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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

Romans 4:5 – Gift of Righteousness

Posted on by Will

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness,

Truth to Learn

It is our faith that God reckons as righteousness, not our works.

 

Behind the Words

“Believes” is from pisteuō. This is the verb form of the word pistis (the word translated “faith” in this verse), meaning “persuasion” or “faith.” Hence pisteuō refers to the act of being persuaded or believing.

The Greek word translated “ungodly” is asebēs. This is a compound word made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of sebomai, meaning “to worship” or “to give reverence.” Hence, asebēs refers to one who does not worship or someone who does not revere any god. According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, “It does not mean irreligious, but one who actively practices the opposite of what the fear of God demands … one characterized by immoral and impious behavior.”

 

Meaning Explained

Remember what Paul has just said? If Abraham earned his righteousness, then God had to give it to him because He owed it to Abraham. But God doesn’t justify those who have earned righteousness! Why? Paul told us earlier that there is no one who is righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks after God. In other words, there is no one who has earned righteousness. We are what Paul calls “ungodly” in this verse. Apart from His grace we are opposed to God, we are immoral and impious. That’s how righteous we are based on our works.

He now says that for the one who does not obtain righteousness by working (that’s all of us) but who believes God’s promises, He reckons that faith as righteousness. Again, it is not because He has to, but because He wants to.

Do you see? It was God’s choice to credit Abraham with righteousness as a result of his faith just as it is God’s choice to credit us with righteousness because we believe His promise to us. It was God’s choice that Abraham is saved, not Abraham’s, and it is God’s choice that we are saved, not ours. God did not have to declare Abraham righteous when he believed, and He does not have to declare us righteous when we believe the gospel message. God did it for Abraham, and He does it for us because he chooses to. That’s why it is by grace and not by debt. We don’t earn our salvation by believing in the gospel, God freely gives it to us!

That’s what Paul is talking about in the book of Ephesians where he said:

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8, 9)

Salvation is God’s gift to us, not by any deed that we have done, but because He chose to give it to us.

 

Application

This truth should not make us proud. On the contrary, it should humble us. Thank you, Lord, for crediting me with righteousness. I didn’t deserve it and I don’t deserve it, but you gave it to me nonetheless!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:4 – Unearned Gift

Posted on by Will

Now to him who is working, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

Truth to Learn

Abraham did not earn his righteousness and neither can we.

 

Behind the Words

The words “who is working” are translated from ergodzomai, which means “to work or labor.”

“Wages” is from the Greek word mythos, meaning “that which is given in exchange for actions done.” It can mean payment, reward, or retribution.

The word translated “counted” is the same as the one translated “accounted” in the previous verse (logidzomai).

“Grace” is translated from charis, which refers to “a favor done without expectation of anything in return.”

The word translated “debt” is opheilēma, meaning “a debt; that which is owed to someone else.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that according to scripture, Abraham’s belief in God’s promise of a future son was accounted to him as righteousness. Abraham was not declared righteous (justified) by God because of any works, but because of faith. Paul now continues on with his logical argument.

If Abraham was justified by a work of righteousness, then he earned his righteousness. If he earned that righteousness by doing something, then God owed the righteousness to him for doing the righteous act. That is, God owed him a debt. If God owed him that righteousness for doing a righteous act then Abraham earned it; it wasn’t freely given to him.

But that’s not the way it happened according to Paul. Abraham didn’t receive his righteousness because God owed it to him. Abraham received his reckoning of righteousness from God by God’s grace, not because God was obliged to, but because in His great love and by His marvelous grace, God chose to credit it to him.

In yesterday’s study we revealed the background of Abraham’s faith. We noted that Abraham returned to the king of Sodom all his people and all the plunder except the tithe given to the King and Priest of Salem and the portion earned by his two friends. Abraham did not keep any of the “reward.” Notice that it was perfectly lawful for Abraham to keep it because he earned it, but he gave it back to the king of Sodom. In the opening verse of Genesis chapter fifteen, God then said to Abraham:

"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am a shield to you, your exceedingly great reward." (Genesis 15:1b)

Do you see that? God said that He was Abraham’s reward. The Hebrew word translated “reward” has the same meaning as the Greek word mythos, translated as “wages” in this verse. Abraham refused the reward that was due him because he wanted to give God all the credit. Then, when he believed God’s promise, God credited him with the righteousness that he couldn’t possibly have earned. That’s grace!

 

Application

No matter how heroic our actions and no matter how much we give away of what is rightfully ours, we can’t earn our own righteousness. It only comes as a gift from God when we believe His promise.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:3 – Righteous Abraham

Posted on by Will

For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Truth to Learn

Righteousness comes by believing God’s message.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “accounted” is logidzomai, which is an accounting term meaning “to count out as one would count out money when payment is being made.” By interpretation, however, it means “to put to one’s account” or “to credit to someone.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul is quoting here from Genesis 15:6. Let’s set the scene in order to understand the context of this verse. Abraham and Lot have separated and Lot has taken his flocks and has moved to Sodom. Meanwhile a confederacy of kings from the East has come and defeated Sodom and several other cities, carrying off the people of Sodom (including Lot) as captives. Upon hearing this, Abraham gathered the men of his own household along with a couple of his friends and pursued the conquering kings. Taking them by surprise at night, Abraham and his forces defeated the kings and brought all the people and goods of Sodom back with him.

He was met just outside Salem (now Jerusalem) by the king of Sodom. The king of Sodom demanded that Abraham give him his people back but told him that he could keep the plunder. Abraham not only gave back the people but nearly all the plunder as well (he offered 10% of it to the King and Priest of Salem and allowed his two friends to take their share). He did this so that no one could ever claim that they had made Abraham rich. He wanted God and God alone to have that distinction.

Immediately afterwards, God recognized Abraham’s selfless actions and promised him a son. Here’s what it says:

But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am going childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." And He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:2-6)

Abraham believed that God would provide him a son and it was because of this faith that God “accounted it” to him as righteousness. In other words, in God’s record book He wrote down the word “justified” next to Abraham’s name. Because of Abraham’s faith, God declared him to be righteous!

This is precisely what happens to us when we believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we are declared as righteous in God’s record book.

 

Application

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord through faith, then you are recorded in God’s record book as having the righteousness of Christ himself. This means that you are now completely saved from your sins.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved