Introduction
In Romans 3, Paul established that Torah was never intended to justify or vindicate sinners; justification comes by God’s grace. Torah’s role is to expose sin and bring guilt into the open-not to erase it. In Romans 4, Paul turns to Avraham to show that this has always been God’s pattern: righteousness is credited through faith before works, before circumcision, and before Torah itself, proving that grace is not a new idea but the foundation of the covenant from the beginning.
4:1 What then shall we say was discovered by Avraham, the father according to the flesh?
4:2 If indeed Avraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not towards God.
4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Avram (Avraham) had left the land of his father’s according to God’s instructions. He received the command in Ur, but followed his father to Hannan. When his father dies, He obeys God.
He makes a few mistakes (like lying about Sarai being his sister in Egypt- Gen 12) But he is humble- letting Lot choose the land first in Gen 13, trusting God to provide for him. He also refuses the King of Sodom’s wealth in 14.
These are his works, his deeds, proven by his faith– trust in God to obey Him.
We see that faithful obedience is not sinless or perfect, but rooted in trust, love and loyalty.
After these things came the word of YHVH to Avram in a vison saying, “Do not fear Avram. I AM your shield, your exceedingly great reward” ( sakar- wage, payment).
But Avram said, “My Lord YHVH, what will you give me, since I am living without children, and the heir of my household is Eliezar of Damascus?” Then Avram said, “Behold, you have given me no seed, so a house born servant is my heir.”
Then, behold, the word of YHVH came to him saying, “This one will not be your heir, but rather one who will come from your own body will be your heir.”
He took him outside and said, “Look up now, at the sky, and count the stars- if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall be your seed.”
Then he believed in YHVH, and He counted it to him as righteousness.
— Genesis 15:1-6
- “Believe”- in Hebrew אמן aman: to confirm, trust or support
- “Believe”- in Greek pisteuo: to have faith, trust in; have respect towards
What’s the key phrase here? Trust.
Over and over for Avram, he trusts YHVH to protect him, provide for him and bless him. Because he has trust in YHVH, he shows his faith through his obedience, and that showing of faith is rewarded.
4:4 Now to the one working, his wages are not by way of grace, but by way of what is owed
4:5 However to the one who is not working but believing in the One who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
Paul is using the analogy that if you work a job, your pay is not a gift- it’s what’s owed.
God is not your employer: He is not indebted to you by your performance. If anything you are indebted to Him by His mercy.
The “one not working” is not encouraging disobedience, living lawlessly or having no transformation after faith;
Paul is defining “working” as basing a legal claim to righteousness because of obedience.
But we have no claim- God is the ultimate source of righteousness, it all comes out of Him, not ourselves:
- Torah teaches what God’s standard of righteousness is
- Faith (trust) is counted as righteousness
- Then the Ruach (Spirit) of God empowers obedience which adheres to His standards
4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
4:7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
4:8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
( Psalms 32:1-2)
4:9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? Indeed we say that faith was credited to Avraham as righteousness.
4:10 How then was it credited to him? In circumcision or uncircumcision? Not in circumcision but uncircumcision.
4:11 And the mark he received a seal of the righteousness of faith that he had in the uncircumcision, for him to be the father of all those believing, in uncircumcision in being credited also to them the righteousness.
4:12 The father of circumcision to those not of circumcision, but also to those walking in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham had during his uncircumcision.
Circumcision did not create Avraham’s righteousness; it confirmed it. This establishes Avraham as the father of all trusting God, proving that covenant membership is not limited by ethnic markers.
Avraham is the “father of the circumcised” to those who not only bear the sign, but who walk in the same faith-obedience Avraham had before circumcision.
Paul is clarifying to all those with physical covenant signs- without faithful walking, covenant is incomplete.
Paul’s point is order
- faith precedes the mark
- the mark confirms faith
- obedience follows both; Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised
4:13 Not indeed through Torah was the promise to Avraham, or his descendants, that heir he should be of the world; but through righteousness of faith.
4:14 If indeed those of Torah (only) are heirs, faith has been made void and the promise is made of no effect.
4:15 For Torah brings wrath; where not there is Torah there is no transgression.
4:16 Therefore it is of faith that according to grace for to be sure the promise to all the seed, not to that of Torah only, but also to that of the faith Avraham the father of us.
Meaning if the promise of inheritance of blessing was only for pre existing followers of Torah (which was mainly Jews at this point in time; scattered Yisraelites), it would have been useless.
It was by faith that Avraham and his descendants were marked by circumcision, before the written Torah even existed.
We say written here, because Scripture also says of Avraham:
“Avraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commands, My statutes, and My Torah.”
– Genesis 26:5
At the point of Avraham, there were no written commands, statutes, judgements or instructions- and so he was praised because of his obedience to what did exist- the commands and instructions YHVH told him.
His obedience was evidence of his trust. And the nations were blessed through him.
4:17 as it is written, “A father of many nations I have made you” before whom he believed God the One giving life to the dead and calling things not even existing into being.
“Not shall you be called longer your name Avram (exalted father), but shall become Avraham; for a father of many goy I have made you.”
– Genesis 17:5
In Hebrew
- Goy or Goyim– meaning nations which are foreign; Gentiles; non Yisraelites (/Jews in 2nd Temple time)
- am / amim in comparison means a specific people; the Yisraelites in most cases
4:18 Who against hope in hope believed, for him to become the father of many nations, according to that having been spoken, “So shall be your offspring.”
4:19 And not having become weak in faith, when he considered of himself the body already having become dead, a hundred years old about being, and the lifelessness of the womb of Sarah
4:20 At however the promise of God not did he waiver, through unbelief otherwise was strengthened in faith having given glory to God
4:21 and having been fully assured that what He had promised able He is also to do.
4:22 On that account namely it was credited to him as righteousness.
4:23 Not it was written now on the account of him alone that it was credited to him
4:24 but also on account of us, to whom it is about to be credited to those believing on the basis of the One having raised Yeshua the Lord of us out from the dead
4:25 who was delivered over for the trespasses of us and was raised for our justification.
Paul has established:
- Covenant was always for anyone coming to YHVH with faith and trust in Him
- Covenant is marked by faith; trust in God to provide and be faithful
- Faith is proven by obedience, even in the face of uncertainty
- Through the faith of Avraham, many gentile nations are blessed
“Avraham surely shall come a goy (nation) great and mighty, and shall be blessed in him all the goy of the earth.”
– Genesis 18:18
Avraham believed and trusted in a future promise to be fulfilled;
We, as ‘Gentile’ believers, now trust by faith in a promise that is now being fulfilled.
Paul explains all this to say Gentile faith isn’t a new idea:
But that God’s promised act of redemption and blessing has now occurred in Yeshua;
Because of this, faith is no longer anticipatory but grounded in a finished, public act that unites all believers into one covenant people.
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