Romans 4:1-12

Father Abraham

[In Romans 4 Paul appeals to Abraham ( in Genesis 15:6, “Abraham believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness”) to support his insistence that righteousness can be attained only through faith.]

Abraham Justified by Faith

¹ What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? [A rhetorical question used to introduce the next stage of Paul’s argument in justification. The Jews of the day used Abraham as an example of justification by works.] ² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. [In other words, Abraham has no right to boast at all because he did no work.] ³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” [Read Genesis 15:6 where we find the first occurrence of the word “believe” in Scripture. Belief is connected to righteousness.] ⁴ Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. ⁵ And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, [Genesis 15:6 leads to this conclusion: 1) works have no part in justification and 2) this is so because God’s justifying verdict is not earned by a person but given freely as a gift] ⁶ just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

⁷ “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

    and whose sins are covered;

⁸ blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” [(Psalm 32:1, 2) The man is a sinner; God chooses not to count his sin or hold it against him. This too is a free gift to the one who receives it by God’s grace. This is gospel found in the Old Testament.]

⁹ Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. ¹⁰ How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. [“Before Abraham was, I am” says Jesus in John 8:58. God always acts first, and then we respond. Compare circumcision with Holy Communion and baptism.] ¹¹ He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose [God’s purpose] was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, ¹² and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. [See John 8:39-59 for Jesus’ comments on Abraham and himself.]