Romans 4:1-8
4:1 a Jews in Paul’s day revered Abraham as Israel’s founder. Some Jewish texts claim that Abraham never sinned (Prayer of Manasseh 8; Jubilees 23:10). Others emphasize his obedience to the law of Moses as the basis for his relationship with God (1 Maccabees 2:52; Sirach 44:19-20). However, Paul demonstrates that Abraham’s faith, not his obedience, established his status with God. Abraham’s position as the founder of God’s people demonstrates that justification by faith is central in God’s plan.4:3 b Paul quotes Gen 15:6 c. In response to God’s promise that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, Abraham believed God. It was faith that established Abraham’s relationship with God—not works (Rom 4:3-8 d), circumcision (4:9-12 e), the law (4:13-17 f), or the number of his descendants (4:18-21 g).
Summary for Rom 4:4-5: 4:4-5 h The logic of these verses is as follows: (1) The stated premise is that when people work, their pay is what they have earned, not a gift. (2) The unstated premise is that God is never indebted to his creatures (because they owe him everything), so anything he gives them is a gift (see also 9:14-16 i). (3) The conclusion is that therefore, people cannot be declared righteous before God because of their works.
Summary for Rom 4:7-8: 4:7-8 j This quotation from Ps 32:1-2 k follows the Jewish custom of supporting a reference to the Law with a reference in the Prophets or the Writings. Paul also uses a Jewish exegetical technique of linking unrelated quotations with a key word. Here, record . . . has cleared translates the same Greek word as “counted” in Rom 4:3 l.
Copyright information for
TNotes