RSV ~ Romans 4 Notes

Rom 4:1-25 | ISB Notes

Paul expounds the spiritual fatherhood of Abraham. He aims to show from Scripture that faith, not circumcision or observance of the Mosaic Law, makes us children of Abraham.

Rom 4:1 | ISB Notes

our forefather: Paul continues to engage his rhetorical Jewish opponent (2:17).

Rom 4:2 | ISB Notes

boast: By taking pride in a personal accomplishment.

• The one who boasts in his works boasts in himself, but the one who boasts in his faith boasts in God. To observe the laws against stealing and murder is a small thing compared to believing that God can do all things (St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans 8).

Rom 4:3 | ISB Notes

Abraham believed God: A citation from Gen 15:6.

• Abraham takes God at his word when he embraces the promise of descendants, despite the obstacles of childlessness and old age (Gen 15:1-5). The Lord accepts his faith with an acknowledgment of his righteousness. Paul works forward from this passage to demonstrate in Rom 4:9-10 that the narrative sequence of the Abraham story in Genesis holds the key to a right understanding of justification: it shows us that Abraham was righteous by faith long before he was circumcised with the flint knife (Gen 17:24). Paul thus debunks a prevalent Jewish perception that circumcision, and the obligation to keep the Mosaic Law that follows from it, is indispensable for a covenant relationship with God (Acts 15:1-5) (CCC 144-46).

Rom 4:4 | ISB Notes

one who works: Justification is a free gift of grace, not a wage that is owed on the principle of justice and fair compensation (6:23; Tit 3:5).

reckoned: In secular Greek, the verb iogizomai is a business term for recording credits and debits. It can also be translated “counted”. When Paul stresses that righteousness is booked to our credit as a gift, he does not imply that the gift is merely imputed to the believer in an external way. In his mind, the divine record corresponds to reality, that is, we are counted righteous because we are made righteous in Christ (5:19).

Rom 4:7-8 | ISB Notes

Paul quotes Ps 32:1-2 to buttress his reading of Gen 15:6, showing again that justification takes place apart from circumcision and observance of the Torah. He is using a Jewish exegetical technique that links passages of Scripture together on the basis of common vocabulary. Note how the excerpts from Genesis and the Psalter both showcase the verb “reckon”.

• Psalm 32 celebrates divine forgiveness. As Paul points out, the Psalmist does not restrict this blessing to the people of the Mosaic covenant, i.e., to those who are circumcised (4:9) and trace their genealogy back to Abraham (4:12). Forgiveness is an essential part of justification in Pauline theology (Acts 13:38-39).

Rom 4:11 | ISB Notes

father of all who believe: The fatherhood of Abraham is defined by imitation rather than generation. To be a part of his family is to share his faith, not necessarily his physical lineage (4:12, 16).

without being circumcised: Given Paul’s comments about true circumcision in 2:25-29, he is saying that Abraham is the father of true Jews, not all Jews. Jesus makes a similar point in Jn 8:39.

Rom 4:13 | ISB Notes

inherit the world: God promised Abraham a worldwide family through his offspring (Gen 22:16-18) several centuries before the Law was given to Israel (Gal 3:17-18). This was the oath of universal blessing he swore when the patriarch was tested and found faithful (Sir 44:21) (CCC 705-6).

Rom 4:15 | ISB Notes

the law brings wrath: Violation of the Law brings the curses of the Mosaic covenant upon transgressors (Lev 26:1433; Deut 27:15-26).

Rom 4:17 | ISB Notes

I have made you: A citation from Gen 17:5.

• The passage shows that God had already made Abraham the father of nations before he gave him the covenant of circumcision (Gen 17:9-14). In Paul’s mind, this took place back in Gen 15:5-6, when the patriarch first believed that God would make him a father. It follows that circumcision, which came after his fatherhood was established by faith, cannot be the sign of Abrahamic sonship.

calls into existence: Reflects the belief that God created all things out of nothing (2 Mac 7:28) (CCC 296).

Rom 4:18-24 | ISB Notes

Paul sees a parallel between Christian faith and Abraham’s faith. Abraham believed that God could bring new life (Isaac) from his and Sarah’s dying bodies. Christians believe that God brought new life to the crucified body of Jesus by raising him from the dead.

Rom 4:18 | ISB Notes

So shall your descendants: A citation from Gen 15:5.

• God promised Abraham that his descendants would outnumber the stars in the sky.

Rom 4:19 | ISB Notes

barrenness: The Greek is literally “death” or “deadness”.

Rom 4:25 | ISB Notes

raised for our justification: The Resurrection of Christ is more than a miracle and motive for faith. It is a saving event in its own right, since the dying and rising of Jesus together constitute his victory over sin and death (1 Cor 15:17-22). Baptism gives us a share is this double victory, for through it we die to sin and rise to new life with Christ (6:3-4). The death and resurrection of our souls will be followed by the death and resurrection of our bodies (8:10-11) (CCC 654-55).