “company of nations” that would originate from Jacob refers to all those who exercise faith alone in Christ alone who would be composed of all nations and races, both male and female, slave and freeman (John 3:1-7; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28).
In the same way, that Abraham became a father in a “spiritual” sense to those individuals who exercised faith in Christ so also Jacob would become the father in a “spiritual” sense to all those who exercised faith in Christ.
By means of His Word, the Lord would fulfill His fourth promise to Jacob and endue him with power to be the progenitor of “a company of nations” in a “spiritual” sense through all those who exercise faith alone in Christ alone.