Romans 4.18b-Abraham's Faith in the Lord Enabled the Lord to Make Abraham a Father of Many Nations
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday February 24, 2008
Romans: Romans 4:18b-Abraham’s Faith in the Lord Enabled the Lord to Make Abraham a Father of Many Nations
Lesson # 133
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 4:18.
This morning, we will continue with our study of the sixth section that appears in Romans chapter four, which is contained in Romans 4:18-22.
In this passage, Paul teaches that Abraham became the father of many nations as a result of his faith in the Lord.
In Romans 4:18a, we noted that Abraham had absolute confidence in the Lord that He could do that which was humanly impossible.
The Lord promised Abraham that He would give him and Sarah a child and innumerable posterity.
However, they were both advanced in age when they received this promise.
Yet, both Abraham and Sarah had absolute confidence that the Lord could do what was humanly impossible.
From the human perspective, the fulfillment of the promise was impossible but from the divine perspective, nothing is impossible with an omnipotent God.
The faith of Abraham and Sarah demonstrates the spiritual principle that you appropriate the omnipotence of God by operating in faith.
This morning we will complete our study of Romans 4:18 and note the second half of the verse, which teaches that Abraham’s faith in the Lord enabled the Lord to make Abraham a father of many nations.
Romans 4:18, “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, ‘SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.’”
“So that he might become the father of many nations” is a result clause that indicates that Abraham became the father of many nations “as a result” of exercising absolute confidence in the Lord to fulfill on His promise.
“A father” is the noun pater (pathVr), which denotes Abraham’s “biological” and “spiritual” fatherhood since the promise to Abraham included both spiritual and biological descendants.
“Nations” is the noun ethnos (e&qno$) (eth-nos), which refers to the Jewish nation and Gentiles nations as well as believers in Jesus Christ from every nation on earth.
In Genesis 17:5, the Lord’s promise to Abraham 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 reference to Abraham becoming the father of many nations is a reference to the Lord’s promise again in Genesis 17:5.
Romans 4:18, “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, ‘SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.’”
“According to that which had been spoken” is composed of the preposition kata (katav), “according to” and the verb ereo (e)revw) (er-eh-o), “that which had been spoken.”
Various forms of this verb ereo indicate not just the speaking of words but rather they indicate the forcefulness of the speaker is emerging in a command, affirmation, or objection.
The speaker is not only verbalizing a thought but emphasizing it as well.
The verb ereo denotes a strong affirmation by the writer and expresses a solemn declaration.
In Romans 4:18, the verb denotes the strong affirmation of Scripture and in particular Genesis 15:5, “so shall your descendants be.”
The word indicates the forcefulness of the Lord’s promise to Abraham.
Ereo denotes that Lord’s promise to Abraham is a solemn declaration.
It emphasizes that the Lord’s promise to Abraham would be fulfilled.
Therefore, the verb ereo means, “to solemnly declare” something.
Perfect tense of ereo is an “intensive” perfect emphasizing the results or present state produced by a past action.
In Romans 4:18, the “intensive perfect” tense of the verb ereo emphasizes the present permanent state of the promise recorded in Genesis 15:4-5 that was produced by the past action of the preincarnate Son of God making this promise to Abraham.
The “intensive” perfect emphasizes that the present relevance of the promise and that it is still binding.
The preposition kata with the accusative participle form of the verb ereo denotes conformity to a particular standard or policy.
Therefore, kata specifies that Abraham becoming the father of many nations was “in conformity with” the Lord’s promise.
Abraham becoming the father of many nations was “in accordance with” the Word of God or the promise that God made to Abraham.
Romans 4:18, “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, ‘SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.’”
The statement “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE” is a quotation from Genesis 15:5.
Genesis 15:1-6, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.’ Abram said, ‘O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.’ Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.’ And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
Romans 4:18, “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, ‘SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.’”
“SO” is the adverb of manner houtos (ou^tw$) (hoo-tos), which refers to the statement that follows, which is a direct quotation from Genesis 15:5 and can be translated “in this way” or “as follows.”
In Genesis 15:5, the Lord compared the promise of innumerable descendants for Abraham with the innumerable stars of the stellar universe.
Here in Romans 4:18, Paul compares Abraham becoming a father of many nations by faith with the Lord’s promise that Abraham’s descendants would be innumerable.
Therefore, in Romans 4:18, Paul is demonstrating the connection between the promise in Genesis 15:5 that Abraham’s descendants would be innumerable with the Lord’s promise in Genesis 17:5 that Abraham would be the father of many nations.
These innumerable descendants would compose the many nations.
“SHALL BE” is the verb eimi (ei)miv) (i-mee), which means, “to exist.”
The verb denotes that Abraham’s innumerable descendants “will exist” in the same manner in which there are innumerable stars in the stellar universe.
The future tense is a “predictive” future tense indicating that something will take place or come to pass.
Therefore, it indicates the Lord predicted to Abraham that “it will come to pass” that he would have innumerable descendants just as there are innumerable stars in the stellar universe.
Jeremiah 1:12, “Then the LORD said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.’”
“YOUR DESCENDANTS” is composed of the personal pronoun su (suv), “YOUR” and the noun sperma (spevrma) (sper-mah), “DESCENDANTS.”
The personal pronoun su refers to Abraham of course and functions as a “genitive of possession” indicating that these descendants “belong to” the patriarch.
As we noted in our study of the promises of the Abrahamic covenant, the Scriptures teach that the “seed” of Abraham is four-fold: (1) Abraham’s biological or racial descendants, which would include: (a) The Ishmaelites through Hagar (Gen. 17:20; 21:13; 25:12-18) (b) The Midianites and others through Keturah (Gen. 25:1-4) (c) The Edomites through Isaac and Rebekah (Gen. 25:23; 36:1-43). (2) Abraham’s biological or racial descendants the Israelites of Jews through Sarah and Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob (Genesis 12:2, 7; 18:18; Rom. 9:6-9). (3) Abraham’s spiritual descendants, which would include those individuals, both Jew and Gentile racially, who exercised faith alone in Christ alone (Gal. 3:6-29). (4) The Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:16).
In Romans 4:18, the noun sperma refers to both Abraham’s spiritual and biological descendants since the promises to Abraham in Genesis 15:5 and 17:5 included both biological and spiritual descendants for Abraham.