Introductory remarks:
"Abraham's belief made him righteous to God. Abraham followed God before he was circumcised, making him the father of all who believe. Those who believe will be counted righteous as well" (Brenda's Survey of Romans). This chapter may be outlined as follows: the example of Abraham vv. 1-12: the promise realized through faith vv. 13-25.
The Example of Abraham
The object of this chapter is that Paul is teaching that justification by faith is not only the principle in the age of grace, but it was also the way of justification in the Old Testament. Justification has never been, much to the disappointment of our Jewish friends who believe that they were justified by the works of the law.
McGee notes on justification on the Old and New Testament:
"In Paul's day Abraham and David were probably held in higher esteem by the nation Israel than any other two whose lives are recorded in the Old Testament. Abraham was the founder of the Hebrew race, and David was their greatest king. Paul uses these two Old Testament worthies as illustrations to establish his statement in chapter three that there is concord and agreement between the law and the gospel. Although they represent two diametrically opposed systems, neither contradicts nor conflicts with the other. And they are not mutually exclusive. Even under the law and before the law, faith was God's sole requirement. Abraham, before the law, was justified by faith. And David, under the law, sang of justification by faith. Paul is not presenting some strange new doctrine, which cancels out the Old Testament and leaves the Jew afloat on the sea of life holding onto an anchor rather than being in a lifeboat. Paul is showing that Abraham and David are in the same lifeboat, which he is offering his own people in his day, justification by faith. The Law was a pedagogue - it took man under Law by the hand to lead him to the Lord Jesus Christ."
Verse 1, "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?"
LGT "What then shall we say Abraham our forefather has found according to flesh?"
What then shall we say: this phrase connects what Paul had been saying in chapter three, that the gospel excludes glorying in being God's chosen people, and proves the gospel of grace, that is, faith alone in Christ alone. This is the only argumentative section in this epistle. Abraham our forefather: Abraham was the forefather, that is, the Jews first-father. The Jews trace their heritage back to Abraham because of the unconditional covenant He made with him, that He would increase them as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. In this the Jews felt they were privileged and didn't need a Savior as the Gentiles did. Has found according to flesh: Paul is saying that all the ceremonials that the Jews practiced according to the flesh, such as circumcision, had nothing at all to do with justification; and this is what Abraham Found. "Paul concedes to the Jews a closer bond of union, but only for this end - that he might more deeply impress them that they ought not to depart from the example of their father" (Calvin).
Verse 2, "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God."
LGT "For if Abraham by works was justified, he has a ground of boasting, but not toward God."
For if Abraham by works was justified: this is true for the sake of argument but not true to fact, for Abraham was justified by faith and he knew it. He has a ground of boasting: Abraham's glorying could only be possible before men, for it would be a work of the flesh; and we know that all works of the flesh impress men and not God. But not toward God: "It was assumed that Abraham had good works that counted before God. And the fact of the matter is that Abraham had many good works. But the startling thing was to discover that these good works were not the ground of salvation but were the result of his salvation and the result of being justified by faith" (McGee). This is the case with every believer that allows the Holy Spirit to work through them; the believer does not do good works to please the Father, but he does good works because the Father is already pleased with him. Abraham was faithful toward God because he allowed the Holy Spirit to do His work through him. This is such an important issue today; because so many Christians are out beating the bushes and trying so hard to have God happy with them that they don't even realize that all their efforts are works of the flesh. The humanist doctrine being taught in places like the Crystal Cathedral and Saddleback Church, is teaching the people that they need to get out and save the planet, or that need to do their part in changing the world. This humanist teaching might be politically correct, but it does not matter a hoot before God; it is only what the Holy Spirit does through you that will be rewarded, and not that Purpose Driven Life drivel being taught by that millionaire pastor and best selling author, Rick, the slick, Warren. In a recent Readers Digest article about this "world changer" Warren, they stated that he and his wife Kay give ninety percent of their income to charity, and most of it 'anonymously'; what is anonymous about the Readers Digest saying they give anonymously. One of the most chilling facts recently is that Warren helped get that Muslim sympathizer Barrack Obama elected as the 44 president of these United States. Obama like Warren are out to change the world, and make it a better place to live, in theory but not reality, for we are heading for Armageddon.
Verse 3, "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
LGT "For what says the Scripture? But Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him for righteousness."
For what says the Scripture: Paul is quoting Genesis 15:6 from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. Paul appeals to the Word of God. To Paul, whatever the Scripture says, God says. We cannot separate the Word of God from God Himself. The reason the Bible is called the Word of God is, as Benjamin Warfield put it, "The Bible is the Word of God in such a way that whatever the Bible says God says." But Abraham believed God: God had promised Abraham that his posterity would be as the stars of heaven and the sands of the seashore when Abraham had no prospect of such posterity, for Sarah his wife was barren; but Abraham believed God, even though he botched things up when he listened to his wife's plan to have a son through Hagar her handmaid; this resulted in the start of the Arab race, which has been trouble, not only to the Jews, but to the entire civilized world. And it was reckoned to him for righteousness: the "it" of this phrase refers to Abraham's faith, that is, he believed God; and the righteousness of God was reckoned, that is, God's righteousness was imputed on him; the same process takes place anytime a believer accepts the Lord Jesus Christ by putting their trust in Him as their Savior. God imputes His righteousness on them (2 Cor. 5:21). Every soul that accepts Christ is positionally righteous before God and is in a perfect standing before God throughout all eternity.
"The merit by which all this is obtained, is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom this plan is proposed, and by whose atonement alone God can consistently pardon and treat as righteous those who are in themselves ungodly" (Barnes).
Verse 4, "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt."
LGT "Now to the one that works a reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt:"
Paul is stating a matter of logic that a workman is paid for what he produces and this is not of grace but is what is owed. "Grace is out of the question when wages is in question" (Vincent). Abraham did not receive salvation as a matter of debt but he received it as a free gift of God's grace.
Verse 5, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
LGT "But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness."
Verse four presents the working man getting paid for his hire; here in verse five we have God taking the ungodly man just as he is because of his faith in the One who justifies the ungodly. His faith is reckoned for righteousness: God imputes by His grace His righteousness upon the one who believes, based on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This verse is very plain that salvation is based on God's grace and that His righteousness is imputed on the one who believes with no strings attached. It must be clearly understood that the one who believes on Christ is reckoned as righteous before God, and this is a positional truth not, that the one who believes, all of sudden becomes a new creature, as some emotional preachers try to claim; positional righteousness imputed on the believer is how he or she is reckoned by God in time and eternity; it is not that we become perfect Christians. Spiritual maturity is a life-long pursuit; being perfect positionally is not being perfect experientially; we work at perfection through the application of Bible Doctrine to our lives, as the late Lewis Sperry Chafer put it: "Spiritual maturity is adjusting our lives to the Word of God." The only way to receive what God offers is by faith; there is absolutely no merit in works, period!
Barnes notes:
"It is not meant that the righteousness of Christ is transferred to them [the ungodly], so as to become personally theirs - for moral character cannot be transferred; - nor that it is infused into them personally meritorious - for then they could not be spoken of as ungodly; but that Christ died in their stead, to atone for their sins, and is regarded and esteemed by God to have died; and that the results or benefits of His death are so reckoned or imputed to believers as to make it proper for God to regard and treat them as if they had themselves obeyed the Law; that is, as righteous in His sight."
Verse 6, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works."
LGT "Even as also David declares the blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works."
David lived under the Law of Moses. Abraham did not live under the Law, because he lived some four-hundred years before the law was given; you see, faith has always been the avenue for which a man must be saved: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. David describes in the thirty second Psalm, the blessedness of the man who is saved by God's grace. [I would advise you all to stop here and read this Psalm thoughtfully]. So you see, David was saved by the grace of God by faith, the same as you and I. [And by the way, any one who teaches there is no doctrine for us today in the Psalms is sadly mistaken].
Verse 7, "Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered."
LGT "Blessed of whom are forgiven the lawlessness, and of whom are covered, the sins:"
Here Paul is quoting from Psalm 32:1,2. (See notes above on verse 6).
Verse 8, "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."
LGT "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord in no way will reckon sin."
The believer on the Lord Jesus Christ will not in any way have his sin charged against him. This is because it has already been charged to Christ. God cannot impute the sin on the believer because Christ's righteousness has already been accredited to his account; now God looks on the believer as if he had never ever committed one sin. The editor of Calvin's commentary on Romans writes: "Sins may be said to be forgiven or remitted, because they are debts, and covered, because they are filthy and abominable in the sight of God; and they are said to be not imputed, or not put to one's account, in order to convey an assurance, that they are wholly removed, and shall be no more remembered."
Verse 9, "Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness."
LGT "[Is] this blessedness then upon the circumcision, or also on the uncircumcision? For we say, faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness."
Is this happiness only on the Jews, or is it also upon the Gentiles who believed, as the apostle maintained. This is the question Paul is setting forth. For we say, Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness: it was a conceded point that Abraham was justified by faith.
Verse 10, "How was it then reckoned? When he was in circumcision, or uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
LGT "How then was it reckoned? Being in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision but in uncircumcision:"
Paul's entire argument here is that Abraham was justified by faith without the works of circumcision; now to the Jew this was a revelation, for they could no longer pretend that only those who were circumcised could be just before God.
Verse 11, "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:"
LGT "And he received [the] sign of circumcision, [as] a seal of the righteousness of the faith which [he had] in the uncircumcision, for him to be the father of all the ones that believe in uncircumcision, for the righteousness to be reckoned to them also:"
And he received the sign of circumcision: the sign was a material voucher or representation. As a seal of the righteousness of the faith: "the circumcision did not convey the righteousness, but only gave outward confirmation" (Robertson). Which he had in the uncircumcision: Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith before he was circumcised, and so the circumcision was simply God's seal put upon Abraham. For him to be the father of all the ones that believe in uncircumcision: this was the divinely appointed aim of God that Abraham would be the father of all who believe; for we are all Abraham's children by faith. For the righteousness to be reckoned to them also: this was stated by Paul in opposition to the Jews who believed that all must be circumcised to be reckoned righteous before God; for Abraham was counted righteous before his circumcision.
Verse 12, "And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised."
LGT "And [the] father of circumcision to the ones not of circumcision only, but also the ones during uncircumcision that walk in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham."
And the father of circumcision: to the ones that are circumcised, that is, the Jews. To the ones not of circumcision only: the Gentiles also. But also the ones during uncircumcision: the two classes, Jews and Gentiles, are made one by faith. That walk in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham: not only to the circumcision that received God's seal from Abraham, but also to everyone who has faith in God that Abraham taught.
The Promise Realized through Faith
Verse 13, "For the promise, that he should be heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith."
LGT "For not by the law [was] the promise to Abraham or to his seed, that he should be heir of the world, but through righteousness of faith."
For not by the law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed: Paul states that Abraham's justification was by faith and did not depend on the law; for Abraham was justified before the law was given to Moses. He further states that Abraham's seed are justified on the same basis, that is, faith alone in Christ alone. That he should be heir of the world: "An heir is one who succeeded, or is to succeed to an estate. In this passage, the world, or the entire earth, is regarded as the estate to which reference is made, and the promise is that the posterity of Abraham should succeed to that, or should possess it as their inheritance. The precise expression here used, heir of the world, is not found in the promises made to Abraham. Those promises were that God would make of him a great nation (Gen. 12:2); that in him all the families of the earth should be blessed (vs. 3); that his posterity should be as the stars for multitude (Gen. 15:5); and that he should be a father of many nations (Gen. 17:5). When the apostle calls him the heir of the world, he sums up in his comprehensive expression all the promises made to Abraham, intimating that his spiritual descendants, i.e. those who possess his faith, shall yet be so numerous as to possess all lands" (Barnes). But through righteousness of faith: "in these verses 13-17 Paul employs the keywords of his gospel (faith, promise, grace) and arrays them against the current Jewish theology (law, works, merit)" (Robertson).
Verse 14, "For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect;"
LGT "For if those of the law [be] heirs, the faith has been made void, and the promises made of no effect:"
For if those of the law be heirs: Paul makes this statement if legalists are made heirs to the Messianic promises made to Abraham for the sake of argument, and then gives his grace answer: the faith has been made void: it is impossible to mix law and grace. In order to rightly divide the Word of Truth we must have a sound exegesis base on a dispensational study of God's Word. And the promises made of no effect: all of God's promises to Abraham were based on faith alone in Christ alone; whenever we mix in works with grace we come up with a big fat zero. Works have no place in faith, and faith in works is useless; whenever faith is mixed in with works the effect is a humanist religion. However, don't get me wrong, faith will produce works, but the works they produce are the fruit of the Spirit, and we cannot take credit for them. The works that I am referring to are the production of the flesh, that is, a misconstrued idea that we are able to produce good works apart from faith alone in Christ alone; man has been trying, from time immemorial, to produce human good, and human good makes true faith of no effect, that is, of no value with God.
Verse 15, "Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression."
LGT "For the law works out wrath: but where [there] is not law neither [is there] transgression."
For the law works out wrath: the law condemns the sinner. Seeing that all have sinned, all are condemned. But where there is not law, neither is there transgression: this is a law of common sense; the more sophisticated the law, the more responsibility there is in keeping the law. The Jews had God's laws, while the heathen had the laws of nature, and both are condemned. We must keep in mind that man is a sinner by birth, and that either by the laws of God or the laws of nature man is condemned and must come to God for deliverance; for remember, the law was given as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ.
Verse 16, "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all."
LGT "Wherefore [it is] of faith, in order that [it might] be according to grace, for the promise to be sure to all the seed, not to that of the law only, but also to that of [the] faith of Abraham, who is father of us all."
Wherefore it is of faith: Paul says that in the course of his reasoning the conclusion is that justification is sourced out of faith, that is, there is no other way to the Father but by faith. In order that it might be according to grace: man is justified by undeserved mercy of His grace; if it were by law, man would then be justified by his own merit. For the promise to be sure to all the seed: the purpose being that now all Abraham's children might be justified by faith. Not to that of the law only: not to the Jew only, but also to the Gentile, faith is now, and always has been the source. But also to that of the faith of Abraham: saving, justifying, grace is extended to all mankind who exercise the same faith that was exercised by Abraham. Who is the father of us all: we are all the spiritual children of Abraham, to whom all the promises were made. Paul makes this statement in order that the Jews might not glory in their carnal descent, for Abraham was promised by God to be the father of many nations.
Verse 17, "(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."
LGT "Just as it has been written [and stands written] that a father of many nations I have made thee, before God whom he believed, who quickens the dead, and calls the things not being as being."
That a father of many nations I have made thee: this is a quotation from Gen. 17:5. This is only true of believer's in the Lord Jesus Christ, as has been explained before. Before God whom he believed: that is, Abraham believed the promises of God. Who quickens the dead: this is the attribute of God who gives life to the dead; in Abraham's case it may refer to the fact that he gave Abraham a son, Isaac, when Sarah's womb was dead from age; and it also could be a reference to the fact that when Abraham offered Isaac on the altar, God spared Isaac, and gave them a ram to offer in his stead. Nevertheless, though, God is the author of life and the author of the resurrection, which Christ is the first fruit. And calls the things not being as being: this is that God speaks of the promises made to Abraham as already existing. The fact that God speaks them makes them so.
Verse 18, "Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be."
LGT "Who against hope in hope believed for him to become the father of many nations according to that which had been said, so shall be thy seed:"
Who against hope in hope believed: when Abraham had no ground to hope, because of his and Sarah's age, had no prospect of a posterity, he still, in hope believed God. For him to become the father of many nations: that is, the spiritual father of all who would believe. According to that which had been said, so shall be thy seed: Paul quotes a partial reading of Gen. 15:5, that his seed would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. I like what Calvin says of this verse: "Abraham, when many temptations were drawing him to despair, that he might not fail, turned his thoughts to what had been promised to him, Thy seed shall equal the stars of heaven and the sands of the sea; but he designedly adduced this quotation incomplete, in order to stimulate us to read the Scriptures. The Apostles, indeed, at all times, in quoting the Scriptures, took a scrupulous care to rouse us to a more diligent reading of them."
Verse 19, "And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet to the deadness of Sarah's womb."
LGT "And not becoming weak in the faith, he considered his own body [already] become dead, being about a hundred years old, and the deadening of the womb of Sarah:"
And not becoming weak in faith: Abraham considered the following circumstances without becoming weak in faith, that is, his faith remained strong. He considered his own body already become dead, being about a hundred years old: he knew that he was too old to become a father of a child. And the deadening of the womb of Sarah: she was past the age of childbearing. Abraham did not fix his focus on these physical obstacles.
Verse 20, "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God."
LGT "And disputed not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God."
He disputed not at the promise of God through unbelief: another meaning for "wavering" is to decide between or to dispute with. Abraham did not allow himself to be double minded by trying to scientifically prove God's promise could never come to pass, for this is the most subtle of ways to function in unbelief. But was strengthened in faith: Abraham found his strength in the Word of God; this is a lesson for all of us. Calvin said: "For the mind is never so illuminated, but many relics of ignorance remain." We must be aware that we do not have the strength to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil in our own strength; we must rely one hundred percent on the Word of God. The daily intake of Bible Doctrine is the only sure way we will find strength in the time of need. Giving glory to God: Abraham was living proof that the only way a believer can glorify God is by being obedient to God's Word. Today the churches teach that glorifying God is singing or giving a testimony giving God glory with the lips; this is not glorifying God, for Faith without works is a dead faith. We daily learn from God's Word to be willing to have God work through us; rewards will be given the one who perseveres and allows the Holy Spirit to work in their lives. Jesus Christ will not hand out rewards for works, but rather for the one who is willing to be used for His glory. McGee put it this way: "You see, man was created to glorify God, but by disobedience he did the opposite. And my friend, the only way you can glorify God is to believe Him."
Verse 21, "And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform."
LGT "And being fully assured that what He has promised, He is also able to do."
Abraham was fully assured, that is, there was no room for doubt in his mind that whatever God said would surely come to pass. There was no doubt with Abraham that God was able to perform whatever He said he would do. The editor of Calvin's commentary quotes Pareus: "Doubt has two arguments - will God do this? And can God do this? Faith has also two arguments - God will do it, because He has promised; and He can do it, because He is omnipotent."
Verse 22, "And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness."
LGT "Wherefore it was also reckoned to him for righteousness."
It was the faith alone that reckoned Abraham righteous. Abraham did nothing but believe the Word of God and it was imputed to him that he was righteous; that is, God's righteousness was imputed to Abraham simply on the fact that he believed.
Verse 23, "Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;"
LGT "But it was not written on account of him only, that it was reckoned on him:"
God has but one method of justifying men, and it was this account of Abraham that showed the way, faith alone in Christ alone. "What then is by Paul denied to have been written only for his sake; for the subject is not what belongs to the special call of one or of any particular person; but that way of obtaining righteousness is described, which is ever the same with regard to all; and it is what belonged to the common father of the faithful, on whom the eyes of all ought to be fixed. But what if you take the words, not on his account only, in a simpler form, as though it were some singular privilege, not fit to be made an example of, but yet suitable to teach us, who must be justified in the same manner? This certainly would be a more appropriate sense" (Calvin).
Verse 24, "But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead."
LGT "But also on account of us, to whom it is about to be reckoned, to the ones that believe on Him who raised Jesus our Lord from among [the] dead."
The fact of the resurrection is the central theme of Paul's gospel of grace (of course we know that it was not Paul's gospel, but the gospel of grace Jesus Christ personally gave to Paul to preach).
Barnes notes:
"The promise made to Abraham was in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, on which we have the following inspired commentary: And the Scriptures foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed, Gal. 3:8. It would seem, then, that this promise, like that made immediately after the fall, contained the very germ and principles of the gospel. So that after there is not so great difference between the object of Abraham's faith, and that of ours. Indeed the object in both cases is manifestly the same.
The main or leading truths that God has made known to us are, that He has given His Son to die; that He raised him up; and that through Him he is ready to pardon. To put confidence in these truths is to believe now. Doing this, we believe in the same God that Abraham did; we evince the same spirit; and thus show that we are the friends of the same God, and may be treated in the same manner. This is faith under the gospel, and shows that the faith of Abraham and of all true believers is substantially the same, and is varied only by the difference of the truths made known."
Verse 25, "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for justification."
LGT "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised for our justification."
Who was delivered for our offences: by His death Christ expiated our sins, that is, He made the sufficient payment in our stead; and by the way, He not only paid for the believers sins, but He paid the price for the unbeliever's sins also; therefore, the sinner only goes to hell for rejecting Christ expiatory death on the cross. And was raised for our justification: Christ's resurrection was a proof that His work was accepted by the Father. "As it would not have been enough for Christ to undergo the wrath and judgment of God, and to endure the curse due to our sins, without His coming forth a conqueror, and without being received into celestial glory, that by His intercession He might reconcile God to us, the efficacy of justification is ascribed to His resurrection, by which death was overcome; not that the sacrifice of the cross, by which we are reconciled to God, contributes nothing toward our justification, but that the completeness of His favor appears more clear by His coming to life again" (Calvin).
The editor of Calvin's commentary adds this to the above:
"Christ is said here to have been raised from the dead by God, as well as delivered into death. 'However much import of this,' says Chalmers, 'may have escaped the notice of an ordinary reader, it is pregnant with meaning of the weightiest importance. You know that when the prison door is opened to a criminal, and that by the very authority, which lodged him there, it evinces that the debt of his transgression has been rendered, and that he stands acquitted of all its penalties. It was not for His own, but for our offences that Jesus was delivered unto death, and that His body was consigned to the imprisonment of the grave. And when an angel descended from heaven, and rolled back the great stone from the door of the sepulcher, this speaks to us, that the justice of God is satisfied, that the ransom of our iniquity has been paid, that Christ has rendered a full discharge of all the debt for which He undertook as the great surety between God and the sinner who believe in Him.'"
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