Romans 4.21-Abraham Was Being Fully Assured That God Could Deliver on His Promise of a Child
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday March 4, 2008
Romans: Romans 4:21-Abraham Was Fully Assured That God Could Deliver On His Promise of a Child
Lesson # 137
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 4:13.
This evening we will study Romans 4:21, in which Paul teaches that not only did Abraham give glory to God by empowering himself by means of his faith in the Lord but he was also simultaneously being fully assured that God could deliver on His promise of a child.
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.”
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.’”
Romans 4:19, “Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb.”
Romans 4:20, “yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God.”
Romans 4:21, “and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.”
“And” is the “adjunctive” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), which connects Paul’s statement at the end of Romans 4:20b with his statement in Romans 4:21.
In Romans 4:20b, Paul teaches that Abraham was empowered by means of his faith while simultaneously giving glory to God.
Romans 4:20, “Yet, with respect to the promise from (the Son of) God, he never permitted himself to doubt by means of unbelief but rather he permitted himself to be empowered by means of his faith while simultaneously giving glory to (the Son of) God.”
Therefore, the “adjunctive” use of the conjunction kai is used to introduce an “additional” effect upon Abraham that took place simultaneously while he was empowering himself by means of his faith in the Lord.
Thus, while Abraham was empowering himself by means of his faith in the Lord, simultaneously he not only was giving glory to God but “in addition” he was “also” being fully assured that God could fulfill His promise to him of a child.
So we can see that Abraham’s faith in the Lord gave glory to God and it also did something for him, namely, it gave him assurance that the promise would be fulfilled.
“Being fully assured” is the verb plerophoreo (plhroforevw) (play-rof-or-eh-o), which is used of Abraham’s attitude towards God and His ability to deliver on His promise of a child and in the passive voice and means, “to be fully assured, convinced.”
The word denotes the concept of “assurance,” which by way of definition, is freedom from doubt and is a sense of certainty that something is true that it will occur.
Therefore, the word signifies that while Abraham was empowering himself by means of his faith in the Lord, he was at the same time, free from doubt and was certain that God would fulfill His promise to him of a child.
The verb means that while Abraham empowered himself by means of his faith in the Lord he was “being fully assured” that the Lord was able to fulfill His promise to him of a child.
True faith regards what has been requested as one’s own possession even though the request has not been received.
Faith is an attitude toward God, in which the believer considers God to be faithful who will perform all that which He is promised in His Word.
This attitude is illustrated in Philippians 1:6.
Philippians 1:6, “I am confident of this very same thing, namely that, the One (God the Holy Spirit) who began in all of you a good work that is divine in character, will completely finish it up to the day of Christ who is Jesus.”
Romans 4:21, “and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.”
“That” is the conjunction hoti (o^ti) (hot-ee), which is employed with the indicative mood of the verb epangellomai, “had promised” in order to form a direct object proper clause that presents the content of what Abraham was fully assured of.
“What” is the relative pronoun hos (o^$) (hos), which refers to that which was promised by God to Abraham and Sarah, namely, a child.
Genesis 15:4, “Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.’”
“God had promised” is the verb epangellomai (e)paggevllomai) (ep-ang-el-lo-my), which is used of God and means, “to announce with certainty as to what one will do, to announce with certainty what one will do in the future.”
“Also” is the “adjunctive” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), which introduces a statement that presents a truth about God that is connected to the concept of God promising that He will give Abraham a child and completes the idea.
“He was” is the verb eimi (ei)miv) (i-mee), which means, “to possess certain inherent characteristic.”
This inherent characteristic is identified by the adjective dunatos, which means, “to possess the ability to perform some function.”
“Able” is the adjective dunatos (dunatov$) (doo-nat-os), which is used to describe God as possessing the ability to fulfill that which He promises to men.
“To perform” is the verb poieo (poievw) (poy-eh-o), which means, “to fulfill” since in context it used in relation to the promises of God.
Therefore, in Romans 4:21, Paul is saying, Abraham was fully assured that God is, as an eternal spiritual truth, able to “fulfill” that which He promised to him.
Robert Mounce commenting on this passage, writes, “This statement epitomizes what it means to believe in God. It is complete confidence in His ability and integrity. God has the power-no question about it. God does what He promises. How could He do less and still be God? Faith is total surrender to the ability and willingness of God to carry out His promises. To fail Him in the relatively insignificant activities of daily life is to be guilty of a sort of practical atheism. Can God? is not a valid question for the believer. Will God? is the question that drives us in prayer ever closer to His heart.” (The New American Commentary, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture, volume 27, Romans, pages 130-131)
Genesis 18 records the Lord prophesying to Abraham of the birth of Isaac for the benefit of Sarah.
Genesis 18:1-15, “Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, ‘My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant. And they said, ‘So do, as you have said.’ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.’ Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate. Then they said to him, ‘Where is Sarah your wife?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ He said, ‘I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ And the LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’ Sarah denied it however, saying, ‘I did not laugh’; for she was afraid. And He said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’”
Genesis 21:1-4 records the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to give Abraham and Sarah a child in their old age.
Genesis 21:1-2, “Then the LORD took note of Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.”
“Lord” is the proper noun Yahweh (hw *hy+), which is the personal covenant name of God emphasizing the “immanency” of God meaning that the Lord was involving Himself in and concerning Himself with and intervening in the life of Abraham and Sarah and fulfilling His promise to give them a child in their old age.
“Took note” is the verb paqadh (dq^P*) (paw-kad), which means, “to intervene” in the life of someone in order to bless them.
In Genesis 21:1, the birth of Isaac illustrates the principle taught in Jeremiah 1:12 that the Lord watches over His Word to perform it.
Jeremiah 1:12, “Then the LORD said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.’”
In Genesis 17:16-21, the Lord promised Abraham that he would impregnate Sarah and they would have a child and call him “Isaac” and Genesis 21:1 records the fulfillment of the promise.
In Genesis 18:10 and 14, the Lord promised Sarah that she would have a child one year later and Genesis 21:1 records the fulfillment of the promise.
The fulfillment of this promise to Abraham and Sarah to give them a child in their old age was a demonstration of the Lord’s faithfulness to His covenant that He established with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-6; 17:1-8; 18:9-14).
Psalm 100:5, “For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.”
The birth of Isaac demonstrated that even though Abraham and Sarah were at times lacking in faith in the Lord, the Lord remained faithful to them.
2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
The fact that the Lord did what He had promised to Sarah was also a manifestation of the omnipotence of His Word.
Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Genesis 21:2, “So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.”
The phrase “in his old age” emphasizes that God’s power overcame Abraham’s problem of being impotent sexually in his old age revealing that nothing is impossible with God.
Luke 1:37, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
The birth of Isaac demonstrates that the fulfillment of God’s promises depends completely upon God Himself.
The phrase “at the appointed time” refers to the “literal” fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to Sarah and Abraham exactly one year prior that they would have a child (Genesis 17:21 and 18:10, 14).
Genesis 21:3, “Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.”
The name “Isaac” means, “laughter” and was an appropriate name since every time Abraham and Sarah would speak his name, they would remember how they laughed at God’s promise (Gen. 17:17; 18:12), a laugh of amazement in Abraham’s case and of doubt in Sarah’s case.
Genesis 21:4-7, “Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, ‘God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.’ And she said, ‘Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’”