4th Chapter of Romans
Romans 4:1 (all verses are from the New International Version)
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?
ABRAHAM TRUSTED GOD'S JUSTIFICATION
What benefit did Abraham obtain (find, get, perceive, see) "in the flesh?" The NIV doesn't add the expression "in the flesh".
Paul begins speaking of Abraham to prove that God would not require the Law as binding to Gentiles under Christ. His argument will be that Abraham, the father of the Jews, was justified in God's sight without there being any Law and before circumcision was given as a covenant. Abraham, therefore, is the effective model of the "Gentile conversion", being a Gentile himself before being a Jew.
The Jewish Roman Christians would have a tough time trying to impose the Mosaic Law on the Gentile Christians if God Himself didn't do it to the father of the Jews (Abraham) back then! That was the conviction the Holy Spirit was hoping to accomplish throughout this chapter.
As we will see in the following verses in this chapter of Romans, there was something for Abraham to gain, but not according to the flesh. What is gained according to the flesh perishes:
Mat_6:2
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Mat_6:5
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Mat_6:16
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Rom_8:24
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?
What is gained according to obedient faith lasts forever:
2Co_4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Joh_6:27
Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.
2Jo_1:7-9
7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Romans 4:2
If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about-- but not before God.
This verse has often been brought up to argue that faith alone is what justifies. It should be noted that Paul is arguing the case against being justified by following the law, not necessarily by works. Works of faith are not the same as works of law. Remember from James that faith without works is dead, and the fact that Paul has been reminding us since chapter 1 that obedient faith is what justifies. Look at the ESV translation of:
Jam_2:21 (ESV)
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
Could we say this verse is in direct contradiction to Romans 4:2? Of course not! Since Abraham did not even have the Law we know Paul is saying Abraham was not justified by works of law. He is saying that Abraham's salvation, not doubted by any Jew, happened without the Law! He was not justified by works of Law, yet he was saved! How? By works of obedient faith. That's the whole point Paul has been establishing throughout Romans. Know the difference between works of Law and works of faith!
Did Abraham do anything special or was he any special kind of man to warrant justification? Perhaps from men he deserves respect only because he obeyed God. But as for anything else, he did not do anything anyone else could have done.
1. Abraham could not trace his lineage to some spiritual father. He was the beginning of the "faith race" - the holy nation, the people belonging to God.
2. Abraham could not boast about keeping a spiritual law because there was no such law to be kept. He did not have any relationship with God up to that point.
3. Abraham never lived under the Mosaic Law, but all the Jews agreed he was saved.
This is the precedent Paul is using to prove that God's system of faith is really the only one that saves!
Salvation is not intrinsic (coming from within) as many declare, but extrinsic (coming from without). The Catholics with their sacraments and the Jews with their Law are from the intrinsic camp, as well as any other false system of faith that says you can justify yourself. Among them are those who believe in the goodness of man, saying man is good enough to be justified or that every man has this light of life within (Quakers). Protestants and other groups that believe in an extrinsic source of salvation are more correct in the sense that righteousness and justification cannot come from our own, but are imputed on us. They equivocate on how that justification happens, since they go to the extreme of believing that nothing we can or cannot do will warrant that justification - but in these verses we see that, yes, it is by the works of faith (not law), i.e., obedience, that we receive the righteousness that is of Jesus Christ.
Boasting comes from thinking you justify yourself according to works. The justification behind this kind of boasting is not from God but from man.
Before God no one has any right or reason to boast since boasting comes of works and works of law can only condemn because of the nature of the law.
1Sa_15:22
But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
Romans 4:3
What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." {3 Gen. 15:6; also in verse 22}
Abraham's works of faith (obedience)
How did Abraham gain righteousness?
Paul takes them to the Scriptures: what does the Scripture say? This is the technique we always need to employ when teaching and defending the faith. We must appeal to the Scriptures. If we don't we are making a case on our own grounds, logic or arguments as opposed to the Bible. Let the Words of God be true and every man a liar! Now the Jews will find out from the very Law they desire to keep the truth about justification.
Gen_15:6
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Abraham believed (pisteuo: to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ): - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.) God
It was credited (logizomai: to take an inventory, that is, estimate: - conclude, (ac-) counted [ESV, KJV], + despise, esteem, impute, lay, number, reason, reckon, suppose, think (on).) to him as righteousness (justification).
First aorist passive indicative of logizomai, an old and common verb to set down accounts (literally or metaphorically). It was set down on the credit side of the ledger "for" (eis) righteousness. What was set down? His believing God (episteusen toi theoi). - Robertson's Word Pictures
Because he believed God, the Lord gave him credit: He justified him. How do we know Abraham believed God? Because he obeyed the Lord God. His faith was working together with his deeds (Jam_2:21-24). It was obedient faith that God rewarded and credited as righteousness. It was not following the Law or being circumcised that justified him. Paul was using the very founder of the Jewish faith to teach the Jews about real faith and righteousness (justification)!
Heb_11:8
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
Jam_2:21-24
Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
Abraham's Works of Obedience
1. Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees, not knowing where he was going - Gen_12:1-3; Heb_11:8
2. Abraham built an altar and worshipped God in Shechem - Gen_12:6-7
3. Abraham built an altar and called on God's name on a mountain between Bethel and Ai - Gen_12:8
4. After his journey from Egypt he returned to the altar and worshipped God - Gen_13:3-4
5. When he met Melchizedek, Abraham showed himself to be a faithful and devout worshipper of the Lord - Gen_14:14-24
6. Abraham offered his only son Isaac on an altar unto the Lord since the Lord God asked him to do it - Gen_22:8-12; Jam_2:21-24
Romans 4:4
Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.
Abraham's belief in God was not by keeping a law - by works of law, generating a debt to be satisfied which would result in God owing him righteousness. Since no man can live a perfect life, no man can ever merit his salvation.
False theories:
1. Salvation does not depend on any human effort - If this were true then all people would be saved! If God is not a partial God, then He would have the same concern and care for all and save every single person, since it didn't depend on any human effort. If this were true, though, why did Jesus teach that many will choose to go down the wrong path (Mat_7:13-14)? Why did he say one has to enter the narrow gate? Obviously there is an effort: the effort to choose the right path and enter into it. It is true that no amount of human effort can earn you salvation, but you must choose and enter into the path that will end in salvation. Choose and enter: these depend on human effort!
2. There is nothing anyone can do to be saved - If this were true why did Peter say in Act_2:40: "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation"? Don't you think it would have been a great opportunity for Peter to have replied when the people asked, "What shall we do?" (Act_2:37): There is nothing you can do to be saved? Instead we know Peter told them and us to "repent and be baptized" (Act_2:38).
3. Faith and works are opposites - The only way faith and works could oppose each other was if the Bible was written by man and then subject to many contradictions. Only those with limited understanding of the scriptures have concluded faith and works to be mutually exclusive. A careful and simple evaluation of the New Testament shows faith and works to be intimately tied together. Faith cannot exist (is dead) apart from works and works without faith are empty (vain) (Jam_2:14-26).
4. Obeying the Gospel makes man his own savior - This confuses two truths: 1- When one has done everything he can it still does not merit salvation (Luk_17:10) 2- Obeying the Gospel is a condition divinely imposed and made prerequisite to salvation. Without fulfilling this condition you will be lost (2Th_1:8-9). So only in a sense can you say you will save yourself by obeying the Gospel, as Peter did say in Acts 2:40. In the more exalted sense of having your sins forgiven, Christ alone saves.
There are only two ways to be saved:
1. Live perfectly by keeping every single command of God without ever missing one statute
2. Accept the grace (amnesty) offered by God through His Son Jesus by being incorporated in Christ
His belief was of a purely spiritual motivation -- trusting and believing what God had promised him, shown by his obedience.
Romans 4:5
However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
Works of God (faith/obedience) are not the works of man (law)
The phrase "does not work" simply means "does not rely on living a life of sufficient holiness to merit salvation apart from Jesus Christ". Remember those who rely on works of law are saying they can earn salvation. They are saying salvation is intrinsic (coming from themselves). To receive justification, however, one must have his faith in Christ and be counted as a member of His body (incorporated) by obeying the Gospel.
Abraham did not work (in the sense of working towards merit) to receive that righteousness other than to accept (trust) God's work (plan) for him. He did the work of God, not his own, as Jesus Himself states:
Joh_6:29
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
Since Abraham trusted (pistueo: to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ): - believe, commit (to trust), put in trust with.) from a purely objective state of mind, by making up his mind about what God was telling him, that faith (pistis: persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: - assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity) was credited to him as righteousness (equity of character and actions; to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent: - free, justify, be righteous).
Both righteousness and justify are related in the Greek: dikaiosune and dikaioo respectively. Dikaiosune is derived from dikaioo, which is derived from dike, which means right and justice.
The conviction of Abraham's faith was seen by his obedience to God. It showed he was really relying on God and not on his own understanding or works of law. He was justified (made righteous) by surrendering his will to God and obeying Him, knowing that anything he could do was insufficient. Both pistueo and pistis, translated often as belief and faith interchangeably, are derived from the primary verb: peitho, which means:
to convince (by argument, true or false); by analogy to pacify or conciliate (by other fair means); reflexively or passively to assent (to evidence or authority), to rely (by inward certainty): - agree, assure, believe, have confidence, be (wax) content, make friend, obey, persuade, trust, yield.
This is exactly what Heb_11:1-2 teaches:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
Notice they (the ancients) were not commended for making up their own religion or inventing rules and religious ceremony (works). They were not working (following a code of laws) to gain justification but trusting the Lord who justifies the ungodly. They knew they were sinners and that only God could make them right in Him.
These ancient patriarchs had real faith and showed it by their obedience:
Heb_11:8-12
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Since Abraham believed, it was credited to him as righteousness. The righteousness was not earned or worked for by following a code or law, but it justified him as he accepted God's ultimate plan of justification. Abraham became the precursor of those who are justified by accepting God's plan and submitting to it. To accept God's plan is to obey whatever He has put into place to reconcile us back to Him. Abraham displayed this obedient faith by the fact that he was circumcised and later moved onto the promised land. He was also willing to sacrifice his only son. It all started out by pure and simple faith - obedient faith.
Works of God (Conditions of entering the new covenant relationship with God):
1. Faith - Belief
2. Confess
3. Repentance
4. Baptism
Of all these, baptism has fewer of the qualities of work, yet deceivers tag it most as a work of man when the Scriptures are clear as to who the work is from:
Col_2:11-14
In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
God:
1. Circumcises your heart
2. Makes you alive with Christ
3. Forgives your sins
4. Cancels the written code
5. Nailed it to the cross
No man can do any of these things, yet the Scriptures clearly teach it is God who does them. Does he do this for everyone? No! Only when you are buried with Jesus in Baptism (as Paul will remind the Roman church in chapter 6) and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God. Faith and baptism are the coordinates to enter into the covenant with God (Mar_16:16).
Belief, confession and repentance all are activities dependent on the person. Yes, the Holy Spirit convicts us with the Word of God and the Lord does open our hearts with the truth by exposing our weakness and our dependence on Him. It is completely dependent on the person, however, to make up his mind, discard and do away with the old mindset and accept God's truth. After accepting that truth and being convinced of it, then the person needs to be willing to change his life and confess Jesus as his Lord. This, of course, needs to continue until the person dies in order to receive the crown of life (Rev_2:10). So you see these require much more work dependent on the person than baptism does, since baptism is an act of submission unto God as obedience. We know, though, through Joh_6:29, that these are God's works. These we must to do found in Him.
As I have said before, all the conditions of entering into a covenant relationship with God need to continue throughout our relationship with Him unto death This is why the Bible says we need to continue working out our salvation (Phi_2:12):
1. Faith - we need to continue believing and growing in our faith. It cannot remain stagnant: we need to add unto it (2Pe_1:5-9; 2Th_1:3; Heb_4:14).
2. Confession - our confession needs to continue, through our obedience and our preaching (1Ti_4:16). We confess Jesus by living in holiness and by sharing the Gospel and teaching the truth in love by encouragement of our brothers and sisters (Heb_3:12-14).
3. Repentance - we must live penitent lives. A penitent soul can undergo constant transformation (Rom_12:2). Without repentance you will remain stagnant in your faith and in the transformation of your mind. Penitence makes you constantly acknowledge God, humbling yourself unto Him with a contrite heart (Psa_51:17; Isa_57:15). A hard heart is an unrepentant heart (Pro_28:14; Mat_13:15; Eph_4:18). Penitence allows your heart to remain soft and pliable for the Holy Spirit to transform (Heb_4:7).
Baptism is the only one we do once, since it is where God adds us unto the body of His Son Jesus. All these we only need once:
1. Forgiveness - Cleansing of our conscience (Act_2:38; 1Pe_3:21)
2. Gift of the Holy Spirit (Act_2:38)
3. Circumcision of the Heart (Col_2:11-12)
4. Become His Son (Gal_3:26-27)
5. Clothed with Christ (Gal_3:26-27)
6. Incorporation into (united with) Christ - Justified (Rom_6:3-5; 1Co_12:13)
Let's equate this to marriage, since it is always the earthly example (the shadow) of the reality in Christ.
To be married you pretty much need the same conditions fulfilled because these conditions are the universal conditions for covenant relationships, marriage being the supreme covenant relationship between opposite sexes on Earth:
1. Faith - we need to continue believing and growing in our faithfulness with our spouses. we cannot remain stagnant: we need to add unto it in order for it to be effective and fruitful in our marriages and family life.
2. Confession - our confession needs to continue, through our deeds and our mouth. Men confess themselves to be married by living in holiness; faithful to their wives in deed and thought, and by washing them with the Word of God and teaching them the truth in love. Women confess to their marriage by living in subjection to their husbands and fulfilling themselves in their marriage as true helpers, suitable for their husbands.
3. Repentance - we must live penitent lives. A penitent soul can undergo constant transformation. Without repentance you will remain stagnant in your faith and in the transformation of your mind. Penitence makes you constantly acknowledge your role in the marriage, humbling yourself with a contrite heart when falling short. A hard heart is an unrepentant heart. Penitence allows your heart to remain soft and pliable for the Holy Spirit to transform that you may grow in your effectiveness and confession of your marriage.
Nuptial vow - done only once. Here is where you pledge yourself to be married and fulfill all your duties and obligations before God and man. Here you enter into the covenant relationship of marriage with your spouse. Your physical union confesses to your incorporation into each other (Eph_5:28-32; 1Co_7:4).
Other examples of works of God (faith / obedience):
Continuing on with this train of thought, we should examine two accounts in Scripture where there were works of faith performed which gained the persons a good standing with God, physically speaking. These men did northing to merit the healing, nor they obtained it by any special ability or work of law/man. They simply obeyed what God told them to do and in turn they were granted healing.
Naaman (2Kings 5)
1. Was commanded to go wash 7 times in the Jordan to be healed of his leprosy
2. Initially did not obey because of preconceived notions
3. Eventually was healed because he followed through with God's Word
4. Obedience had to be fulfilled perfectly
5. Naaman did not earn his healing, it was given to him as a gift by obedience
The blind man (John 9)
1. Was commanded to go wash in the Pool of Siloam
2. The man obeyed and his sight was restored
3. Had he not obeyed his sight would not have been restored
4. The blind man did not earn his sight back, it was a gift given to him by obedience
In both these cases the healing occurred not because of the efficacy of the water, but of the obedient faith. Faith not in the water or location, but faith in the man who commanded: Jesus Christ (for it was Jesus, being the Word of God, who spoke through Elijah through his servant to Naaman). Does any deceiver/deceived question the simple statement: "Go wash"? Does it have to be interpreted to mean something other than what it says? Do they question: "What if there was no pool of water around"? or "What if this man was on his deathbed and could not get to the water"? Do they arrogantly assert "water could not have healed this man" as they profess "water cannot save anyone"?
We know the power is not in the water but in Him who works in us when we obey Him. Similarly under the New Covenant, it is not the water in baptism that is efficacious in restoring our relationship with God, but our faith in Him who raised Him fro the dead. Baptism saves by faith (Gal_3:26-27). As Ananias told Paul:
Act_22:16
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.
It is through the water of baptism that the Lord incorporates us into Himself in this present age.
Romans 4:6
David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
David justified by obedience also
David is also mentioned as a man justified by trusting God's justification. David speaks of it as a blessing (makarios: to be in a a blissful state; to have good fortune; to be joyful, ecstatic, happy) to be counted as righteous apart from works of the flesh (law). Paul appeals now to David's example, him being a hero of the Jews. Paul is telling the Jews that even David knew justification came apart from works of Law!
We will notice in the following verses how righteousness is imputed (credited, ascribed, attributed) apart from works of law. In other words, our justification before God cannot be earned by the works we do in the flesh or by observing the law, as we have seen from the previous chapter. How then do we reconcile this spiritual concept to what James says?:
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. - Jam_2:18
Simply, James does not contradict what Paul is extrapolating here from Abraham's experience. Both statements are from the Holy Spirit and He does not contradict Himself. We can learn that the deeds done by a person simply show the true faith that is in the person. If anything, the deeds of obedience are the evidence that the person has been justified by his faith. Without deeds, the faith is dead - a mere acknowledgement (belief) without conviction. Works of faith, however, show that we are obediently fulfilling the works God prepared in advance for us to do as His righteous children (Eph_2:10; 2Ti_3:16-17; 2Ti_2:21).
We do not work to be justified, as if the works were sacraments that we follow to be justified, for we know laws and rules only condemn, they cannot justify since we are sinners, judged as lawbreakers in God's sight. These works of faith merely establish the fact that we have been justified by trusting in God's system of incorporation (justification and sanctification by faith) and therefore we walk obediently in these works God prepared for us to do. This makes our faith a living faith - and a living faith is a saving faith - a faith that God credits to us as righteousness in Jesus Christ, not apart from Him. Therefore in order to be able to do good works we must have been crucified, buried and raised with Christ through baptism.
Baptism is God's Work: this is why it saves!
Col_2:11-14
11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
Only in Baptism:
1. Our flesh is put off (creating a new identity - Eph_4:24; Col_3:9-11; 2Co_5:17) (ESV) by Jesus' circumcision
2. We are raised to new life!
3. God makes us alive
4. Your sins are forgiven
5. The law against you is cancelled
Since we are only justified in Christ, baptism, as the portal to incorporation and subsequent justification, must have taken place in order for us to know we have been credited righteousness for our faith (Mar_16:16; 1Pe_3:21). Some say baptism is the first work of obedience, but as we can see from this passage and others, baptism is not the first work of obedience; it is the way we get our righteousness imputed as we are incorporated in Christ. Our justification comes from the fact that we trust God to justify us through Christ; therefore we are baptized as a result of this trust and imputed the righteousness of Christ.
Romans 4:7
"Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Paul quotes David in Psa_32:2: Blessed is the person who has trusted God and accepted the incorporation into God's plan of righteousness!
Romans 4:8
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." {8 Psalm 32:1,2}
This man, whom the Lord will not count his sin, is a man who has sought out incorporation into Christ. That's the only way we can be blessed in this way. All the ancients sought incorporation, believing and accepting the righteousness that was from God and by faith, not trying to justify themselves with works, but doing the good works in thankfulness of their justification by faith. The Jews in Rome who were seeking justification by works of law were showing a lack of understanding unlike the ancients. Paul is teaching them with the very law they were using to justify themselves.
1Jo_1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Romans 4:9
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness.
ABRAHAM - THE FATHER OF OUR FAITH
Does this blessing of having our lawless deeds forgiven apply only to a special group of people? Here we will see why God is not a respecter of persons. Righteousness is counted on a person because of their obedient faith and reliance upon God's mercy. Those whom God makes righteous is because they have entrusted themselves to God's plan of redemption.
We will see in the following verse how Abraham's faith was counted on him as righteousness, making him justified (holy, blameless, saved) before God way before he was circumcised; when God called him out of Ur of the Chaldees (Gen 15). Paul established a comparison to how his faith saved him and how faith saves us now. The Jews wanted to hold on to circumcision as a special right that gave them the right to be justified no matter what they did.
Act_15:1
Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved."
Act_15:24 (KJV)
Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
The apostles proceed to tell the Gentiles that these were the only things they needed to concern themselves with after being incorporated in Christ:
1. Abstain from foods sacrificed to idols
2. Abstain from blood
3. Abstain from the meat of strangled animals
4. Abstain from sexual immorality
Gal_5:1-3
1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
Romans 4:10
Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!
Righteousness imputed through works of faith, not works of law
The righteousness is imputed as a result of obedient (works of) faith, not works of law.
At least 14 years had passed between Abraham's belief in God and the covenant of circumcision:
"Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness," at least 14 years before he was circumcised; the former having taken place some time before Ishmael’s birth, at which time he was 86 years old, and the other when Ishmael was 13 years of age, and Abraham 99. -- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Since Abraham was justified before he was circumcised it stands that Christians can be justified as well without circumcision or any works of law.
Circumcision and Baptism: Antitypes?
Here Paul talks of circumcision being a work of law. Something binding because of the law. Because of this, we cannot compare circumcision to baptism, since baptism is not a work of law but a work God performs on those who trust Him. Circumcision, in the case of Abraham, was something that men had to do to be considered followers of the law. Baptism, however, is a circumcision done by Christ. It is the real circumcision (Phi_3:3 (ESV); Rom_2:29)!
In the following verses Paul will further compare the sign of circumcision to the Holy Spirit, describing circumcision as a seal (proof) of the received righteousness, a sign of the promise God made Abraham, fulfilled unto those who would believe the same as Abraham, who became the father of this faith - the first one to believe God's promise of a better land (an eternal city):
Heb_11:8-10; Heb_11:13-16
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God... ...13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
In these passages the Holy Spirit whom we receive when we've obeyed (Act_5:32) is also described as a seal, a sign of the promise to be fulfilled in the obedient:
2Co_1:22
[God] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Eph_1:13-14
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory
Romans 4:11
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
Now the comparison we can make between Abraham's imputed righteousness and ours under the New Covenant is this:
1- Both are justified by faith
a- Abraham by trusting God as his justifier and accepting His promise by obeying God
b- Us by trusting God as our justifier in Christ and obeying the Gospel to get into Christ (Rom_6:3-4)
2- Both receive a sign of their imputed righteousness
a- Abraham received the covenant of circumcision - work of man
b- We receive the sanctifying work and person of the Holy Spirit - the work of God
3- Both are sealed as belonging to God
a- Abraham was sealed with the sign of circumcision - a seal of righteousness from God
b- We receive the Holy Spirit as a seal of ownership
Because the Holy Spirit is received when we obey the Gospel (Act_5:32, Act_2:38, 1Co_15:3-4; Rom_6:3-4), i.e., get baptized (immersed in water) for the forgiveness of our sins (Act_2:38), it follows that righteousness is imputed to those who have obeyed the Gospel and the received Spirit is a sign of that imputed righteousness and the seal of the promise to come unto those who have been obedient. Let us also not forget that the righteousness we are receiving is not our own (derived from works) but the righteousness that is from Jesus Christ (1Co_1:30; Phi_3:9; 2Pe_1:1). Therefore we understand from the Scriptures that in order to receive this righteousness in the New Covenant we must be in Christ (incorporated in Jesus through baptism). See comments from Rom_3:22, 24, 28.
Many are the similarities between New Testament baptism and circumcision under the Law of Moses. Many more however, are the differences:
1. Circumcision did not bring the Jew into a covenant relationship with Christ
2. Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. Circumcision did not remove the barrier of sin whatsoever
3. Abraham's justification lacking circumcision cannot be paralleled to a Christian's justification without baptism. At the time Abraham had not even heard of circumcision. It did not come until 13 years later for Abraham. All persons in the last 2000 years are commanded to be baptized for salvation (Mar_16:16; Act_17:30-31), so we have heard of it. We cannot ignore it (Heb_2:3)!
4. Circumcision was performed upon babies at eight days of age without their knowledge or consent. When scripturally administered, baptism requires accountability, confession of faith and repentance. The initiative of baptism can only come from the candidate himself, not from anyone else (Act_2:38).
Abraham is the father of all who believe
Gal_3:8
The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."
Abraham, therefore, became the precursor of those who are justified by accepting God's plan and submitting to it. To accept God's plan is to obey whatever He has put in place to reconcile us back to Him. Abraham displayed this obedient faith by the fact that he was circumcised and later moved onto the promised land. He was also willing to sacrifice his only son. It all started out by pure and simple faith - obedient faith. --Pedro Gelabert, Commentary on Romans (4:5)
The promise of salvation was in the seed of Abraham, that is, in Christ:
Gal_3:16
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.
The Jews had so glorified Moses and circumcision that they identified both with Abraham. Paul explains that the law and circumcision had nothing to do with the great promise of salvation to all the seed of Abraham. The Jews had mistakenly believed themselves to be his seed. However, Paul further explains the connection between the Law of Moses and its value:
Gal_3:17-22
What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. 19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 20A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one. 21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
Paul ends by saying that the Law of Moses expired when Jesus fulfilled it on the cross and became the source of life and immortality (2Ti_1:10). The law was given until the seed would come. AS we read in the following verses from Galatians, you will see that the very identification of Abraham's seed bypasses the Law of Moses. That is because Abraham's children are not those of fleshly descent but those redeemed in Christ:
Gal_3:27-29
...for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
As we will see from the next few verses, we are able to be justified by faith because of Abraham. He is our father in the faith and now we can also be justified if we believe as Abraham believed. Although Abraham received a different covenant from us (circumcision), he was still justified by faith before circumcision, making him the father of faith for both the circumcised and uncircumcised.
Romans 4:12
And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Abraham's Steps of Faith
Many Jews held onto Abraham's faith and proclaimed themselves as his children to justify themselves (Joh_8:33), but that is as wrong as trying to justify yourself by another man's faith. We are not justifying ourselves by Abraham's faith - but because he had faith, we also receive justification from God if we follow in the footsteps of Abraham's obedient faith. It has to be our own faith. It cannot be borrowed faith (dead faith, as James puts it - without deeds) [Jam_2:26]. Abraham's faith did not depend on any man, not even on himself. It was fully dependent on God.
Paul is trying to explain to the Jews that relying on following laws was never enough from the beginning of God's covenants. All of God's patriarchs knew this: Abraham, David, Moses... God's covenants were given to those who identified with Him to do holy works (Eph_2:10) - works which were prepared for us to do in advance. Those works never justified anybody (Psa_50; Psa_51:16-17; Isa_1:11-20). What justified men before God was a broken and contrite heart before God, thankfulness and obedient faith, as we see in those verses. Therefore, Abraham is the father of those who walk in these footsteps, not just those who are merely circumcised - those who are outwardly Jewish, but those who are inwardly Jewish (Rom_2:28-29). Many liberal translations have perverted this verse since it refers to Abraham "walking in the footsteps of faith" (obedient faith) - doing something other than just by faith alone. However, this is just one more of the many confirmations we have already seen in Romans alone that the only faith that saves is a faith that works through obedience.
Remember: baptism is not the antitype of circumcision, since circumcision indicated a state of belief. As Paul will show later on in chapter 6, baptism is the process by which we become incorporated into Christ's system of faith which justifies us by the righteousness that is in Christ. There is no justification in just believing the system to be true; we have to become participants in the system (the church), unifying ourselves to Jesus (His body, the church) Who justifies us. In the Jewish system circumcision was the symbol of the existing faith whereas baptism is the vehicle of justification by faith.
The Steps of Abraham's Faith (Gen_12:1-2) - taken from Coffman's Commentary
1. Leave Something - How hard it must have been for Abraham to leave his homeland, family, business - his whole life! And what for? Just because he heard a voice, an unknown voice? He did not shrink back nor trusted in himself or anyone else. He heard God and believed Him: he obeyed. Those who are to follow Jesus must also leave all they have (Luk_14:33), even to put Jesus above any other relational commitment they may have in this life (Mat_10:37). We must forsake the dead past, crucifying it on the cross as we die with Jesus and be fully identified with Him. If you never intend to leave anything, not even your sins, and stubbornly remain in the world then you are accepting the world's values and judgement and will perish forever with that damned identity.
2. Enter Something - Abraham went, without knowing where he was going, fully depending on God. That is called walking by faith (Heb_11:8)! And he entered into that land and claimed it as God had told him (Gen_12:5). Those who walk in the footsteps of Abraham's faith must enter that promised land, the Kingdom of God (Joh_3:5). For entering into God's Kingdom (the church - 1Co_12:13; Col_1:18; Col_1:24) do we enter into Christ (Rom_6:3; Gal_3:27), into whom is every spiritual blessing (Eph_1:3)! Someone who refuses to enter this kingdom cannot possibly acquire the blessings within, much less be called a person of faith; for if judgment begins with those who are in the promised land, what will be of those outside (1Pe_4:17)?
3. Become Something - Abraham did not only do something, as he obeyed God, but more importantly he became something. He was transformed by his obedience into something more than he was: he became a blessing to all that would go on after him. We can only become something more than we are when we are identified with someone who is more than we are: Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe. This kind of spiritual transformation cannot take place outside of the Kingdom or in those who do not subject themselves to the inner workings of the Holy Spirit. We are to become salt and light (Mat_5:13-16), heirs of all things, joint-heirs with Christ (Rom_8:17), citizens of Heaven (Phi_3:20-21), messengers of the Good News (Mar_16:15-16). We are to be examples to all believers in spirit, faith and purity (1Ti_4:12). We are to become blessings to all nations as Abraham was this blessing to us!
These three essential steps must be followed today for someone to be considered the seed of Abraham, truly walking in steps of faith that lead to the salvation of their soul.
Romans 4:13
It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
God's promise (epaggelia: an announcement (for information, assent or pledge; especially a divine assurance of good): - message, promise.) to Abraham did not come after circumcision, after he did works of the law, as if that justified him to be a recipient of the promise. No, the promise came through the righteousness gained by obedient faith. Because Abraham believed God's promises to be true and demonstrated his belief by his actions - obedient faith, he would be heir of the world (Mat_5:5).
Gen_22:18
...and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.
Remember Gal_3:16?
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.
So the promise could not have been fulfilled through any system of law-keeping, but through the system of faith. The righteousness of faith represents the system of faith (Christ's faith and our own working together), which is the Law of Faith (or Law of the Spirit) that incorporates us into Christ, making us one with Him, subject to Him (as our Lord) and justified in Him (as our Savior). Now all who are Abraham's descendants are also heirs of this promise. We become heirs of the promise made to Abraham if we are identified his children. How are we identified with Abraham?
Gal_3:29
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
How?
1. If we belong to Christ (are incorporated in Christ)
2. If we have obedient (living) faith
3. If we walk in the footsteps of that faith (Abraham's faith)
Romans 4:14
For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless,
If the promise was to be gained by works of law, then faith is null (kenoo: to make empty, that is, (figuratively) to abase, neutralize, falsify: - make (of none effect, of no reputation, void), be in vain.) and the promise is worthless (katargeo: to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively: - abolish, cease, cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become (make) of no (none, without) effect, fail, loose, bring (come) to nought, put away (down), vanish away, make void.).
If those who were destined to receive the promise of God were the followers of the Law of Moses, then of what value is faith? That would make the promise void, since it would be something owed to those who followed the Law perfectly. However, since we know no one can follow the Law perfectly, then there is no promise to be kept or received, making the promise worthless!
All the Law did was point us to Christ. The Law's job was to point out the sin in us and the need to be saved (restored).
Gal_3:23-24
Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
Rom_10:4
Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Romans 4:15
because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Remember, the law cannot make promises or give rewards. All the law can do is:
1. Demand perfection - Does not know anything else except do's and don'ts
2. Condemn the violator - If you break one law you are a lawbreaker, guilty of breaking all the law
3. Cannot justify - The law cannot make you right. It can only make you wrong. It can't teach you how to fix yourself
All the sin happening because of lawbreaking hastens the wrath of God (Rom_1:18). But if the law is removed (Col_2:14), then there is no transgression (parabasis: violation: - breaking, transgression.), therefore, no opportunity for condemnation.
The law can only be removed in Christ:
Rom_8:1-3
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.
Col_2:13-15
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
We could say God purposely choose to justify Abraham by his faith in the absence of Law to set a precedent for all those who, by faith, would believe onto Jesus. Since Abraham did not have the Law (it was not yet revealed) then he couldn't be judged by it. Similarly, we, in the age of Christ, cannot be judged by the Law of Moses but by the Law of Faith in Jesus Christ (Act_17:30-31).
That is why the Jews in the first century had no scriptural argument to bind the Law onto the Gentile believers since it had not been bound to Abraham, the father of the faith of true Jews and Christians.
Romans 4:16
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring-- not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
Salvation (Justification) by God's grace
As we have seen from chapter three and this chapter, only a full dependence (faith, trust) on God can bring justification to us, since there is no meritorious way out of our sin problem. It is only by the grace (charis: unmerited gift or favor) of God that we have been provided a venue to reconciliation. Think about this: we were not owed any grace and God certainly did not have to provide any instrument for us in keeping with his righteousness or even mercy. The angels who sinned certainly were not given a way out (2Pe_2:4), and never before had any precedent been set by God other than by the promise made to Abraham.
The Law's purpose was only to point out to a few (Israel) their need to depend on God (Deu_5:1-6) and for the whole world to crave a relationship with God. God was to be glorified in the Jew, for all the world to see.
Only when you depend on God's system of faith: the faith of Jesus Christ (see notes on Rom_3:22) and share the faith of Abraham will God's promise be guaranteed for you. This applies both to those who were under the Law (Jews) and those who did not have the Law (Gentiles).
Gal_3:9
So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Abraham is our father in the faith - Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith:
Heb_12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Romans 4:17
As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." {17 Gen. 17:5} He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed-- the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
From Abraham's faith came the many nations of people's who are one in the faith:
Gen_17:5
No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
Even though the prophecy seems to be talking about the past, as if Abraham already was the Father of many (not just of Israel, but of all that would come to believe and be justified in Christ), it shows that God's promises, once spoken, are fulfilled in their time. This is why the Scriptures speak to us being "seated with Christ in the Heavenly realms" although we are still on Earth (Eph_2:6).
Gal_3:14
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
"Gives life to the dead" is a reference to the aging bodies of Abraham and Sarah which were "as good as dead" and "calls things that are not as though they were" is a reference to the birth of Isaac, the first sign of the promise being fulfilled.
Heb_11:11-12
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Only because Abraham believed and obeyed it is possible for us to also be heirs of that promise when we believe and obey.
Romans 4:18
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." {18 Gen. 15:5}
ABRAHAM'S QUALIFICATIONS
1- In hope Abraham believed against hope
When everyone else would have given up, Abraham continued to trust in God. He hoped to father a nation of people who believed in God. The quality of his faith was such that he believed God despite his natural and human expectations, which were contrary to what God was telling him.
This teaches us how we need to trust God's word, especially when we cannot naturally or physically make any sense of them; especially when they are contrary to our fleshly nature.
Romans 4:19
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead-- since he was about a hundred years old-- and that Sarah's womb was also dead.
2- Abraham did not weaken in the faith
Even though Abraham was as good as dead (100 years old) his faith continued to depend on God to fulfill that promise. Do people who are 100 years old hope to become fathers? Not only that, but as to make it more impossible, Sarah was barren! Neither weakened Abraham's faith. He continued to trust and commit himself to God! No wonder he is the father of faith!
Heb_11:11
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.
Romans 4:20
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
3- Abraham's trust in God did not waver
Despite the physical evidence surrounding Abraham, enough to cause him to waver and dismiss God's promise, his faith actually grew strong despite his physical weakness. This is how he glorified God!
He was convinced God could do what He said despite his old body and Sarah's barren womb. Even though both were old and perhaps not fit to raise a family, Abraham believed and was credited with righteousness.
Romans 4:21
being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
4- Abraham was fully convinced (convicted)
2Ti_1:12
That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Romans 4:22
This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness."
Abraham's faith credited (counted) to him as righteousness.
His faith:
1. Takes God at His word
2. Does not stagger at the promises of God
3. Takes the steps that are needed (obeys)
Are our faith gets stronger and stronger (our flesh gets weaker and weaker) we give glory to God. This kind of faith justifies (is counted as righteousness) us before God.
When does God exactly know that our faith is genuine enough to be credit righteousness? Let's look here:
Gen_22:10-12
Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
When did God know his faith was genuine? When he showed it by what he was about to do, trusting and fearing the Lord God Almighty.
Jam_2:20-24
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
Romans 4:23, 24
The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-- for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
God made sure Abraham's account was well recorded for all os us today to read and be convinced in the same way. If we believe our God who raised Jesus from the dead - delivering Him for our sins and raising Him for our justification, our faith will be credited to us as righteousness. Abraham's faith was tested similarly, since he had to believe that God could bring people back from the dead; namely, that if he indeed had sacrificed his son, he knew God could bring him back, and in a sense, he did just that:
Heb_11:17-19
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
Remember it has to be an obedient, living faith - one that imitates the walk of Abraham, the father of our faith; a faith that unwaveringly believes in the resurrection of the dead:
Rom_10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 4:25
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Jesus, our vehicle of salvation and imputed righteousness
Abraham believed what God promised him:
1. His own land
2. &nb