Lonang Commentary on Romans 4

Rom. 4:1-8 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Works (Law) vs. Faith (Promise)

With chapter 4, Paul mentions Abraham for the first time. He’s going to take the concepts already discussed (faith vs. law), and examine them through the lens of Abraham’s experience. This will result in a slight change of terminology, substituting works for law. These terms are to the same effect, as signified by the language in verse 4, that a worker’s wages are not a gift, but are due and owing. This is so because the payment of wages is governed by a contract which is legally enforceable. So works means, you owe me, and I have a legal right to this. However, faith and righteousness are not like this – God doesn’t owe us, we can’t earn this, and this is not something to which anyone is legally entitled.

Keep in mind that when Paul speaks of God’s promise to Abraham, he always considers it as a gift. In other words, the promise only goes one way – from God to Abraham. Abraham makes no promises back; he merely believes. There is no reciprocity of promises, or in a legal sense any mutual consideration. God’s promise is trustworthy, but it is not a contract. And strictly speaking, a promise does not even require Abraham’s consent, which is one of the key differences between a bare promise and a covenant. God told Abraham, in effect, that He was going to do things for Abraham, or through him, for the benefit of his descendants, physical and spiritual. Just because God wanted to, and not because of anything Abraham has done or will do.

So Paul considers Abraham, “our forefather according to the flesh,” in this light. Again, this is directed to Jewish readers, for in no sense is Abraham the biological ancestor of all Gentiles, even though he is the father of many nations (something we’ll look at in detail in a few verses). This language is clearly distinguished from verse 16, where Abraham is referred to as “the father of us all,” meaning the spiritual father of all believers.

But here Paul is drawing in Jewish readers with an example that is familiar to them, and educating Gentiles readers who have not had the scriptures before. Even if Gentiles readers are familiar with his name, they probably won’t see him as an example for them. But as Paul points out in the next section, Abraham’s righteousness was not connected with his ethnic identification, and therefore he is a model for everyone who believes, not limited to his biological descendants.

The main point being that righteousness before God is a free gift, unconnected to ancestry, law, or works. Which tracks with Eph. 2:8-9, that salvation “is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” To drive the point home, Paul affirms that Abraham had nothing to boast about concerning his righteousness before God, then quotes Gen. 15:6 in verse 5 (“his faith is counted as righteousness“).

Rom. 4:9-12 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Being a Jew vs. Being Redeemed

This text emphasizes how Abraham had the righteousness of God reckoned to him before he was circumcised. We know that Abraham was born in Chaldea, considered in scripture as an Aramean or Syrian (Gen. 15:7; Deu. 26:5). In other words, not born a Jew. He was called by God at the age of 75, and righteousness was reckoned to him sometime before the birth of Ishmael, when Abraham was 86. But circumcision was not introduced by God until Abraham was 99 (Gen. 17:24), at the same time God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. Thus, Abraham became ethnically separate from the Syrians when he was circumcised, years after he was found to be righteous. Essentially, Paul is saying that Abraham was saved before he was a Jew.

And in making this distinction, the logical conclusion is that Jewishness as such, that is being a member of the nation of Israel, or a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has no intrinsic connection to righteousness or redemption. Which again underscores that the nation of Israel was not a faith community. Being set apart as the people of God and being redeemed are two entirely separate propositions. Being identified as a Jew says nothing whatsoever about an individual’s spiritual condition.

Though the Jews were a chosen people, or if you will, a “called out” people, they were not a “church” in any spiritual sense. And I think commentators who refer to Israel as a type of church do their readers a great disservice. Merely being a “called out assembly” has no spiritual implications. Further, merely categorizing Israel and the Church as two kinds of called out assemblies establishes no logical connection between them.

The bottom line in this argument is that Abraham became the father of all who believe without being circumcised (that is, Gentile believers). Additionally, for Jews, “to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.” That is, to make Abraham the example for being a true Jew – one who is both a physical Jew and a spiritual Jew, circumcised both in the flesh and in the heart. In this way, Abraham is the father of all the righteous, whether Jew or Gentile.

In making these arguments, Paul is saying quite plainly that faith and righteousness happened completely independently from the things which followed with respect to circumcision and the nation of Israel. Let me rephrase that – the faith and righteousness of Abraham had nothing to do with the Abrahamic covenant. Therefore, Paul is not arguing that Gentile believers are grafted into, or made parties to, the Abrahamic covenant. Rather, he is clearly showing they have no part in it. The Abrahamic covenant only ever applied to the biological descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, past, present and future.

Recognizing the spiritual benefit of Abraham’s example is not the same as being a natural/biological heir of his body. The physical descendants of Abraham via Isaac and Jacob are independent from Abraham’s spiritual descendants. Jn 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Like proverbial apples and oranges, flesh and spirit cannot be commingled or blended together. The flesh perishes, but the spirit is eternal. And, as I have said previously, righteousness cannot be inherited through the flesh.

This is confirmed by the language God used in addressing Abraham. In Gen. 15:13-14, God said, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” This promise was unquestionably fulfilled by the enslavement and exodus of the Jews with respect to Egypt. Not a “spiritual Egypt,” and not regarding “spiritual Jews.” And not referring to Jesus. This is a direct reference to national (physical) Egypt and biological (physical) Jews.

The language God used in Gen. 17:10,12 is similar in effect: “Every male among you shall be circumcised. … He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring.” Male Jews only, not spiritual Jews (i.e., Christians), where there is neither male nor female. Gal. 3:28. Not any eight day old Christians who may have been bought with money from a foreigner. Biological Jews only, not believers in Christ.

What does this mean? It means circumcision does not apply to Christians. It means the Church is not a nation. And it means the Promised Land is not the past, present or future inheritance of any Gentile believer. When the Promised Land is reallotted to the twelve tribes of Israel in the Messianic Era (Eze. 47:13-21), no one will receive an allotment based on being a spiritual heir of Abraham. All the terms of the Abrahamic covenant apply to the biological descendants of Abraham only. No pretended heirs allowed.

Rom. 4:13-16 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

The Inheritance of Abraham’s Offspring

This text starts off with an unusual phrase, referring to Abraham and his offspring as the “heir of the world.” Back in Gen. 15, when Abraham and God are discussing who will be Abraham’s heir, there is no mention of Abraham being someone else’s heir – much less the heir of the world. However, this phrase recalls Dan. 7:18 (the saints of the Most High shall receive and possess the kingdom forever), and Mat. 25:34 (the righteous will inherit the kingdom). Which indicates that this refers to Jesus as the offspring of Abraham, who will inherit the whole world, and the saints who will partake of this through Him. “But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Heb. 1:2.

Which takes this whole discussion out of the context of the Abrahamic covenant, and therefore out of the context of Abraham’s biological heirs. For nothing in the entirety of the Abrahamic covenant relates to a worldwide kingdom – this is something else completely. Thus, the most important word in verse 13 is promise, which sets up the distinction between God’s promise to Abraham, and the covenant with Abraham. This distinction is explained by Paul in Gal 3:16-18:

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

In both Rom. 4 and Gal. 3, Paul stresses that the inheritance of Christ and the saints comes from God’s promise to Abraham, not the Mosaic law, nor from the covenant of circumcision. In other words, to Abraham’s spiritual heirs, not his biological heirs. Thus, Paul is telling his Jewish readers that to obtain the desired inheritance they cannot rely on their ethnicity, but must do something above and beyond it to partake of the inheritance. That is, they must exercise the type of faith that Abraham had. If it was the other way around – if the inheritance came through the law – it would nullify the promise of God.

Paul does not here define what the inheritance is, but as suggested above and in 1 Cor. 15:50, he most likely has in view the kingdom of God and all those things implied by it: redemption, an immortal body, eternal life, possession of the kingdom, etc. Perhaps he even has in mind the statement in Heb. 11:8-10 that Abraham was looking forward to the New Jerusalem as the epitome of his inheritance. A statement seemingly pulled out of thin air by the writer of Hebrews, as it is not found anywhere in the Old Testament.

Rom. 4:17-18 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations” in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”

The Father of Many Nations

Paul then offers a non-biological interpretation of Abraham as the father of many nations in verses 17 and 18. Certainly, God’s original promise to Abraham in Gen. 17:4-6 is, and was, most obviously fulfilled in a biological sense. For not only did Abraham become the progenitor of Israel through Isaac and Jacob (his son and grandson), but he was the physical ancestor of many others. First and foremost of which is Ishmael, his child via Hagar, who became the ancestor of what we today call the Arab nations.

I note with some amusement, for though I know it was all part of God’s plan I can’t help but think the Lord did so with a chuckle, that Ishmael had twelve sons just like Jacob. Gen. 17:20; 25:16. God didn’t have to do that – He could have shunted Ishmael off to some forgotten corner of the world in the ash heap of history. But no, He gave Ishmael twelve princes and twelve tribes, whose offspring today practice circumcision, don’t eat pork, and claim Jerusalem as their own holy city. A copy of Israel, of sorts, which has been the sworn enemy of Israel for 4,000 years, and who just so happen to live in the countries surrounding Israel. Not an accident or random occurrence, I daresay, but the intentional plan of God.

The whole Mideast conflict can be boiled down to a family squabble over the question of who is the son of promise (chief heir) of Abraham – Isaac or Ishmael. A conflict which is just now coming to a head, and which will not be resolved until one or the other group completely annihilates the other, removing the rival for the position of chief heir. And there can only be one outcome – ultimately, Israel will prevail (with the Lord’s help) over its enemies, who will be destroyed.

Meanwhile, will someone please clue in the White House to the fact that Gen. 12:3 is still in full effect? Not merely that in Abraham will all the families of the earth be blessed, but that God will bless those who bless Abraham and his chief heir (Israel), and God will curse those who dishonor Israel. It’s a package deal, folks – either all parts of Gen. 12:3 are true, or they are all false. No halvsies. And just to be clear, I am not talking about the political state of Israel, per se. But to the extent the modern state of Israel is at least partly composed of biological Jews – regardless of who is in leadership of the political entity, or how it is structured – those are the people that Gen. 12:3 applies to. This has nothing to do with modern Israeli politics or who is an Israeli citizen.

But that’s just Ishmael. Then there’s Esau, Jacob’s brother, not a part of Israel, who is the father of the Edomites, who along with the Moabites and Ammonites, form the modern country of Jordan, just on the east side of the Jordan River from Israel. The Moabites and Ammonites, of course, are the descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, children of incest (never a good thing). And they, along with the Edomites, are aligned with the Arabs. Esau, you may recall, married into the house of Ishmael. Gen. 28:9. Last but not least, after Sarah died, Abraham remarried and had six more sons with Keturah. Gen. 25:2. Where are their descendants today? In Iraq and Arabia.

But Paul’s interpretation bypasses all of this. Keep in mind that the promise, “so shall your offspring be” came in Gen. 15:5, when Abraham was 86 – the same time when Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). The promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations came in Gen. 17:4-6, when Abraham was 99. Yet Paul seems to collapse both of these with the promise God made back in Gen. 12:3 (when Abraham was 75), that in Abraham will all the families of the earth be blessed.

This fits with Paul’s pattern. We’ve already seen in Gal. 3:16 that he gives a spiritual interpretation to the word offspring from Gen. 15:5. And now, in Rom. 4:16-17, he gives a spiritual interpretation to father of many nations. But it simply means that Abraham’s spiritual offspring include people from all nations, and the heirs of the kingdom will include people from every tribe and language and people and nation. Rev. 5:9.

Rom. 4:19-25 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

A Faith That Did Not Waver

I find the statement interesting that Abraham did not weaken in faith when he considered his and Sarah’s age with respect to the birth of Isaac. For scripture records that both Abraham (Gen. 17:17) and Sarah (Gen. 18:12) separately laughed when they were told Isaac would be born. But apparently the Lord has a sense of humor, for He did not hold this against either of them. Instead, Paul asserts, Abraham’s faith only grew and did not waver while waiting for Isaac to be born.

Now the promise of Isaac’s birth and these laughing instances all occurred when Abraham was 99 years old. Yet Paul once again conflates these events with the time when Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness – a full 13 years earlier. Perhaps it is the long view of history from Paul’s perspective – looking backwards about 2,000 years – that makes it seem like these events all occurred about the same time, so Paul can talk about them as though they were contemporaneous.

Or perhaps it is from God’s perspective standing outside of time, where past, present and future are all a present reality, that the events of Abraham’s life are seen as contemporaneous, or perhaps as a continuous thread. In either case, it seems that Abraham’s faith was constant throughout, and the intervals of time in between didn’t count against him.

I can only hope that in my life, God will take the same long view, not taking into account all the little momentary lapses in confidence in His plans for me, or in the ups and downs of life, but that He will see a constant thread of faith running throughout the course of my life.