Category: Romans 4

Romans 4:16 – Foundational Promises

Posted on by Will

Because of this it is of faith according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

Truth to Learn

God’s promises to you are there for you to build on.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “sure” is bebaios, which means “fixed, sure, or certain.” Figuratively it refers to that upon which one may build, rely, or trust. In the New Testament it is never used of people, only objects or ideas.

 

Meaning Explained

This verse starts off with a connecting clause, “Because of this it is of faith …” The natural question is, “What is of faith?” By backtracking over the previous verses we see that this clause refers to verse 13 which reads:

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Romans 4:13)

Therefore, Paul is saying that righteousness is the result of faith, according to God’s gracious gift and not the result of works. The point we made several verses ago was that Abraham was declared righteous as a result of his believing God’s promise regarding his future son. God’s declaration of Abraham’s righteousness occurred a number of years before Abraham obediently circumcised himself and his household. Therefore it can’t have been because of works of obedience, it must be the result of faith.

Now, Paul reiterates the statement that he has made in the past couple of verses, that since Abraham was declared righteous as a result of faith, he has become the father figure to all who believe. He says in today’s verse that the promise was made sure to all Abraham’s seed, whether they are children of his flesh or children (through faith) by his example. The promise is not conditional, it is not partial, and it is not questionable. It is sure and firm just like a building’s foundation.

 

Application

Where are you putting your confidence? Are you still trying to keep all the rules and ordinances of your church in order to please God? Or, do you trust in God’s promises for your eternal future? In order to trust in the promises, you have to know what those promises are, and in order to know what those promises are you have to read the Bible, repeatedly and consistently.

Let me encourage you to set aside one half hour every day whether at the beginning of the day, in the middle of the day, or at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter when it is, as long as you are consistent about it. In the first 20 minutes, read your Bible and in the other 10 minutes pray about what you just read. If you don’t know where to begin reading, I would suggest that you start with 1st John (the 5th from the last book in the Bible) or perhaps the book of James or one of the Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John).

Try it for a week and see if you don’t begin to feel like God is actually talking directly to you as you read. The more you read your Bible, the better you will understand God’s message for you and His promises to you.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:11 – Signed and Sealed

Posted on by Will

And he received a sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still in uncircumcision, resulting in his being the father of all those who believe being in uncircumcision, and righteousness being imputed to them also,

Truth to Learn

Abraham’s circumcision was a seal of his righteousness.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “sign” is sēmeion, which means “a sign, a mark, or a token.” The same word is used of Jesus who performed many signs in the form of miracles which “marked” Him as the true Messiah.

“Seal” is translated from the Greek word sphragis, which means, “a signet or a seal which is used as an indication of genuineness.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses we learned that faith was imputed to Abraham for righteousness while he was still uncircumcised. As noted in the previous verse, it was probably about 15 years after his experience of faith that God reaffirmed His covenant with Abram (meaning exalted father), renamed him Abraham (meaning father of a multitude), and commanded him to circumcise himself and every male in his household who was at least 8 days old (read Genesis 17 for the details).

Why was there such a lengthy period between Abram’s being declared righteous and Abraham receiving the sign of circumcision? Perhaps God did this so that there would be no doubt that faith was imputed well before circumcision. And, according to this verse, circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign that he had a special covenant relationship with God.

In the current verse we see that it was also given to Abraham as a “seal.” It was God’s guarantee that He had proclaimed Abraham righteous through faith. That makes Abraham the spiritual father of everyone who believes whether or not he is circumcised.

This righteousness, which God declares for a person as a result of faith, comes regardless of whether a person is circumcised or not. Based on Paul’s line of reasoning and the carefully laid argument and evidence that he has just placed before the predominantly Jewish Christians in Rome, there is no way they could ever again insist that a person had to become a Jew and be circumcised in order to become a Christian.

One more thing to notice from Genesis 17:1: when God gave Abraham the sign of circumcision, he also commanded Abraham to be “perfect” (“blameless” in some translations). The Hebrew word tamiym means “to be without blemish” or “to be morally clean.” He was not given the commandment to be righteous until well after he was declared righteous. In other words, Abraham didn’t earn his righteousness by being morally pure; it was commanded of him after he was declared righteous. This is another piece of evidence that we don’t earn our salvation (righteousness), it is given to us!

 

Application

Righteousness and moral purity are things that God expects of us. But, as long as we have this sin nature we will never be completely righteous or morally pure by ourselves. Praise God that He declares us righteous when we believe the good news about Christ’s sacrifice for us. And He gets all the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:14 – Precious Promise

Posted on by Will

For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith has been made of no effect and the promise been made useless,

Truth to Learn

Righteousness comes either by faith or by works, not both.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “of no effect” is kenoō, which means “to make empty, to neutralize, or to make false.” It is expressed here in the passive voice indicating what is done to faith.

“Made useless” is translated from the Greek word katargeō. This is made up of kata, used as an intensifier and argeō, meaning “to be idle.” Hence it means “to render totally inactive, to be completely idle, or to become absolutely useless.” It is expressed here in the passive voice indicating what is done to the promise.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul now argues the other side of the fence. Having shown that it is through faith that God reckons righteousness, he now makes a counter statement regarding righteousness through obedience.

He says that if righteousness, being an heir of the world (which was promised to Abraham), is achieved by obedience (obeying the law or any other set of rules), then nothing is accomplished by faith, and God’s promise is useless. After all, what value is there in a promised gift to someone if someone else can attain the same thing by working for it?

Do you understand? What value is there in a promise regarding any unearned future gift if that same thing can be earned? Paul says it makes faith “of no effect.” That is, faith would become void of any meaning, hollow, and empty if righteousness can be earned by works. Not only that, but Paul says that the promise that God made to Abraham would be “made useless.” It would become absolutely useless and serve no purpose at all.

What Paul is demonstrating is how righteousness by faith and righteousness by obedience are complete opposites. You can’t have both and you can’t have a combination of the two, it has to be one or the other. Either a person is made righteous by obedience or he is made righteous by faith. This is particularly significant when you consider what Paul told us previously:

As it is written: “There is none righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one seeking God. They all turned away; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, not even one." (Romans 3:10-12)

Faith is a matter of believing, while obedience to the law is a matter of doing. Since none of us is righteous based on our doing (works), our only hope for righteousness (and salvation) is through faith. This renders that righteousness very precious because it can’t be earned; it can only be given to us:

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (Ephesians 2:8)

Let’s thank God for this precious righteousness by faith!

 

Application

If you believe that Christ’s death on the cross paid for your sins, then God has declared you to be righteous; you are saved from your sins. How precious does that salvation feel now?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:13 – Promise Received through Faith

Posted on by Will

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Truth to Learn

God’s promise of salvation is based on faith, not obedience.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “promise” is epangelia, which is made up of epi, used as an intensifier, and angelō, meaning “to tell” or “to declare.” Hence, epangelia refers to “a message, a summons, or a promise.”

“Heir” is from the Greek word klēronomos, which is made up of klēros, meaning “a lot” or “a die” and a form of nemō, meaning “to have in one’s possession” or “to distribute.” This word is a reference to the person who possesses the right to receive an inheritance.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul is covering all the bases, making sure that the Christians in Rome who were predominantly Jewish had no way to twist what he was saying into anything resembling “righteousness through obedience.” This verse says something a little bit different from what we found back in verse 10. That verse had to do with righteousness being imputed as a result of faith. This verse is talking about the promises that God made to Abraham. These promises include:

  • Gen 12:2 – that God would make of Abraham a great nation
  • Gen 12:3 – that in him all the families of the earth should be blessed
  • Gen 15:5 – that his descendants should be as numerous as the stars
  • Gen 17:5 – that he should be the father of many nations

It is probably this last promise to which Paul is specifically referring when he says that “… he would be the heir of the world.”

His point is that this promise was made to Abraham through the righteousness that comes from faith, not from obedience to the Law. In fact, if you read the Old Testament carefully you will discover that the Law of Moses came some 300 years after Abraham died. Hence, not only was he declared righteous through faith (just as we are declared righteous through faith) but the great promises that were made to Abraham (like the promises that are made to us) were given to him in faith, not obedience. That is, Abraham didn’t have to be obedient in order to receive the promises, he simply had to believe.

In a similar manner, the promises made to us concerning our salvation are not dependent on us being obedient before or after we are saved, they are based solely on our “once for all time” saving faith. In other words, there is no sin that we can commit that will prevent God’s promises from being fulfilled if we have truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!

These promises are based on faith, not obedience! Hallelujah!

 

Application

Perhaps you are convinced now that you can’t earn your salvation. But do you realize that you can’t keep your salvation (receive God’s promise to you) by obedience either? In other words, once you are saved you can’t do anything to undo that salvation.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:12 – Abraham’s Faithful Footsteps

Posted on by Will

and a father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but also walking in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while uncircumcised.

Truth to Learn

Circumcision doesn’t matter. Faith matters.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “father” is patēr, which means “father, ancestor, mentor, or model.” Hence, it can be used in a literal sense or it can be used in a figurative sense as it is in this verse.

“Walking” is the Greek verb stoicheō. It is based on the noun stoichos, which is a military term meaning “a row, a rank, or a line.” Hence, stoicheō means “to advance in rows or ranks” or “to walk in an orderly manner.”

The word translated “steps” is ichnos, which refers to “the sole of the foot.” By application it refers to a footstep or the impression left by the sole of the foot. Figuratively, it refers to the example that someone else has set for us to follow.

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul said that Abraham, through his righteousness of faith, became the father of those who believe even though they are uncircumcised. What Paul means is that Abraham became a father figure to them; that is, an example to all non-Jews. In this way, all non-Jewish people can share in the fatherhood of Abraham, figuratively speaking, through the same kind of faith.

In the current verse the wording of the translation makes it a little hard to understand. Here’s another way of wording what Paul is saying in this verse:

And the father of circumcision to those who are not just circumcised but who are also walking in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham while (he was still) in uncircumcision.

You can see from this wording that Paul is making the point that Abraham also is a father figure to the circumcised. Not to all the circumcised, just to those who (like the uncircumcised of the previous verse) have a saving faith like Abraham did. Paul is not talking about the literal fatherhood (ancestor) of Abraham, but the figurative fatherhood. And he’s not the figurative father of those who simply follow his example of circumcision, but of those who follow his example of faith.

In other words, it is not obedience to the Law or to any other set of rules that produces righteousness. It is the faith that produces righteousness. And, as we said in the previous verse, the point is that faith came well before obedience and as a result of that faith, we all (Jews and Gentiles) can look to Abraham as our spiritual father figure.

 

Application

It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, whether you are male or female, tattooed or not. It doesn’t matter whether your parents are rich of poor and it doesn’t matter whether you are Asian, African, Caucasian, Baltic, Australian, Indo-European, or Inuit. What matters is that you are following in Abraham’s footsteps, in that you believe Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins! Period!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:10 – Before or After

Posted on by Will

How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.

Truth to Learn

Obedience to God is the result of faith, not the cause of it.

 

Behind the Words

“While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised?” could more literally be translated as “Being in circumcision or uncircumcision?”

 

Meaning Explained

Remember Paul’s question? “Is the blessedness of God, who does not impute sin, something that only those who keep the law can experience, or is it something that those who don’t keep the Law but simply believe in God’s promise can obtain?”

He now asks another rhetorical question with a potentially startling answer. “When was the righteousness imputed to Abraham? Was it imputed to him while he was circumcised or was it before he was circumcised?”

Do you see why this is such an important question? If Abraham was declared righteous after he obeyed God by circumcising himself and his household, then it can be argued that he was declared righteous as a result of being obedient, that is, by works of righteousness. But… if Abraham was declared righteous before he was obedient, then his circumcision had nothing to do with his being declared righteous. That’s why Paul asks, “Was this crediting of righteousness to Abraham done while he was circumcised or uncircumcised?” Let’s look and see. In Genesis fifteen God declared Abraham (then called Abram) righteous. He was about 84 years old at the time:

And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15: 6)

Then in Genesis chapter seventeen Abraham was circumcised:

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. (Genesis 17:24)

The answer is that Abraham was declared righteous about thirteen years before he was circumcised. He was declared righteous as a result of faith, not as a result of obedience! He didn’t earn it; it was freely given to him.

Likewise, we are saved by faith and by faith alone. It has nothing to do with any act or deed on our part. We don’t have to obey any laws or rules or set of standards to be saved. In fact, we don’t do anything ourselves. We simply believe God’s promise! That’s what Paul meant in Ephesians 2:8, 9 when he said,

For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Obedience comes after salvation as a result of our freedom; it is not the cause of our salvation or our freedom!

 

Application

If you believe that you’re a Christian because you belong to a church and have gone through their “process,” then you may not be saved. However, if you believe that you are a sinner and that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross to pay for your sins, then you definitely are saved.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:7 – Thrown-away and Covered

Posted on by Will

Sorry this e-mail is late. I just noticed that it didn't get sent out last week.

Will

 

 

"Blessed are those whose lawless acts have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered;

Truth to Learn

God has separated our sins us from and has covered them with the blood of Christ.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated, “lawless acts” is the Greek word, anomia, which is made up of a, meaning “not” and a form of nomos, which means “law.” So literally, it means “not legal.” By interpretation, then, it means “those things which are not legal” or “those things which are in violation of the Law.”

 “Have been forgiven” is from the Greek word aphiēmi. This is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and hiēmi, meaning “to send.” Hence, this literally means “to send away.” The verb is expressed here in the aorist tense and passive voice. The aorist tense indicates action that was performed at a point in time in the past and the passive voice indicates action done to the subject (lawless acts). So Paul is saying that the lawless deeds were sent away at some point in the past.

“Sins” is from hamartia, which is from the verb hamartanō, meaning “to miss the mark.” Hamartia, therefore, describes a situation where we have not met God’s expectation of us.

The word translated “have been covered” is epikaluptō, which is made up of epi, meaning “upon” or “over” and kaluptō, meaning “to cover.” This is also expressed as an aorist passive, indicating that the sins were covered over at some point in the past.

 

Meaning Explained

Remember that Paul is quoting King David here, from Psalms 32:1. David is describing a condition of blessedness, when God demonstrates His favor toward us. This blessedness is the result of God forgiving, or “sending away,” our illegal actions, which is also what it says in Psalms 103:12:

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

God actually separates us from our sins (our acts of lawlessness) when they are forgiven. Otherwise, He would not be able to fellowship with us because sin cannot remain in His presence. Therefore, when God forgives our sins, he sends them away (as far from us as the east is from the west!)

This verse also says blessed is the man whose sins are covered over by God. In the previous chapter of Romans we learned that Christ is our mercy seat. The mercy seat was a covering of the Ark of the Covenant on which the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled, covering sins so God can “pass them by.”

Hence, in this verse David is saying that the man whose acts of lawlessness and sins are sent away and covered over possesses the fullness of God’s favor. And, as we have just learned, this blessedness does not come because we earned it in any way. We are blessed because God has chosen to bless us.

 

Application

My Christian brother or sister, do you realize just how blessed you are? You and I can have fellowship with our Holy God because He has removed our sins from us and covered them with the blood of Christ. Why not take a few minutes to get on your knees and thank Him for everything He has done for you!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:9 – Righteous Without Surgery

Posted on by Will

Is this blessedness then on the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.

Truth to Learn

We can receive the same blessedness that Abraham enjoyed through faith.

 

Behind the Words

“Blessedness” is from makarismos, which we looked at in verse six, meaning “possessing the fullness of God’s favor.”

“Circumcised” is from the Greek word peritomē, which is a compound word made up of peri, meaning “around” and a form of the verb temnō, meaning “to cut or to cut off.” Hence, this word refers to a circular cutting off of the foreskin.

The word “uncircumcised” is translated from akrobustia, which is made up of akron, meaning “the tip” and a form of the verb buō, meaning “to cover.” Therefore, this word refers to someone who has not had his foreskin cut off.

We can see from these two words, that a literal interpretation would be “round cuts” for those who are circumcised and “tip covers” to refer to those who are not. Though this sounds peculiar to us, it is much the same type of imagery that was used to describe American Indians as “red skins” because of the reddish color of their skin. Given that Paul is specifically talking about the practice of keeping the law with regard to circumcision as it relates to salvation, however, “circumcised” and “uncircumcised” are the best translations of these words.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has been quoting from the book of Psalms where David declared the blessedness of the person to whom God will not impute (mark to his account) sin. This blessedness is a characteristic of every person who has saving faith. In Noah’s case it was the belief that God was going to bring a flood. In Abraham’s case is was belief that God was going to give him a son in his old age. In our case it is the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died on the cross to pay for our sins. In each of these examples, it is faith that is accounted for righteousness in God’s record book.

Paul, referring to the blessedness described by David, now asks the (predominantly) Jewish Christians in Rome a pivotal question. Remember, the Jews of the early church still believed that you had to keep the law and be a devout Jew before you could become a Christian. They believed that all Christian males had to be circumcised and keep the Law, even after salvation. There are many churches today that have established laws, ordinances, and rules for their constituents. They teach that obedience to these rules is necessary to be a Christian and to be a member of their church. Paul doesn’t think so!

He asks, “Does this blessedness (that God will not impute sin) apply to those of the circumcision (keepers of the Law) only? Or, does this blessedness also apply to those who don’t keep the Law (or obey the ordinances of the Church) but who simply believe. After all, in Abraham’s case it was his faith that was accounted to him as righteousness.”

 

Application

It doesn’t matter who your ancestors are, what church you go to, or even if you occasionally break some of the rules. If you believe the gospel message you are righteous according to God.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:6 – Righteousness Without Works

Posted on by Will

exactly as David says of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

Truth to Learn

David also talked about those who are blessed due to God’s declaring them righteous without having done good works.

 

Behind the Words

“Exactly as” is translated from kathaper, which is made up of katha, meaning “as” or “just as” and per, which is an article indicating abundance. So, we could translate this as “exactly as” or “very much as.” In other words, Paul is showing a very strong relationship between the example of Abraham’s justification by faith and the things that David said, as quoted in the following verses.

The word translated “blessedness” is makarismos, which refers to someone who has been declared as fortunate, or happy. A very similar word is used in the following two verses where it is translated as “blessed.” Paul is using the word here to describe someone who “possesses the fullness of God’s favor.” Another way of saying it is “one of God’s favorites.”

The word “credits” is translated from the Greek word logidzomai, which we looked at back in verse three, meaning “to credit to someone’s account.”

“Apart from” is the translation of the word chōris, which we looked at in the previous chapter. This word indicates separation of two things in space or time. Therefore, it could be translated here as “separate from” or “without.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has already shown that Abraham is an example of God’s crediting righteousness apart from works of the Law. He now cites another example from the Old Testament. This time it is a quote from David, who obviously understood that God considers a person righteous without the works of the Law. In fact, David declares the person “blessed” to whom God imputes righteousness through faith. It may seem strange to think of God as having favorites, but in a very real sense that’s what David says about those who believe God’s good news.

And this favoritism comes, not from works of righteousness, but as a free gift from God. It is not granted to us because we have kept a set of rules or followed all the requirements of a particular church or even because we have been obedient. God’s favoritism comes simply because He has chosen to grant it to those who believe.

If you believe that you are a sinner in need of salvation and you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for all of your sins, Paul says because of that belief (faith), God has declared you to be as if you had never committed a single sin. You are declared “righteous” and your name is written in the Book of Life. It also means that you will not appear at the Great White Throne Judgment spoken of in Revelation 20:11-15. Instead, you will appear at the Bema Seat Judgment spoken of in 2Corinthians 5:10 where you will receive rewards for those things which you have done for the glory of God.

 

Application

Because of this gracious truth, let’s commit ourselves to living the remainder of our lives for the sole purpose of glorifying God. It’s the least we can do! Don’t you agree?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved