Romans 4

Ro 4:1-25.

THE

FOREGOING

DOCTRINE OF

JUSTIFICATION BY

FAITH

ILLUSTRATED FROM THE

OLD

TESTAMENT.

First: Abraham was justified by faith.

1-3. What shall we say then that Abraham, our father as pertaining to

the flesh, hath found?--that is, (as the order in the original shows),

"hath found, as pertaining to ('according to,' or 'through') the flesh";

meaning, "by all his natural efforts or legal obedience."

2. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory;

but not before God--"If works were the ground of Abraham's

justification, he would have matter for boasting; but as it is perfectly

certain that he hath none in the sight of God, it follows that Abraham

could not have been justified by works." And to this agree the words of

Scripture.

3. For what saith the, Scripture? Abraham believed God, and

it--his faith.

was counted to him for righteousness--

(Ge 15:6).

Romish expositors and Arminian Protestants make this to mean that God

accepted Abraham's act of believing as a substitute for complete

obedience. But this is at variance with the whole spirit and letter of

the apostle's teaching. Throughout this whole argument, faith

is set in direct opposition to works, in the matter of

justification--and even in

Ro 4:4, 5.

The meaning, therefore, cannot possibly be that the mere act of

believing--which is as much a work as any other piece of commanded duty

(Joh 6:29;

1Jo 3:23)

--was counted to Abraham for all obedience. The meaning plainly is that

Abraham believed in the promises which embraced Christ

(Ge 12:3; 15:5,

&c.), as we believe in Christ Himself; and in both cases, faith is

merely the instrument that puts us in possession of the blessing

gratuitously bestowed.

4, 5. Now to him that worketh--as a servant for wages.

is the reward not reckoned of grace--as a matter of favor.

but of debt--as a matter of right.

5. But to him that worketh not--who, despairing of acceptance with

God by "working" for it the work of obedience, does not attempt it.

but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly--casts himself upon

the mercy of Him that justifieth those who deserve only condemnation.

his faith, &c.--(See on

Ro 4:3).

Second: David sings of the same justification.

6-8. David also describeth--"speaketh," "pronounceth."

the blessedness of the man unto whom the Lord imputeth righteousness

without works--whom, though void of all good works, He, nevertheless,

regards and treats as righteous.

7, 8. Saying, Blessed, &c.--

(Ps 32:1, 2).

David here sings in express terms only of "transgression forgiven, sin

covered, iniquity not imputed"; but as the negative blessing

necessarily includes the positive, the passage is strictly in

point.

9-12. Cometh this blessedness then, &c.--that is, "Say not, All

this is spoken of the circumcised, and is therefore no evidence of

God's general way of justifying men; for Abraham's justification

took place long before he was circumcised, and so could have no

dependence upon that rite: nay, 'the sign of circumcision' was given to

Abraham as 'a seal' (or token) of the (justifying) righteousness which

he had before he was circumcised; in order that he might stand forth

to every age as the parent believer--the model man of justification

to be moulded, whether Jew or Gentile, who should thereafter believe to

life everlasting."

13-15. For the promise, &c.--This is merely an enlargement of the

foregoing reasoning, applying to the law what had just been said of

circumcision.

that he should be the heir of the world--or, that "all the families of

the earth should be blessed in him."

was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law--in virtue of

obedience to the law.

but through the righteousness of faith--in virtue of his simple faith

in the divine promises.

14. For if they which are of the law be heirs--If the blessing is to

be earned by obedience to the law.

faith is made void--the whole divine method is subverted.

15. Because the law worketh wrath--has nothing to give to those who

break is but condemnation and vengeance.

for where there is no law, there is no transgression--It is just the

law that makes transgression, in the case of those who break it; nor can

the one exist without the other.

16, 17. Therefore, &c.--A general summary: "Thus justification is by

faith, in order that its purely gracious character may be seen,

and that all who follow in the steps of Abraham's faith--whether of his

natural seed or no--may be assured of the like justification with the

parent believer."

17. As it is written, &c.--

(Ge 17:5).

This is quoted to justify his calling Abraham the "father of us all,"

and is to be viewed as a parenthesis.

before--that is, "in the reckoning of."

him whom he believed--that is, "Thus Abraham, in the reckoning of Him

whom he believed, is the father of us all, in order that all may be

assured, that doing as he did, they shall be treated as he was."

even God, quickeneth the dead--The nature and greatness of that faith

of Abraham which we are to copy is here strikingly described. What he

was required to believe being above nature, his faith had to fasten upon

God's power to surmount physical incapacity, and call into being what

did not then exist. But God having made the promise, Abraham believed

Him in spite of those obstacles. This is still further illustrated in

what follows.

18-22. Who against hope--when no ground for hope appeared.

believed in hope--that is, cherished the believing expectation.

that he might become the father of many nations, according to that

which was spoken, So shall thy seed be--that is, Such "as the stars

of heaven,"

Ge 15:5.

19. he considered not, &c.--paid no attention to those physical

obstacles, both in himself and in Sarah, which might seem to render the

fulfilment hopeless.

20. He staggered--hesitated

not . . . but was strong in faith, giving glory to God--as able to

make good His own word in spite of all obstacles.

21. And being fully persuaded, &c.--that is, the glory which Abraham's

faith gave to God consisted in this, that, firm in the persuasion of

God's ability to fulfil his promise, no difficulties shook him.

22. And therefore it was imputed, &c.--"Let all then take notice that

this was not because of anything meritorious in Abraham, but merely

because he so believed."

23-25. Now, &c.--Here is the application of this whole argument about

Abraham: These things were not recorded as mere historical facts, but as

illustrations for all time of God's method of justification by faith.

24. to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe in him that raised up

Jesus our Lord from the dead--in Him that hath done this, even as

Abraham believed that God would raise up a seed in whom all nations

should be blessed.

25. Who was delivered for--"on account of."

our offences--that is, in order to expiate them by His blood.

and raised again for--"on account of," that is, in order to.

our justification--As His resurrection was the divine assurance that

He had "put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself," and the crowning of

His whole work, our justification is fitly connected with that glorious

act.

Note, (1) The doctrine of justification by works, as it generates

self-exaltation, is contrary to the first principles of all true

religion

(Ro 4:2;

and see on

Ro 3:21-26,

Note 1). (2) The way of a sinner's justification has been the

same in all time, and the testimony of the Old Testament on this

subject is one with that of the New

(Ro 4:3,

&c., and see on

Ro 3:27-31,

Note 1). (3) Faith and works, in the matter of justification,

are opposite and irreconcilable, even as grace and debt

(Ro 4:4, 5;

and see on

Ro 11:6).

If God "justifies the ungodly," works cannot be, in any sense or to any

degree, the ground of justification. For the same reason, the first

requisite, in order to justification, must be (under the conviction

that we are "ungodly") to despair of it by works; and the next, to

"believe in Him that justifieth the ungodly"--that hath a justifying

righteousness to bestow, and is ready to bestow it upon those who

deserve none, and to embrace it accordingly. (4) The sacraments of the

Church were never intended, and are not adapted, to confer

grace, or the blessings of salvation, upon men. Their proper use is to

set a divine seal upon a state already existing, and so,

they presuppose, and do not create it

(Ro 4:8-12).

As circumcision merely "sealed" Abraham's already existing acceptance

with God, so with the sacraments of the New Testament. (5) As Abraham

is "the heir of the world," all nations being blessed in him, through

his Seed Christ Jesus, and justified solely according to the pattern of

his faith, so the transmission of the true religion and all the

salvation which the world will ever experience shall yet be traced back

with wonder, gratitude, and joy, to that morning dawn when "the God of

glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia,

before he dwelt in Charran,"

Ac 7:2

(Ro 4:13).

(6) Nothing gives more glory to God than simple faith in His word,

especially when all things seem to render the fulfilment of it hopeless

(Ro 4:18-21).

(7) All the Scripture examples of faith were recorded on purpose to

beget and encourage the like faith in every succeeding age

(Ro 4:23, 24;

and compare

Ro 15:4).

(8) Justification, in this argument, cannot be taken--as

Romanists and other errorists insist--to mean a change upon men's

character; for besides that this is to confound it with

Sanctification, which has its appropriate place in this Epistle,

the whole argument of the present chapter--and nearly all its more

important clauses, expressions, and words--would in that case be

unsuitable, and fitted only to mislead. Beyond all doubt it means

exclusively a change upon men's state or relation to God;

or, in scientific language, it is an objective, not a

subjective change--a change from guilt and condemnation to

acquittal and acceptance. And the best evidence that this is the key to

the whole argument is, that it opens all the wards of the

many-chambered lock with which the apostle has enriched us in this

Epistle.