Bible Commentaries
Romans 4

Verses 1-25

IV 1-25 The Justification of Abraham as a Scripture Proof for the Christian Doctrine of Justification by Faith— The purpose of this digression into OT history is to illustrate and prove the three previous conclusions, 3:27-31, esp. the last, 3:31, that in teaching justification by faith and not by the observance of the Law, the Gospel asserts a doctrine which is not against but in complete agreement with the Scriptures = OT, esp. Pentateuch. The argument consists of the following 5 points: (1) 1-8. ’Abraham believed God and that was counted to him as justice’, Genesis 15:6 LXX, Vg: this is the proof-text. It has a positive and a negative side. The formeris the emphasis on Abraham’s faith, the latter consists in the omission of any reference to his works. Both aspects must be taken together to make Abraham a suitable type of the justification of the Gospel by faith without works, 3:27 f. (2) 9-12. Abraham’s justification by faith, Genesis 15:6, took place before his circumcision, Genesis 17:9-14, Genesis 17:23-27. The typical significance of this justification of Abraham, therefore, must not be limited to the children of the circumcision (= Israel) only. It is a lesson and example for all. Abraham is first of all ’the father of the faithful’, and that is an older and wider title than ’the father of the circumcision’, 3:29 f. (3) 13-17 continue the proof of the last point: the typical universality of Abraham’s justification by faith. The new turn of the argument is the use made of the promise given to Abraham, that he will be the father of many nations, 13, 17. Abraham received this promise, Genesis 12:3; Genesis 15:5; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:17 f., in view of his faith and not in connexion with any law or commandment. The children of Abraham according to this promise, therefore, are those who are Abraham’s children by sharing his faith. Thus, from the very beginning the promise given to Abraham was founded on faith and grace, and this can indeed be regarded as a secure basis of justification. Had it been otherwise, had the promise given to Abraham been made dependent on the observance of a law, there would today be no plea for the fulfilment of the blessing promised to Abraham, because the Law had admittedly been broken, cf. Deuteronomy 11:26-28. (4) 18-22 are not essential to the argument; but to pass them by would mean losing one of the best descriptions of faith in general, and of Abraham’s faith in particular. The phrase that believing in God Abraham ’hoped against hope’, 18, has rightly become famous. From the earliest times commentators have sought for an adequate paraphrase; e.g. Chrysostom: ’past hope of man, in hope of God’; Theodoret: ’past hope according to nature, but in hope of the promise of God’; Severianus: ’past hope of his own nature, in hope of the power of him that promised’ (Gifford). (5) 23-25 apply Abraham’s justification by faith as a scriptural type of the justification by faith according to the Gospel and so bring this ’proof from Scripture’, 4:1-25, to a close.

13-17. The argument that the promise given to Abraham ranks higher than the Law is repeated in Galatians 3:15-18. There is this remarkable difference however, that in Gal the superiority of the promise is based on the simple fact of its being 430 years older than the Law. 23-25. There is admittedly a difference between the object of the faith of Abraham and the faith of a Christian. Abraham had to believe that God would give him a son; the Christian has to believe that God grants redemption and justification through the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The difference is no doubt substantial. But this difference is not St Paul’s point. His point is rather that in either case it is faith and not works on which man is found to be just = justified. Differently, N. P. Williams 460 f.

V I-VIII 39 Some Immediate Effects of Christian Salvation, or the Fruits of Christian Justification— After the description of the means by which salvation according to the Gospel is obtained (Christ’s redeeming death and man’s faith, 3:21-4:25) Paul now recommends this salvation by praising some of its immediate effects, its present blessings. The same subject is treated in modern textbooks of dogma under the title: the formal effects of sanctifying grace, or sanctification. As such fruits we normally enumerate: (1) the forgiveness of sin, unless this be considered rather as the essence of justification; (2) divine adoption, 1 John 3:1;

(3) the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, 1 Corinthians 3:16 f.; (4) the gifts of the Holy Ghost; (5) the implanting (infusion) of supernatural virtues, esp. of the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity; cf. Tanquercy III 50 f. 850a

Plan. St Paul’s method of treating the effects that follow in the soul upon the acceptance of the salvation offered in the Gospel in 5:1-8:39 is neither systematic nor complete. But the present chapter-division is generally acknowledged to separate the main points: (1) 5:1-21 he who is justified in the sense of the Gospel enjoys a triumphant hope of heavenly glory; (2)6:1-23 he has ceased to live under the dominion of sin; (3) 7:1-25 he is free from the Law; (4) 8:1-39 he possesses the life and rights of an adoptive son of God. This last chapter can also be taken as a summary presentation of the blessings and principles of the Christian life; cf. Cornely.