Romans 4:16-25

Having established what did not justify Abraham (4:1-15) the Lord now declares the positive: justification can only be by faith.

·        Faith is demanded by grace (v16a).  Faith, being the absence of work, exercised by the sinner, is the only way that allows for God’s grace or unmerited favor.

·        Faith is demanded by the covenant/promises (v16b-17a).  Abraham was promised that all families of the earth would be blessed through him.  The Messiah was the One through whom this promise was fulfilled.  But Paul reminds us that God also promised Abraham to be the father of many nations (from Gen. 17:5).  This is fulfilled by the fact that Abraham was justified by faith.  His faith set the pattern for all who would be declared righteous by and before God.

·        Faith is demanded by God’s character (v17b).  This whole plan exalts God.  To give someone what they earn is human.  To give life to the dead or existence to the nonexistent is divine.  And this is what happened.  Abraham was around 80 years old when, for the 3^rd time (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:14-18; 15:1-4) God promised him descendants.  For a couple the age of Abraham and Sarah to have children would require an act of God.  But in the end their inability proved God’s ability.

In 4:18-22 the Apostle tells the story of Abraham and Sarah.  Though his body was as good as dead in terms of fathering a child (not at 80 but at 100 years of age) Abraham believed God.  Faith is conviction that God is able to fulfill His promise.  It is hope in a hopeless situation (v18) and Abraham had that faith.  Note that Abraham did not take a “leap in the dark” as some would define faith.  Rather he had faith because he trusted the word of God (v20).  To doubt God would be to dishonor God belittling His character and His word.  But by faith Abraham glorified God (v20b).

It is crucial to remember the promise Abraham believed.  It was not his faith when God called him (Gen. 12:1-3) nor the faith that let his nephew Lot choose the best land (Gen. 13) nor the faith to trust God for victory in battle (Gen. 14:1-17).  Rather, it was faith in the promise of descendants.  It was through these descendants that the Savior/Messiah would come.  It was Abraham’s faith for that promise that moved God to put His righteousness son Abraham’s account.  Even so today, it is faith in the descendant of Abraham, the Lord Jesus Christ, that transfers righteousness to the account of the believer.

In the closing verses of the chapter (v23-25) Paul now transfers this principle from our father Abraham to believers today.  As Rom. 3:21-26 said, Christ was delivered up for our offense and raised because of our justification.  Today we are called to the same faith as Abraham.  We are called to trust God who gives life to the dead.  We are called to believe God can fulfill His word.  We are called to believe the gospel!

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).