The New Testament with Commentary Romans 4

Abraham

1 What then shall we say that our father Abraham discovered, as a man? 2 If Abraham was really justified by works, he has a boast—but not before God. 3 So what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”* 4 Now to him who works, the pay is not counted as a gift but as an obligation. 5 But to him who does not work† but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.

6 Just as David speaks of the blessing of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are they whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,

and whose sins have been covered up.

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin!”‡

Before circumcision

9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? Since we say that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness, 10 how then was it credited? After he was circumcised or while still uncircumcised? Not circumcised, but uncircumcised! 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness from his faith while still uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all those who believe while uncircumcised, in order that this righteousness may be credited to them also,§ 12 and the father of the circumcised—not only those who are circumcised, but especially those who follow in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham while still uncircumcised.*

The promise

13 Now the promise that he would be the heir of the world† was not to Abraham, or his seed, through law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of law are heirs, the faith is made empty and the promise has been invalidated; 15 because the law produces wrath, since where there is no law neither is there transgression.‡ 16 For this reason it is of faith so that it may be according to grace, in order that the promise be guaranteed to all the seed—not only to those of law, but also to those of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all; 17 just as it is written: “I have made you a father of many ethnic nations”§—in the presence of Him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead and calls the nonexistent things as though they did exist.* 18 Contrary to hope, Abraham in hope believed, so as to become a father of many ethnic nations, according to what had been spoken: “So shall your seed be.”† 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not‡ consider his own body, already dead§ (being about a hundred years old), or the deadness of Sarah's womb. 20 He did not waver at God's promise in unbelief; rather, he was strengthened by the faith, giving glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform* 22 —that is why it was credited to him as righteousness.

23 Now it was not only for his sake that it was written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, we who believe on Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.†

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*4:3 See Genesis 15:6.

†4:5 We work because we have been justified, not in order to be justified (Ephesians 2:10). See further James 2:21-23—a living faith does things.

‡4:8 See Psalm 32:1-2. The negative is emphasized.

§4:11 We non-Jews may wonder why Paul is spending so much time on the subject of circumcision, but to the Jews of that day it was BIG.

*4:12 The point is that physical circumcision is not enough; one must believe.

†4:13 Now what might ‘heir of the world’ mean? “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Galatians 3:16 makes clear that the Seed, singular, refers to the Christ (Genesis 12:7 and 24:7). Psalm 2:7-8 also clearly refers to the Christ: “I will declare the decree: the Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.’ ” It might be argued that in some sense this is happening through the Church, Christ's body—in Matthew 5:13-14 the Christ called His disciples “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”. Paul states, “all things are yours… and you are Christ's… and Christ is God's” (1 Corinthians 3:21-23). But during the millennial Messianic Kingdom the whole world will obey the Christ, who will rule the nations with ‘a rod of iron’ (Revelation 19:15).

‡4:15 How can you cross a line that is not there? So until someone draws a line (law) there is no transgression.

§4:17 See Genesis 17:5.

*4:17 God can create just by speaking: if He says, “Let there be…”, there is.

†4:18 See Genesis 15:5.

‡4:19 Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts (of objectively inferior quality) omit “not”, to be followed by NIV, NASB, TEV, LB, etc.—an inferior proceeding.

§4:19 Paul declares that Abraham had become impotent before begetting Isaac. That means that he had started slowing down long before, and no one would be more aware of that than Sarah. That may explain why she offered Hagar—she was aware of the Promise and Abraham needed a descendant.

*4:21 “Being fully convinced” is a basic ingredient in true faith.

†4:25 The grammatical construction is the same in both clauses: ‘because’, ‘because’. The resurrection was the proof that the Father had accepted the price paid for our justification. Thank you, Jesus!