Romans 4

CHAPTER 4THEME: Abraham; David; Abraham justified by faithIn this great section of justification by faith, we have seen the doctrine. Paul has vividly stated that man is a sinner. Then he revealed that God provides a righteousness for sinners, and justification by faith has been explained. Now he will illustrate this truth with two men out of the Old Testament: Abraham and David. In Paul’s day Abraham and David were probably held in higher esteem by the nation Israel than any other two whose lives are recorded in the Old Testament. Abraham was the founder of the Hebrew race, and David was their greatest king. Paul uses these two Old Testament worthies as illustrations to establish his statement in chapter 3 that there is concord and agreement between the Law and the gospel. Although they represent two diametrically opposed systems, neither contradicts nor conflicts with the other. And they are not mutually exclusive. Even under the Law and before the Law, faith was God’s sole requirement.

Abraham, before the Law, was justified by faith. And David, under the Law, sang of justification by faith. Paul is not presenting some strange new doctrine which cancels out the Old Testament and leaves the Jew afloat on the sea of life holding onto an anchor rather than being in a lifeboat. Paul is showing that Abraham and David are in the same lifeboat, which he is offering his own people in his day, labeled “justification by faith.” The Law was a pedagogueit took the man under Law by the hand to lead him to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 4:1

ABRAHAMNow we see in the first five verses that Abraham was justified by faith. Let’s rearrange the modifiers and phrases to help us follow the thought of Paul: Therefore, what shall we say that Abraham, our first father, has found according to the flesh, that is, by natural human effort? The therefore that opens this chapter connects this argument with what Paul has been talking about back in the third chapter. The gospel excludes boasting and establishes the Law, as we have seen. Abraham and David confirm Paul in this thesis. Paul uses the idiomatic phrase “What shall we say?” here and in the other argumentative portions of this epistle. In the first division, Paul did not attempt to prove or argue that man is a sinner. For this reason we did not find this phrase there. Also in the last section of this epistle, which is practical, it is entirely omitted. “Abraham, our first father” reveals that the nation Israel began with Abraham. “First father,” I think, is a peculiar expression. It reveals the importance attached to Abraham, who was first chronologically and also first in importance. Many years ago when I was a pastor in Nashville, several friends that I had known before I studied for the ministrythey were Jewish friendsinvited me to come up one evening to speak to a group in the Young Men’s Hebrew Association. So I spoke to them on the glories of the Mosaic Law. I was amazed to find that they reckoned their ancestry from Abrahamthey never went past Abraham. Quite a few of their questions revealed that, and finally I asked them some questions.

I asked, “Don’t you count Noah or Adam in the line?” These young Jewish friends laughed and said, “No, we stop with Abraham. He’s our first father.” “Pertaining to the flesh” could modify Abraham, or it could modify the verb has found. What has he found according to the flesh? Abraham has found that Abraham’s works according to the flesh did not produce boasting but produced shame and confusion. That was Abraham’s works. He had nothing to boast of. Oh, don’t misunderstand; I think Abraham was a great man, and especially in that matter of Lot. He wouldn’t let the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah reward him. But in another section Abraham didn’t believe God, and he ran down to Egypt. This matter of that little Egyptian maid that he got and the son that came from her, these are things that are not to be boasted of by Abraham. Now notice how Paul develops this.

Romans 4:2

If Abraham were justified (declared to be righteous) by worksthat is, the works of the flesh “he hath whereof to glory,” but not before God. He can glory in self, but he cannot glory before God. It was assumed that Abraham had good works that counted before God. And the fact of the matter is that Abraham had many good works. But the startling thing was to discover that these good works were not the ground of salvation but were the result of his salvation and the result of being justified by faith. You see, James and Paul did not contradict each other when James said, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? (Jas_2:21).

The works that James described are not the works of the flesh under the Law, because Abraham wasn’t under the Law. They were works of faith. Abraham believed God, and he offered up Isaac. But did he actually do it? No, God stopped him and would not let him go through with it. Why?

Because it was wrong. You see, Paul and James quote the same verse: Abraham believed God, and He counted it unto him for righteousness (cf. Gen_15:6; Jas_2:23; Rom_4:3). But James goes to the end of Abraham’s life, to the time that he offered up Isaac. Abraham stood on the same ground on which the weakest sinner stands. Granted that he did have works in which to boast, but he could never boast before God, because God does not accept the works of the flesh.

The works of the flesh cannot stand before His holiness, and certainly Abraham’s works were tinctured.

Romans 4:3

Paul appeals to the Scripture as final authority. He even personifies it herethe Scripture is God speaking. What does the Scripture say? There is no other authority to which he can appeal. It was Dr. Benjamin Warfield who made this statement: “The Bible is the Word of God in such a way that whatever the Bible says God says.” How I wish that more men who claim to be evangelical really believed the Word of Godthat it is the Word of God, that it is God speaking. Paul quotes from the Old Testament directly about sixty times in this epistle. This quotation is, of course, from Gen_15:6: “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Paul is saying, “Hear what the Scripture says; God is speaking to you in His Word.” How tremendous this is. This promise was given to Abraham at a time when he raised a question with God: “…what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless …?” (Gen_15:2). God gave him no assurance other than a confirmation of the promise that his seed would be like the stars. In other words, Abraham simply believed God. He took the naked Word of God at face value, and he rested in it. Newell puts it like this: “There was no honor, no merit, in Abraham believing the faithful God, who cannot lie. The honor was God’s.

When Abraham believed God, he did the one thing that a man can do without doing anything! God made the statement, the promise, and God undertook to fulfill it. Abraham believed in his heart that God told the truth. There was no effort here. Abraham’s faith was not an act, but an attitude. His heart was turned completely away from himself to God and His promise.

This left God free to fulfill that promise. Faith was neither a meritorious act by Abraham, nor a change of character or nature in Abraham; he simply believed God would accomplish what He had promised: ‘In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed’ (Gen_12:3).” How wonderful! “Counted unto him for righteousness.” God counted, reckoned, it to him. God put it to Abraham’s account. He imputed it over to him for righteousness. It was not righteousness, but that is how God reckoned it.

Romans 4:4

It is a general rule that a workman is paid wages for the services that he renders. A man works for so much an hour, or he is paid so much for a particular job. Obviously Abraham was not a workman, for he did not earn what he received. His salvation was received on the only other basis, and that was undeserved favorby the grace of Godand he believed God. “But to him that worketh not” that is, there is nothing that you can do that will merit salvation. But you believe on Him, that is, on God, who declares the ungodly righteous. And the only kind of people God is saving are unrighteous people.

Somebody says, “You mean that He doesn’t save good people?” Well, do you want to name one? God will save any man who is good. But Scripture, as we’ve already seen, says, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom_3:10). This is according to God’s standard, not according to my little standard or your standard. If you want to name somebody who is good, you will make God out a liar. Are you prepared to do that?

And, of course, you would have to prove your point. “His faith is counted for righteousness.” Faith is the only condition. God accepts faith in lieu of works. There is no merit in faith, but it is the only way of receiving that which God freely offers. Faith honors God and secures righteousness for man. God put down righteousness in Abraham’s account to his credit. His faith counted for what it was nota righteousness from God. This is important to see.

Romans 4:6

DAVIDDavid lived under the LawAbraham did not because no law had been given during his lifetime. The Mosaic system didn’t come along until four hundred years later. However, although David lived under the Law, David could never be saved under the Law. And therefore David described the blessedness that God reckons righteousness without worksbecause David had no works. The works that he had were evil. And therefore, righteousness must be totally apart and separate from works. Righteousness must come on an entirely different principle.

Romans 4:7

This is a direct quotation from Psalms 32, verses Psa_32:1 and Psa_32:2. And this is one of the great penitential psalms of DavidPsalm 51 is the other one. These verses are the outcome of David’s great sin and his confession and acceptance which followed. “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven.” Are you one of the blessed ones today? Well, I’m glad to be in that company, in that number. “Blessed” expresses, oh, that glorious, wonderful joy of sins forgiven! This is the greatest statement of all, and David knew this by experience. “Iniquities” is lawlessness. David deliberately broke the law. He didn’t do it ignorantly. He knew what he did, and he was forgiven. “Are forgiven” refers to a definite and complete act of remission. A hard-boiled judge may under certain circumstances remit sins. But this speaks of the tenderness of God by taking the sinner into His arms of love and receiving him with affection. His sins are covered. How? Because Jesus Christ died and shed His blood, my friend.

Romans 4:8

In other words, joyful is the man whose sin the Lord will not put to his account. David was a great sinner. And God put away his sin, as Nathan informed him. Nathan said to David, “…The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die” (2Sa_12:13). Nevertheless, David was chastened. David set his own penalty when he responded to Nathan’s account of the rich man who took the poor man’s ewe lamb: “And he shall restore the lamb fourfold …” (2Sa_12:6). Four of David’s children were killedthe child of Bathsheba, Amnon his firstborn, Absalom, and Adonijah. Sorrow plagued David all the days of his life. David’s guilt was not put on his account, thoughanother bore it for him. Little wonder that he could say, “Joyful is the man whose sin the Lord will in no wise put to his account.”

Romans 4:9

ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BY FAITHThe argument now returns to Abraham to illustrate that justification is universal. Since David has spoken of the joy of the man under law who has been forgiven, the answer of the Jew would be that David belonged to the circumcision and only the circumcision could expect this joy. For this reason Paul returns to Abraham to show that Abraham was justified before the Law was given and also before he was circumcised.

Romans 4:10

God made the promise to him, and he believed God long before there was any kind of agreement made at allother than that God said He would do it. Abraham believed the naked Word of God.

Romans 4:11

God made that promise to Abraham long before circumcision was introduced. Abraham just believed God; that’s all.

Romans 4:14

You see, God saved Abraham by faith alone. Now notice something else here. Abraham was justified actually by faith in the resurrection.

Romans 4:19

There is no merit in faith itself. You see, there was nothing around Abraham in which he could trustnothing that he could feel, nothing that he could see, nothing. All he did was believe God. That’s important.

Romans 4:20

He was not double-minded. That’s the whole thought here. He looked away from his circumstances to the promise. He believed the promise, in spite of the fact that the circumstances nullified it. He put confidence in the promise because of the One who gave it, thus giving worship to God. You see, man was created to glorify God, but by disobedience he did the opposite. And, my friend, the only way you can glorify God is to believe Him.

Romans 4:21

“Fully persuaded” means that he was filled brimful. There was no room for doubt.

Romans 4:22

This faith in the resurrectionlife from the deadis what God accepted from Abraham in lieu of his own righteousness, which he did not have. God declared Abraham righteous for his faith in the promise of God to raise up a son out of the tomb of death, that is, the womb of Sarah. God promises eternal life to those who believe that He raised up His own Son from the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea, the place of death.

Romans 4:23

The womb of Sarah was a tomb. It was a place of death. But out of that came life. Abraham believed God. And this is what the Lord Jesus meant when He said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad” (Joh_8:56).

Romans 4:25

That is faith, not only in the death of Christ, but also in His resurrection. Matthew Henry put it like this: “In Christ’s death He paid our debt; in His resurrection He took out our acquittance.” God justifies those who believe in the death and resurrection of Christ. How wonderful this is! Have you gone that far with God? Do you believe Him?