Romans 4. We need our sin put on Christ’s account. Doesn’t this damage one’s self-esteem. 16For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace (Greek: charin—from charis), to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed (Greek: to spermati—the seed), not to (Greek: to the seed)that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham (Greek: to the seed of the faith of Abraham), who is the father of us all. But in Romans 4 Paul challenges that view head-on. Create. Thus Abraham was already what we would call “saved” before this experience. Since Adam, humans chose to live sinful and selfish lives. For a Jew, a quote from the writings of Moses had great theological weight, especially relating to Abraham, who was seen as the father of the Jewish nation. He came to the studio the next day, but the artist sent him away because he had washed his face, combed his hair, and put on a suit of clean clothes. OVERVIEW Paul's opening to this letter to the church in Rome follows standard letter-writing conventions of the day with certain modifications. by John McNeill [Westminster Press], 3:11:1). Faith means taking God at His word when He promises to justify the one who has faith in Jesus (3:26). 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God. 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;. If we could earn salvation, the cross would be unnecessary. If you think that maybe you should become a missionary or go live and work in a slum for years, depriving yourself of the normal comforts of life, so that God will overlook your sins on judgment day, you’re still working. Paul is referring to Abraham as the Jewish forefather by lineage; but there may also be the hint that fleshly descent from Abraham is insufficient. Paul does not say that our faith makes us righteous, but that “faith is accounted for righteousness”—which is to say that God, seeing our faith, credits our account to wipe out our insolvency—freeing us of debt—God’s grace undoing our unrighteousness. It also brings to mind God’s promise to Abram that he would be the father of a great nation (Genesis 12:2)—at a time when Abram had no children. The book of Romans is a Pauline Epistle (letter from Paul). Rather, you believe God’s promise to declare righteous any sinner who trusts in Jesus and His shed blood as the propitiation for his sins (3:25). Commentary on Romans by John Calvin. Their vehicle was intercepted by the Senderos, and they feared for their lives (with just cause). Do you want to scream, “Wait a minute! But it seems to me that Paul could be conceding to his Jewish readers, “Okay, maybe Abraham has some grounds to boast before men. That evil, depraved murderer deserves to burn in hell!” If that’s your reaction, then you may not understand the crucial, bedrock message that Paul sets forth in our text, that…. So if you see yourself as a basically good person, you can’t be justified. 3:21-31. Romans 5:1-9 New International Version (NIV) Peace and Hope. 11:8). You do not understand God’s grace. It is self-evident that, when there is no law, there can be no transgression of the law. It says that the Lord credited Abraham’s account to give him the status of righteousness just as a generous father might cross out a wayward son’s debt to give him the status of solvency. The Book of Romans is a four-part explanation of the Gospel message written by Paul to the Church in Rome. This video is about 11-15-20. The word it does not refer to Abraham’s faith, as if God exchanged his faith for righteousness, in a sort of trade. “For the promise to Abraham and to his seed that he should be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness of faith“ (v. 13). This document has been generated from XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) source with RenderX XEP Formatter, version 3.7.3 Client Academic. Paul not only cites it here, but also in Galatians 3:6, where he argues against the Judaizers, who said that we must add our works to faith in order to be saved. Romans 4 - NIV: What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? Even though God had promised him heirs like the stars of the sky in number (Genesis 15:1-6), Abraham took matters in his own hands by taking Hagar as his mistress so that he might have a son (Genesis 16). The Prayer of Manasseh (8), states that God did not appoint repentance for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, “who were righteous and did not sin against Thee.” (What Bible were they reading?) He explained (ibid. Some commentators argue that the phrase, “according to the flesh,” should not modify “forefather,” but rather, “has found.” Thus Paul would be asking whether Abraham found some way, according to the flesh apart from God’s grace, to be justified. 1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. Two points are noteworthy about Paul's comments. He spends eternity in the unspeakable joy of heaven. 4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? Genesis 15:6 is the first time that the word believe is used in the Bible and it is also the first time that the concept of God crediting righteousness to anyone (justification) is mentioned. “but not toward God” (v. 2). Abraham Justified by Faith. ), “For unless you first of all grasp what your relationship to God is, and the nature of his judgment concerning you, you have neither a foundation on which to establish your salvation nor one on which to build piety toward God.” In other words, this truth is foundational for your entire Christian life. states, “Abraham was perfect in all his deeds with the Lord, and well-pleasing in righteousness all the days of his life” (cited by Douglas Moo, The Epistle to the Romans [Eerdmans], p. 256). Romans 4-5 English Standard Version (ESV) Abraham Justified by Faith. 210-211): In verses 1-8, Paul expands on and illustrates with Abraham and David the principle of 3:27-28, that we are justified by faith, not by our works, and thus we have no grounds for boasting. The Catholic Church launched the counter-Reformation and published The Canons and Decrees of Trent in large part to attack justification by faith alone (see my “Justification by Faith Alone,” Aug. 11, 1996, on fcfonline.org). If it is true that Abraham did not earn his righteousness by his deeds, it is also true that he did not earn it by his belief. So Paul is attacking the popular Jewish views about Abraham in his day, saying, “He couldn’t have been justified by his works.” Then he supports his argument with Scripture: “For what does the Scripture say? He also refers to Genesis 17:5, where God promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations (4:17), and concludes that descent from Abraham includes all “of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” (4:16). Who can boast of personal holiness in the presence of God’s holiness? Romans 4:2 "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof] to glory; but not before God." 3 For what does the Scripture say? Surely, there must be a copier’s error in the text! This is summarized in Rom. IX (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1954), Luther, Martin, Commentary on Romans, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1976), Moo, Douglas, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Romans (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996), Morris, Leon, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Co, 1988), Mounce, Robert H., The New American Commentary: Romans, (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), Myers, Allen C. The truth is justification takes place in the heart. He does believe, is filled with joy, and goes to his execution at peace with God. Romans 5:12 - Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread... - Verse-by-Verse Commentary Hi, ... as usually explained, means nothing else. Come filthy, naked, and dirty. Just as the believer cannot storm the gates of heaven demanding admittance on the basis of righteous deeds, neither can he/she demand admittance on the basis of belief. He regarded himself as called to both his master’s side and to the promulgation of the good news—news inextricably bound up with the death, resurrection, and exaltation of his Lord and God’s richest blessing upon sinful, erring human beings. 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. Abraham was as much in need of God’s perfect righteousness as were the wicked people of Sodom. The employer has enjoyed the benefit of the employee’s service, and is under obligation to compensate the employee. Paul said that God preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham when He promised, “All the nations shall be blessed in you” (Gal. 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