Romans

4:13-25

Arguments in support of the proposition, 1:18-11:36

2. The impartial nature of God's righteous vindication of the just in Christ, 3:21-4:25

ii] b) The example of Abraham: God's promised blessings flow to the righteous by faith and this apart from law obedience

From 4:1-4:25, Paul draws on the example of Abraham to support his proposition that a person who is set right with God (justified), as part of God's setting everything right (the righteous reign of God), rests on faith (God's faithfulness to his promises appropriated by faith). Such a person rightly participates in the fullness of God's promised blessings, and this apart from works of the law. Having established from scripture that Abraham's standing before God rested on God's faithfulness to his promise appropriated through faith and not obedience to the law (Abraham was set right before God prior to his circumcision), 4:1-12, Paul goes on to show that God's promised blessings belong to those who like Abraham are righteous by faith apart from law.

God's promise to Abraham and his descendents of a kingdom, flows as a natural consequence of a right-standing before God which rests on faith (God's faithfulness appropriated through faith) and not law-obedience.

gar "-" - for. Abraham was the spiritual father of both Jew and Gentile, v11-12, for he rested on promise/grace rather than law.

"it was [not] ...... received" - A verb must be added as Paul does not supply a main verb. So for example "the promise to Abraham and his descendents that they would inherit the world did not come through law", Cassirer.

nomou (oV) gen. "law" - Given the context, "law" is most likely the command to Abraham to be circumcised. Note, there is no article which would be present if the Torah was intended. Of course, the principle here applies to all God's law, including the Torah. None-the-less, some commentators argue for "the Law of Moses." "Law" in the sense of "divine revelation / the books of the Law", a possible sense of "law" in 3:31, is unlikely. The best sense of the genitive following the preposition dia, "through/by means of", is instrumental and so it is "not through law", meaning "not through obedience to a divine command" or "not through the instrument of the law."

tw/ spermati (a atoV) dat. "offspring" - the seed. Dative of advantage. Note that sometimes "the seed" refers to Christ, providing another way (other than "faith") by which a believer is related to Abraham, ie. being in Christ makes us one of Abraham's seed. This sense is probably not intended here.

hJ epaggelia (a) "the promise" - An important word for Paul (26 of 52 NT uses) such that it can serve as a descriptive for "grace". God's gracious kindness is evidenced in his covenantal promises which are fully appropriated by those who possess "a righteousness of faith."

einai (eimi) inf. "that [he] would be [heir of the world]" - The infinitive of the verb to-be is probably appositional, defining the "promise"; "namely, that he/they would inherit the world.", although BDF 399, suggests epexegetical, explaining "promise". The difference is minor.

klhronomon (oV) "heir [of the world]" - Paul argues that Abraham, and his seed, are heirs to the covenant promise and this because they are right before God through faith. Yet, Gen.18:18; 22:17-18, doesn't quite say this, although the reign of God's people over the earth, with Zion (Jerusalem) as the center of the world, was the way a faithful Jew understood the covenant promise. Paul happily uses this nationalistic description of the promise because now all believers, both Jew or Gentile, share in it. Of course, inheriting the land from sea to sea, filled with seed as the stars, images Eden, the promised land, the kingdom, heaven, eternal life. ........

alla "but" - Strong adversative.

If God's promises are facilitated by law-obedience, then the ground upon which a person's justification stands is made null and void - there is no point to either God's free grace or our response. Paul's argument proceeds on the basis that law and promise are mutually exclusive.

ei + ind. "if" - Conditional sentence, 2nd class, where the condition stated in the "if" clause is untrue.

oiJ ek nomou "those who live by the law" - those of the law. Possibly as NIV, although "live" is a guess. Possibly "adherents", Moffatt; "those who place reliance upon the law", Cassirer; "they who pin their faith to keeping the law", Phillips. Possibly reflecting the technical term in Judaism, "sons of the Torah", Jewett, a term which may carry ethnic force for Paul, so Dunn. Possibly something like "those who hold by the law", REB, even "law party", Williams, in the sense of those who are nomists (better than "legalists", Morris).

kekenwtai (kenow) "has no value" - emptied. There is no point to it

kathrghtai (katargew) perf. pas. "worthless" - make of no effect, abolish, bring to naught. The promise is made worthless for Abraham because he rested on faith rather than law. Logically, this is an unacceptable proposition.

Rather than accessing God's promised blessings, all the law accesses is condemnation. Certainly law has its positive side, a guide to faithful living, but primarily it ministers God's curse on sin. Such has always been the case (new perspective commentators would disagree; "Paul ministers in a new era where the law works only wrath", Dumbrell). Without this function, says Paul, there would be no transgression and therefore no need for salvation. "The prime function of the law is to condemn, not to serve as a medium of the promise. That role is filled by faith", Dunn - the law is fulfilled/completed by faith.

gar "because" - for. As with v14, this conjunction serves to link and advance the logic of Paul's argument, so NIV; "for the law produces wrath", Dunn.

orghn (h) "wrath" - The law serves to inculcate its appended curse - judgment.

katergazetai (katergazomai) pres. "brings" - works. The law functions to this end, ie. exposes transgressions and pronounces the curse

parabasiV "transgression" - a crossing of a no-go line, a falling short. Used of breaking the law of God.

For the appropriation of the promise to be guranteed to both believing Gentiles and believing Jews it is necessary for it to rest totally on a righteousness of faith, apart from law obedience, given the inability of the law to do anything more than condemn.

dia + acc. "therefore" - because of, on account of. Drawing a conclusion.

"[the promise] comes" - The verb is added by the NIV: there is no verb in the Gk. and "promise" is duplicated ie., the sentence is elliptical. This is probably not the case, see below.

touto "-" - [because of] this. What is the "this" referring to? Probably referring back, so for example, "because of the nature of the law and its inability to work anything but wrath", Denny. Cranfield argues, against most commentators, that the dia touto construction refers forward ("for this reason .... namely, that it may be according to grace"), noting that for every two references backward in the NT there is one forward, usually followed by a hina clause (final, or causal) as here. "For this reason it is on the basis of faith, namely, in order that it may be according to grace", Cranfield.

iJna "so that" - that. Introducing a purpose clause, the subjunctive verb to-be is assumed, "in order that it may be according to grace."

eiV to + inf. "and may be" - for [to be]. This construction usually forms a consecutive clause expressing the result of an action; "so that, with the result that." "So that the promise my be certain of fulfilment for all the seed", Cranfield.

bebaian (oV) "guaranteed" - secure, firm, durable, solid, certain, sure.... The covenantal promise rests on sold ground when it is given by God's grace through the instrument of faith.

tw/ ek tou nomou (oV) "those who are of the law" - to those of the law. Most hold now that Paul means "believing Jews", Jewish Christians", Cranfield, so Morris, etc.; "the promise is for the Jew who is part of the seed through faith", Moo. New perspective commentators argue for "faithful Jews", Jews of the Old Covenant who applied themselves faithfully to covenant stipulations. Given the parallel phrase in v14, with a possible reference there being to the Jewish race, "Jews" here is not an unreasonable conclusion, so eg., Dunn, Jewett. If the promise is confined to the descendents of Abraham, now bound under the Sinai covenant, not only is it limited by race, but in reality it cannot be realized because of the curse of the law. But, in reality, the promise is realized by the faith of Abraham and is thus for all who have faith. "The divine promise still holds good for the Jewish people descended physically from Abraham, but now all those who imitate Abraham's faith, whether Jew or Gentile, may find a share in it", Fitzmyer.

Paul closes his argument with a text, Gen:17:5, "Abraham is the father of all of us. As the scriptures say of him, I have appointed you the father of many nations", Barclay.

oJti "-" - Introducing a direct quotation.

teqeika (tiqhmi) perf. "I have made" - place, put .... and therefore: appoint. Expressing a past action with ongoing consequences. Paul quotes one of the elements of the covenantal promise, namely, Abraham's appointment as the patriarch of a new people, who like Abraham, trust God and find their trust credited as righteousness.

Abraham is the perfect example of someone who lives by faith, v17b-22. He put his trust in a God who acts on his word; "who quickens the dead and calls into being the things which do not exist", Barrett. Obviously alluding to the covenant promise made to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, of a people unto God. Against all odds, Sarah being beyond child birth, Abraham believed God's promise and this faith-stance was credited to him as righteousness. Such is the nature of a faith that accesses right-standing in the sight of God apart from submission to the law, as opposed to a "breezy optimism or ... denial of external reality", Schreiner re. Moxnes.

ou| gen. pers. pro. "in whom" - who. Genitive due to attraction, but properly dative. "In the presence of God, in whom he believed, the one who ......... against all hope, Abraham believed and so ..." There is difficulty in relating this sentence with the proceeding quote, 17a, but it is more than likely that the quote concludes the previous section.

tou zwopoiountoV (zwopoiew) pres. part. "who gives life" - [God] the one giving life. Participle as a substantive. The present tense is durative, not punctiliar, such that God's life-giving act extends beyond giving life to Sarah's womb. He is a God who raises a people, to himself, from sin and death.

kalountoV (kalew) "calls" - the one calling. Participle as a substantive.

ta mh onta (eimi) "things that are not" - the things not being. The participle as a substantive.

wJV "as [though they were]" - as. Both Barrett and Cranfield suggest that this construction, used instead of an infinitive, probably serves to introduce a consecutive clause, "so that / with the result that" - he speaks so that it is. "God called what did not exist so that it came into existence", Schreiner.

par elpida ep elpidi (iV ewV) "against all hope [Abraham] in hope [believed]" - beyond hope in hope. The phrase is a difficult one. As Barrett puts, we have two hopes here. The "beyond hope" = "human hope's uttermost limit has already been reached and passed", Cranfield, is set aside by Abraham, who then "on the basis of hope" [in God] believes, = "Abraham still relied in hope on the promise of God", Calvin.

eiV to + inf. "and so [became]" - This construction usually forms a purpose clause, although consecutive seems more likely here, "and so as a result became the father .....", cf. Lagrange.

to eirhmenon (legw) perf. pas. part. "had been said" - the thing having been said/spoken. Participle as a substantive. "God promised", CEV.

mh asqenhsaV (asqenew) pres. part. "without weakening" - not having weakened. The negation here should properly be ou, but mh is often used with participles, cf. Moule. The participle is adverbial, probably causal, "because", or concessive, "although", cf. TNT. Here, "without becoming weak". Abraham, "without growing weak in faith", Weymouth.

katenohsen (katanoew) aor. "he faced the fact" - he considered, understood, discerned. Variant negation of the verb exists producing the translation "he was so strong in faith that he did not consider ....", Metzger.

hdh "as good as [dead]" - already. "Now", AV; "permanently", Wuest. Variant reading, possibly added, but more likely accidentally dropped. "Abraham was of the opinion that he was impotent, but none the less ....."

nenekrwmenon (nekrow) perf. pas. part. "dead" - having been dead. The participle forms a dependent statement of perception, "he discerned that his body was already dead." Perfect tense expressing a completed, but ongoing state, "his own impotence", Phillips.

uJparkwn (uJparkw) pres. part. "since he was" - possessing. The participle, forming a participle phrase denoting Abraham's age, adverbial, probably causal, "because", as NIV.

thn nekrwsin (iV ewV) "[Sarah's womb] was [also] dead" - "Worn out", BAGD.

de "yet" - but, and. Here adversative, as NIV.

ou diekriqh (diakrinw) aor. "he did not waver" - divide. "divide" and therefore "divided of the mind", "wavering, unable to hold one position". "Stagger at", Weymouth

th/ pistei (iV ewV) dat. "through unbelief" - in/by unbelief. The dative is probably instrumental, "dative of cause", Turner. "No lack of faith made him waver", Cassirer.

eiV "regarding [the promise]" - to, into. Here taking the special sense, "with respect to", BAGD.

enedunamwqh (endunamow) aor. pas. "was strengthened" - was empowered. Divine passive; God does the strengthening. When all seemed lost Abraham's faith served to strengthen him (note, Abraham is strengthened through his faith; it was not his faith that was strengthened). "His faith made him strong", CEV.

douV (didwmi) aor. part. "and gave" - giving. Attendant circumstance participle identifying action accompanying the verb "was strengthened", as NIV.

plhroforhqeiV (plhroforew) aor. pas. part. "fully persuaded" - having been fully persuaded, convinced. The participle is probably adverbial, causal, "Abraham was strengthened by his faith and gave glory to God because he was persuaded that ..." Abraham was fully convinced that God could and would do as he promised, although, as with all of us, the doubts were there, but he set them aside. "In the firm conviction of His power to do what he had promised", NEB.

oJti "that" - Introducing a dependent statement, what Abraham was convinced about.

poihsai (poiew) aor. inf. "to do" - [he is able also] to do. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "is able."

ephggeltai (epaggellw) perf. "[what] he had promised" - he has promised. The perfect tense underlined the past giving of the promise and its ongoing validity.

dio kai "this is why" - wherefore also. The "also" is a variant, but if read means: [therefore] "the inference is self evident", BAGD.

elogisqh (logizomai) "credited" - it was accounted, taken into account, considered [to him]. cf. v3, Gen:15:6. Righteousness, right-standing before God, is credited to the account of a person who trusts God, as Abraham trusted God. "God reckons his faith to him ...... for righteousness", Godet; "one may infer from reckon that God treats faith as though it were righteousness", Kasemann. Taking a new perspective angle Dumbrell states "This faith stance was credited to him for what it really was, a demonstration of his being right with God. "Was reckoned to him as righteousness", Cassirer. "Was accepted as righteous by God", TEV.

Paul now applies his argument to his readers. The scriptural truths concerning Abraham, were not just for Abraham, they were written for us today. "Faith, which results in righteousness, ... is no vague abstraction", Schreiner. This "righteousness will be reckoned to us in the same way it was to Abraham", Morris, and will consequently produce "life". The extent of this consequent "life", of "new life in Christ", will now be the focus of Paul's letter through chapters 5 to 8; "therefore, since we are justified by faith, ........", 5:1.

dia hJmaV "[but also] for us" - because of, on account of us. "On our account", the "our" being believers.

mellei (mellw) pres. "will [credit]" - is about [to credit]. The NIV "righteousness" is added for meaning sake. The verb "is about to" possibly touches on the sense of justification as a now/not yet reality. Moo suggests the sense is logical, rather than theological: "every time the condition shall be fulfilled, the same imputation will certainly take place."

logizesqai (logizomai) pres. pas. inf. "credit" - to credit. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "about".

epi + acc. "in" - upon, on, at, up to. Here the preposition is obviously spacial, rather than temporal, but with Paul, it is usually followed by a dative, "believe in/on Jesus". Here followed by the accusative of person which possibly carries the sense of movement toward, so Moule. A common use in Acts. Here it is belief toward God, "the one having raised Jesus", rather than Jesus himself, probably paralleling Abraham's belief.

This verse alludes to the Servant Song, Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The idea is that the Servant of God, namely, Jesus, served as a representative people of God. Jesus suffered on behalf of his people, was ultimately victorious and therefore could justify many. It is a formula-like statement and might have had common usage in Pauline circles. Although both Christ's death and resurrection achieve our justification, the emphasis is on the resurrection of Christ. Christ's atoning death was "for" (on account of) our rebellion against God. His death was substitutionary, taking our punishment, and thus, our guilt before God. Christ's resurrection was "for" (in order to bring about) our right-standing before God. The resurrection of Christ, his enlivening, proclaimed his perfection and was thus, a declaration of his righteousness before God for a life lived in obedience to God. In identifying with Christ in his death we die with him, our corruption is hid in him and we stand acquitted. In identifying in his resurrection, ascension and eternal reign, we share in his glorification, eternally right with God, holy before him.

paredoqh (paradidwmi) aor. pas. "delivered over" - delivered up, handed over.... Christ was given up to death ("death" is not in the Gk.) on the cross because/for our sins. The betrayal is not in mind, rather it is the Father giving Jesus over as a perfect sacrifice; note divine passive. "Given over to die because of our sins", TEV.

dia "for". With the accusative this preposition is usually "because of / on account of", ie. causal. So Christ goes to the cross because of our sinfulness - our sin drove him there. Yet, a causal sense for the second use of this preposition doesn't seem to work, although it is supported by some commentators, eg. Godet. It is difficult to see how Christ's resurrection is because of our justification? A final (purpose) sense is suggested by Cranfield, "Christ was raised for the sake of our justification." This "prospective" sense is also promoted by Moo and others, "Christ's resurrection was with a view to our justification / in order to secure our justification." Vincent Taylor argues that the prospective sense is without textual support given that this verse is the only possible NT and LXX example. None-the-less, it is more than likely that Paul is simply employing stylistic licence, such that the first line is retrospective and the second prospective. Jesus was given over because of our sins and "he rose again to secure our justification", Phillips.

ta paraptwmata (a atoV) "sins" - transgressions, offences, sin

hgerqh (egeirw) aor. ind. pass. "was raised" - was raised. The theological linkage between Christ's resurrection and our justification is an interesting one. For Paul, a believer's justification is perfective, it rests on a past event, Christ's sacrifice for our sins, and his ongoing reign as our risen Lord. The common two-part formula used in modern systematic theology of justification and sanctification is virtually subsumed as one in Paul's understanding of justification. Through faith in the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice and his reign as our risen Lord, we are eternally right with God, holy in his sight, and it is because we are this way, through the indwelling Spirit, that we strive to be this way, apart from the law. It is only natural, therefore, that Paul would focus his argument in Romans on those believers ("the weak", nomists) who, although they counted themselves justified by faith in Christ, saw the maintenance of that standing effected by a faithful application of the law. For Paul, a believer's standing before God, yesterday, today and tomorrow, is effected by faith in Christ, our crucified savior and risen Lord.

dikaiwsin "justification" - vindication. This is not Paul's usual word for justification. Some have suggested the emphasis here is on the process rather that the result. "That we might stand right before God."

Romans Introduction.

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