A Study by Scott Sperling
Romans 4:1-3 -
Abraham’s Righteousness, pt. 1
1
What
then
shall
we
say
that
Abraham,
our
forefather
according
to
the
flesh,
discovered
in
this
matter?
2
If,
in
fact,
Abraham
was
justified
by
works,
he
had
something
to
boast
about—but
not
before
God.
3
What
does
Scripture say?
“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Towards
the
end
of
chapter
3,
specifically
in
Rom.
3:21-26,
Paul
gave
his
grand
statement
of
the
Gospel
—the
fact
that
we
are
justified
by
the
grace
of
God,
through
faith
in
Christ
.
Paul
tells
us
that
our
salvation
from
the
punishment
due
for
our
sins
comes
entirely
from
the
righteousness
of
Christ,
through
our
faith
in
His
redemption
for
us,
and
it
in
no
way
comes
from
any
good
works
that
we
do.
That’s
Paul’s
message
to us from Romans 3.
Here
in
chapter
4,
Paul
shows
us
that
this
is
the
way
that
it
has
always
been.
Justification
(that
is,
the
forgiveness
of
sins)
came
through
faith,
not
through
works,
even
in
the
Old
Testament
times.
To
show
this,
Paul
gives
us
two
examples,
that
of
Abraham
and
that
of
David.
In
doing
so,
Paul
is
pointing
out
that
Christianity
is
not
a
doing-away-with
Judaism
and
the
Old
Testament
teachings,
rather,
it’s
a
continuation
of
the
Old
Testament
teachings.
The
writings
and
teachings
of
the
New
Testament
are
a
further
revelation
of
the
writings
and
teachings
of
the
Old
Testament.
In
fact,
the
revelation
of
Christ
to
the
world
is
actually
a
revelation
that
shines
light
on
the
Old
Testament,
because,
only
through
Christ,
can
we
truly
understand what the Old Testament is saying.
Given
what
we
know
about
Christ,
and
the
mission
of
Christ,
and
the
ministry
of
Christ,
and
the
teachings
of
Christ,
and
the
Gospel
of
Christ,
we
read
the
Old
Testament
in
a
whole
new
light.
We
start
to
see
Christ
everywhere
in
the
Old
Testament.
For
instance,
we
see
Christ
as
the
seed
of
the
woman
after
the
fall
of
man
(see
Gen.
3:!5);
we
see
Christ
in
the
sacrifice
of
Isaac,
on
the
very
same
mountain
where
Christ
was
sacrificed
(see
Gen.
22);
we
see
that
it
is
Christ
of
whom
it
was
written
by
Isaiah:
“For
to
us
a
child
is
born,
to
us
a
son
is
given,
and
the
government
will
be
on
his
shoulders.
And
he
will
be
called
Wonderful
Counselor,
Mighty
God,
Everlasting
Father,
Prince
of
Peace.
Of
the
greatness
of
His
government
and
peace
there
will
be
no
end.He
will
reign
on
David’s
throne
and
over
his
kingdom,
establishing
and
upholding
it
with
justice
and
righteousness
from
that
time
on
and
forever.
The
zeal
of
the
Lord
Almighty
will
accomplish
this”
(Isa.
9:6-7);
we
see
it
was
Christ,
who
cried
out:
“My
God,
my
God,
why
have
you
forsaken
me?”
(Ps.
22:1);
we
see
that
it
was
Christ,
risen
from
the
dead,
of
whom
Job
proclaimed:
“I
know
that
my
redeemer
lives,
and
that
in
the
end
he
will
stand
on
the
earth”
(Job
19:25).
Yes,
we
see
Christ
everywhere,
and
in
every
way,
in
the
Old
Testament,
on
nearly
every
single
page,
if
we
truly
had
eyes to see Him.
And
so,
it’s
no
wonder
that,
just
as
the
New
Testament
teaches
the
grace
of
God,
and
God’s
desire
that
everyone
be
reconciled
to
Him,
so
also
does
the
Old
Testament
teaches
us
these
things.
This
reconciliation
with
God
comes
through
God
crediting
us
with
righteousness,
and
this
crediting
of
righteousness
to
us,
comes
by
faith,
whether
one
was
living
in
the
Old
Testament
times
or
in
the
New
Testament
times.
Having
said
this,
though,
we,
who
live
here
and
now,
do
have
a
special
blessing,
in
that
we
live
after
the
time
of
Christ.
We
have
the
clear
and
true
light
of
the
Gospel,
and
the
light
of
the
teachings
of
Christ,
and
so
for
us,
the
administration
of God’s grace is clear: we have a clear, true and sure way to salvation.
Paul’s
message
here
in
Romans
4
is
that
he
is
not
giving
us
some
new
teaching
when
he
teaches
the
doctrine
of
justification
through
faith
,
rather,
he
is
giving
us
a
teaching
that
was
always
in
the
Old
Testament.
As
Paul
wrote
near
the
end
of
the
previous
chapter:
“Is
God
the
God
of
Jews
only?
Is
he
not
the
God
of
Gentiles
too?
Yes,
of
Gentiles
too,
since
there
is
only
one
God,
who
will
justify
the
circumcised
by
faith
and
the
uncircumcised
through
that
same
faith”
(Rom.
3:29-
30).
There
is
one
God,
not
two
Gods.
There
is
not
a
God
of
the
Old
Testament,
and
a
separate
God
of
the
New
Testament.
There
is
one
God,
who
justifies
by
faith
now,
just
as
He
justified
by
faith
then.
In
the
New
Testament
times,
it
is
faith
in
the
truth
of
the
Gospel
message,
faith
that
Christ
died
for
our
sins
in
order
to
reconcile
us
to
God.
In
the
Old
Testament
times,
it
was
faith
in
the
promises
of
God,
which
looked
ahead
to
the
salvation
that
would
come
through
Christ.
And
so,
all
salvation
comes
through
faith,
and
all
salvation
comes
through
Christ,
just
as
Jesus
said:
“I
am
the
way
and
the
truth
and
the
life,
no
one
comes
to
the
Father,
except
through
me”
(John 14:6).
Paul,
here
in
Romans
4,
gives
us
a
couple
examples
of
this
Old
Testament
faith.
The
first
is
the
example
of
Abraham.
Paul
writes:
“What
then
shall
we
say
that
Abraham,
our
forefather
according
to
the
flesh,
discovered
in
this
matter?
If,
in
fact,
Abraham
was
justified
by
works,
he
had
something
to
boast
about—but
not
before
God”
(Rom.
4:1-2).
Paul
knew
that
the
Jews
would
have
a
great
difficulty
accepting
the
grand
statement
of
the
gospel
that
he
gave
in
chapter
3,
and
so,
to
help
convince
the
Jews
of
the
truth
of
the
gospel,
he
brings
up
the
example
of
Abraham.
Paul’s
aim
is
to
show
the
Jews,
and
everyone,
that
Abraham
also
was
justified
by
faith,
just
as
Christians
are.
This
would
go
a
long
way
to
convince
the
Jews
of
the
truth
of
the
gospel,
because
Abraham
is
the
father
of
Judaism;
he
is
their
forefather
in
the
faith;
he
is
to
them
Father
Abraham
;
all
Jews
could
trace
their
lineage through the twelves tribes of Israel, back to father Abraham.
The
children
of
Israel
looked
back
at
Abraham
as
the
perfect
example
of
a
pious
Jew.
He
was
the
paragon
of
the
perfect
Jew.
He
was
the
supreme
example
of
what
a
Jew
should
be,
and
the
very
father
of
the
faithful.
So
then,
if
Abraham,
who
was
so
renowned
for
his
holiness
and
obedience
–
if
he
was
justified
by
faith,
and
not
works,
then
maybe
(as
far
as
the
Jews
were
concerned),
this
Christian
gospel
is
not
so
far-fetched.
So
this
is
the
great
question
that
Paul
set
out
to
answer:
Was
Abraham
justified
by
works,
or
by
faith?
As
Paul
wrote
in
verse
2:
“If,
in
fact,
Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about…”
Given
the
greatness
of
Abraham’s
life,
one
might
certainly
think
that
he
was
justified
by
works,
and
that
he
had
lots
of
things
he
could
boast
about.
However,
if
you
examine
closely
the
great
works
of
Abraham’s
life,
you
find
that
they
were
all
driven
by
faith
in
the
promises
of
God.
Let’s
look
at
the
three
great
works
of
Abraham, and see what we find.
The
first
of
the
great
works
of
Abraham
was
when
he
left
Haran
(where
his
father
had
settled),
and
took
his
household
to
Canaan,
to
the
promised
land,
to
modern-day Israel. This is documented in Genesis 12:
The
Lord
had
said
to
Abram,
“Go
from
your
country,
your
people
and
your
father’s
household
to
the
land
I
will
show
you.
I
will
make
you
into
a
great
nation,
and
I
will
bless
you;
I
will
make
your
name
great,
and
you
will
be
a
blessing.
I
will
bless
those
who
bless
you,
and
whoever
curses
you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
So
Abram
went,
as
the
Lord
had
told
him;
and
Lot
went
with
him.
Abram
was
seventy-five
years
old
when
he
set
out
from
Harran.
He
took
his
wife
Sarai,
his
nephew
Lot,
all
the
possessions
they
had
accumulated
and
the
people
they
had
acquired
in
Harran,
and
they
set
out
for
the
land
of
Canaan, and they arrived there.
(Gen. 12:1-5).
Note
here
that
there
was
apparently
no
social
or
economic
reason
for
Abram
(as
Abraham
was
known
at
that
time)
to
leave
Haran.
He
wasn’t
under
attack
from
anyone,
or
anything
like
that.
He
was
quite
successful
where
he
was,
and
had
accumulated
many
possessions
so,
financially,
he
was
doing
well
in
Haran.
There
was
no
worldly
reason
for
Abram
to
leave
Haran.
So
really,
it
made
no
sense
for
Abram
to
pull
up
roots
and
to
go
to
Canaan,
to
go
to
the
promised
land,
except
that
God had promised to make him a great nation in Canaan.
So,
Abram
responded
to
the
promise,
and
uprooted
his
whole
life,
at
age
of
75,
and
went
to
Canaan.
Abram
responded
to
the
promise
of
God,
by
faith.
He
ripped
up
his
comfortable
and
safe
life
in
Haran,
because
God
promised
something
greater
for
him.
Make
no
mistake:
This
was
an
act
of
faith
by
Abraham,
faith
in
the
promises of God.
By
the
way,
aren’t
we
told
to
do
the
same
thing?
We
Christians
are
called
to
leave
this
comfortable
life
that
we
have
in
the
world,
and
to
follow
where
God
calls
us to go.
When
Jesus
called
each
of
His
disciples,
what
did
He
say
but,
“Follow
me”
?
And
they,
as
an
example
to
us,
dropped
their
nets
where
they
were,
or
dropped
whatever
they
were
doing,
and
followed
Him.
This
is
the
example
of
the
disciples
to
us,
and
this
is
the
example
of
Abraham
to
all
God’s
people.
God
says
to
us,
“I
promise
you
a
better
life.”
We
need
to
believe
in
the
promises
of
God,
just
as
Abraham did.
The
second
of
the
great
works
of
Abraham
occurred
when
God
established
the
covenant
of
circumcision.
This
happened
when
Abram
was
99
years
old.
At
that
time,
God
promised
him
that
he
and
his
wife
Sarah
would
have
a
son,
and
from
that
son,
Abram
would
become
the
father
of
many
nations.
We
find
this
in
Genesis
17:
“Abram
fell
facedown,
and
God
said
to
him,
‘As
for
me,
this
is
my
covenant
with
you:
You
will
be
the
father
of
many
nations.
No
longer
will
you
be
called
Abram;
your
name
will
be
Abraham…’”
[meaning,
“father
of
many”]
“‘for
I
have
made
you
a
father
of
many
nations.
I
will
make
you
very
fruitful;
I
will
make
nations
of
you,
and
kings
will
come
from
you’”
(Gen.
17:3-6).
And
then,
a
bit
later
in
the
same
chapter,
God
lays
out
the
covenant:
“Then
God
said
to
Abraham,
‘As
for
you,
you
must
keep
my
covenant,
you
and
your
descendants
after
you
for
the
generations
to
come.
This
is
my
covenant
with
you
and
your
descendants
after
you,
the
covenant
you
are
to
keep:
Every
male
among
you
shall
be
circumcised.
You
are
to
undergo
circumcision,
and
it
will
be
the
sign
of
the
covenant
between
me
and
you’”
(Gen.
17:9-11).
Then,
God
defined
the
promise
related
to
the
covenant
with
Abraham,
a
promise
through
Sarah:
“God
also
said
to
Abraham,
‘As
for
Sarai
your
wife,
you
are
no
longer
to
call
her
Sarai;
her
name
will
be
Sarah.
I
will
bless
her
and
will
surely
give
you
a
son
by
her.
I
will
bless
her
so
that
she
will
be
the
mother
of
nations;
kings
of
peoples
will
come
from
her.’
Abraham
fell
facedown;
he
laughed
and
said
to
himself,
‘Will
a
son
be
born
to
a
man
a
hundred
years
old?
Will
Sarah
bear
a
child
at
the
age
of
ninety?’”
(Gen.
17:15-17).
Despite
Abraham’s
incredulity,
we
see
that
Abraham
responded
to
the
covenant
promise
with
obedience:
“On
that
very
day
Abraham
took
his
son
Ishmael
and
all
those
born
in
his
household
or
bought
with
his
money,
every
male
in
his
household,
and
circumcised
them,
as
God
told
him.
Abraham
was
ninety-nine
years
old
when
he
was circumcised”
(Gen. 17:23-24).
Abraham
heard
the
promise
that
he
would
be
the
father
of
many
nations
through
a
son
that
Sarah
would
bear,
and
Abraham
did
everything
that
God
told
him
to
do,
through
faith
in
that
promise.
And
certainly,
to
circumcise
himself
was
an
act
of
faith.
Frankly
speaking
(at
the
risk
of
being
indelicate,
but
it’s
important
to
the
story),
the
circumcision
was
certainly
an
act
of
faith,
because
Abraham
was
harming
the
instrument
by
which
he
could
possibly
have
children.
By
being
circumcised,
Abraham,
by
faith,
was
putting
his
full
confidence
in
God
and
in
the
promises of God, and literally putting no confidence in his own flesh.
And
we
Christians
are
called
to
do
the
same
thing,
but
not
through
physical
circumcision;
rather,
we
are
called
to
do
this
by
spiritual
circumcision
of
the
heart.
We
are
to
excise
anything
that
prevents
us
from
putting
full
confidence
in
God,
and
in
the
promises
of
God.
Paul
elsewhere
wrote,
speaking
of
this
true
circumcision
which
Christians
should
have,
“For
it
is
we
who
are
the
circumcision,
we
who
serve
God
by
his
Spirit,
who
boast
in
Christ
Jesus,
and
who
put
no
confidence
in
the
flesh.”
(Phil.
3:2).
When
we
have
this
true
circumcision
of
the
heart,
then
and
only
then
are
we
able
to
fully
love
God.
Moses
taught
us
this
in
Deuteronomy:
“The
Lord
your
God
will
circumcise
your
hearts
and
the
hearts
of
your
descendants,
so
that
you
may
love
him
with
all
your
heart
and
with
all
your
soul,
and
live”
(Deut.
30:6).
So,
we
are
called
to
circumcise
our
hearts,
to
put
no
confidence
in
ourselves,
just
as
Abraham
was
called
to
circumcision.
And
Abraham’s
obedience
to
God
was
proof that Abraham believed what God had promised.
The
third
great
work
of
Abraham
was
when
he,
in
obedience
to
God,
offered
his
son
Isaac
up
to
be
sacrificed.
He
did
this
in
obedience
to
God,
who
said
to
him:
“Then
God
said,
‘Take
your
son,
your
only
son,
whom
you
love—Isaac—and
go
to
the
region
of
Moriah.
Sacrifice
him
there
as
a
burnt
offering
on
a
mountain
I
will
show
you.’”
(Gen.
22:2).
And
Abraham
did
take
Isaac
up
on
the
mountain,
and
was
about
to
sacrifice
him,
but
the
Angel
of
the
Lord
stopped
him,
just
as
the
sword
was coming down.
We
learn
from
the
book
of
Hebrews
that
Abraham’s
offering
of
his
son
to
be
sacrificed
was
an
act
of
faith
by
Abraham:
“By
faith
Abraham,
when
God
tested
him,
offered
Isaac
as
a
sacrifice.
He
who
had
embraced
the
promises
was
about
to
sacrifice
his
one
and
only
son,
even
though
God
had
said
to
him,
‘It
is
through
Isaac
that
your
offspring
will
be
reckoned.’
Abraham
reasoned
that
God
could
even
raise
the
dead,
and
so
in
a
manner
of
speaking
he
did
receive
Isaac
back
from
death”
(Heb.
11:17-19).
And
so,
the
whole
act
of
sacrificing
Isaac
was
an
act
of
great
faith
on
Abraham’s
part:
faith
even
that
God
could
raise
the
dead;
faith
in
the
promises
that
God
had
given
him
many
times
over
the
years
that,
through
Isaac,
Abraham would be the father of many nations.
Now,
we
will
never
be
called
by
God
to
lay
a
child
of
ours
on
the
altar,
and
sacrifice
him.
In
fact,
that’s
one
of
the
points
of
the
story.
Unlike
the
false
gods
of
the
religions
surrounding
Abraham
at
the
time,
the
True
and
Living
God
does
not
ask
for
human
sacrifices.
The
only
human
sacrifice
to
death
sanctioned
by
God
was
Christ’s
sacrifice,
once
for
all,
for
all
of
us.
But
we
are
asked
to
be
living
sacrifices
in
service
to
God,
and
to
the
things
of
God.
In
fact,
this
is
our
proper
worship
of
God:
to
be
a
living
sacrifice
for
Him.
Paul
teaches
us
this
later
in
the
book
of
Romans:
“Therefore,
I
urge
you,
brothers
and
sisters,
in
view
of
God’s
mercy,
to
offer
your
bodies
as
a
living
sacrifice,
holy
and
pleasing
to
God—this
is
your
true
and
proper
worship”
(Rom.
12:1).
And
so,
we
as
Christians
aren’t
to
offer
up
animal
sacrifices
in
worship
to
God,
nor
especially,
are
we
to
offer
human
sacrifices
to
the
death,
as
pagan
religions
did.
No,
more
difficultly,
we
are
to
be
living
sacrifices
in
service
to
God,
and
as
living
sacrifices,
we
are
to
offer
ourselves
over
and
over
as
acts of worship to God.
And
so,
we
have
these
great
works
of
Abraham,
but
as
we
have
seen,
all
these
works
sprung
from
Abraham’s
faith
in
the
promises
of
God.
These
so-called
works,
were
actually
acts
of
faith.
They
were
acts
that
flowed
from
Abraham’s
faith;
they
were
fruit
of
the
faith
that
Abraham
had
in
the
promises
of
God;
they
flowed
as
a
natural
outpouring
of
Abraham’s
faith
in
the
promises
of
God.
The
works
were
proofs
of
Abraham’s
faith.
They
were
undeniable
confirmations
that
Abraham
believed
in
the
promises
of
God.
And
note
here
that,
if
Abraham
did
not
have
the
faith,
he
never
would
have
performed
the
works.
The
faith
came
first,
and
out
of
the faith, sprang the works.
Click here to see Bibliography and Suggested Reading
© 1994-2020, Scott Sperling
A Study by Scott Sperling
Romans 4:1-3 -
Abraham’s Righteousness, pt. 1
1
What
then
shall
we
say
that
Abraham,
our
forefather
according
to
the
flesh,
discovered
in
this
matter?
2
If,
in
fact,
Abraham
was
justified
by
works,
he
had
something
to
boast
about—but
not
before
God.
3
What
does
Scripture say?
“Abraham
believed
God,
and
it
was
credited
to him as righteousness.”
Towards
the
end
of
chapter
3,
specifically
in
Rom.
3:21-26,
Paul
gave
his
grand
statement
of
the
Gospel
—the
fact
that
we
are
justified
by
the
grace
of
God,
through
faith
in
Christ
.
Paul
tells
us
that
our
salvation
from
the
punishment
due
for
our
sins
comes
entirely
from
the
righteousness
of
Christ,
through
our
faith
in
His
redemption
for
us,
and
it
in
no
way
comes
from
any
good
works
that
we
do.
That’s
Paul’s
message
to
us
from Romans 3.
Here
in
chapter
4,
Paul
shows
us
that
this
is
the
way
that
it
has
always
been.
Justification
(that
is,
the
forgiveness
of
sins)
came
through
faith,
not
through
works,
even
in
the
Old
Testament
times.
To
show
this,
Paul
gives
us
two
examples,
that
of
Abraham
and
that
of
David.
In
doing
so,
Paul
is
pointing
out
that
Christianity
is
not
a
doing-away-with
Judaism
and
the
Old
Testament
teachings,
rather,
it’s
a
continuation
of
the
Old
Testament
teachings.
The
writings
and
teachings
of
the
New
Testament
are
a
further
revelation
of
the
writings
and
teachings
of
the
Old
Testament.
In
fact,
the
revelation
of
Christ
to
the
world
is
actually
a
revelation
that
shines
light
on
the
Old
Testament,
because,
only
through
Christ,
can
we
truly
understand what the Old Testament is saying.
Given
what
we
know
about
Christ,
and
the
mission
of
Christ,
and
the
ministry
of
Christ,
and
the
teachings
of
Christ,
and
the
Gospel
of
Christ,
we
read
the
Old
Testament
in
a
whole
new
light.
We
start
to
see
Christ
everywhere
in
the
Old
Testament.
For
instance,
we
see
Christ
as
the
seed
of
the
woman
after
the
fall
of
man
(see
Gen.
3:!5);
we
see
Christ
in
the
sacrifice
of
Isaac,
on
the
very
same
mountain
where
Christ
was
sacrificed
(see
Gen.
22);
we
see
that
it
is
Christ
of
whom
it
was
written
by
Isaiah:
“For
to
us
a
child
is
born,
to
us
a
son
is
given,
and
the
government
will
be
on
his
shoulders.
And
he
will
be
called
Wonderful
Counselor,
Mighty
God,
Everlasting
Father,
Prince
of
Peace.
Of
the
greatness
of
His
government
and
peace
there
will
be
no
end.He
will
reign
on
David’s
throne
and
over
his
kingdom,
establishing
and
upholding
it
with
justice
and
righteousness
from
that
time
on
and
forever.
The
zeal
of
the
Lord
Almighty
will
accomplish
this”
(Isa.
9:6-7);
we
see
it
was
Christ,
who
cried
out:
“My
God,
my
God,
why
have
you
forsaken
me?”
(Ps.
22:1);
we
see
that
it
was
Christ,
risen
from
the
dead,
of
whom
Job
proclaimed:
“I
know
that
my
redeemer
lives,
and
that
in
the
end
he
will
stand
on
the
earth”
(Job
19:25).
Yes,
we
see
Christ
everywhere,
and
in
every
way,
in
the
Old
Testament,
on
nearly
every
single
page,
if
we
truly
had
eyes
to
see
Him.
And
so,
it’s
no
wonder
that,
just
as
the
New
Testament
teaches
the
grace
of
God,
and
God’s
desire
that
everyone
be
reconciled
to
Him,
so
also
does
the
Old
Testament
teaches
us
these
things.
This
reconciliation
with
God
comes
through
God
crediting
us
with
righteousness,
and
this
crediting
of
righteousness
to
us,
comes
by
faith,
whether
one
was
living
in
the
Old
Testament
times
or
in
the
New
Testament
times.
Having
said
this,
though,
we,
who
live
here
and
now,
do
have
a
special
blessing,
in
that
we
live
after
the
time
of
Christ.
We
have
the
clear
and
true
light
of
the
Gospel,
and
the
light
of
the
teachings
of
Christ,
and
so
for
us,
the
administration
of
God’s
grace
is
clear:
we
have
a
clear,
true
and
sure
way
to
salvation.
Paul’s
message
here
in
Romans
4
is
that
he
is
not
giving
us
some
new
teaching
when
he
teaches
the
doctrine
of
justification
through
faith
,
rather,
he
is
giving
us
a
teaching
that
was
always
in
the
Old
Testament.
As
Paul
wrote
near
the
end
of
the
previous
chapter:
“Is
God
the
God
of
Jews
only?
Is
he
not
the
God
of
Gentiles
too?
Yes,
of
Gentiles
too,
since
there
is
only
one
God,
who
will
justify
the
circumcised
by
faith
and
the
uncircumcised
through
that
same
faith”
(Rom.
3:29-30).
There
is
one
God,
not
two
Gods.
There
is
not
a
God
of
the
Old
Testament,
and
a
separate
God
of
the
New
Testament.
There
is
one
God,
who
justifies
by
faith
now,
just
as
He
justified
by
faith
then.
In
the
New
Testament
times,
it
is
faith
in
the
truth
of
the
Gospel
message,
faith
that
Christ
died
for
our
sins
in
order
to
reconcile
us
to
God.
In
the
Old
Testament
times,
it
was
faith
in
the
promises
of
God,
which
looked
ahead
to
the
salvation
that
would
come
through
Christ.
And
so,
all
salvation
comes
through
faith,
and
all
salvation
comes
through
Christ,
just
as
Jesus
said:
“I
am
the
way
and
the
truth
and
the
life,
no
one
comes
to
the
Father,
except
through
me”
(John
14:6).
Paul,
here
in
Romans
4,
gives
us
a
couple
examples
of
this
Old
Testament
faith.
The
first
is
the
example
of
Abraham.
Paul
writes:
“What
then
shall
we
say
that
Abraham,
our
forefather
according
to
the
flesh,
discovered
in
this
matter?
If,
in
fact,
Abraham
was
justified
by
works,
he
had
something
to
boast
about—but
not
before
God”
(Rom.
4:1-2).
Paul
knew
that
the
Jews
would
have
a
great
difficulty
accepting
the
grand
statement
of
the
gospel
that
he
gave
in
chapter
3,
and
so,
to
help
convince
the
Jews
of
the
truth
of
the
gospel,
he
brings
up
the
example
of
Abraham.
Paul’s
aim
is
to
show
the
Jews,
and
everyone,
that
Abraham
also
was
justified
by
faith,
just
as
Christians
are.
This
would
go
a
long
way
to
convince
the
Jews
of
the
truth
of
the
gospel,
because
Abraham
is
the
father
of
Judaism;
he
is
their
forefather
in
the
faith;
he
is
to
them
Father
Abraham
;
all
Jews
could
trace
their
lineage
through
the
twelves
tribes
of
Israel, back to father Abraham.
The
children
of
Israel
looked
back
at
Abraham
as
the
perfect
example
of
a
pious
Jew.
He
was
the
paragon
of
the
perfect
Jew.
He
was
the
supreme
example
of
what
a
Jew
should
be,
and
the
very
father
of
the
faithful.
So
then,
if
Abraham,
who
was
so
renowned
for
his
holiness
and
obedience
–
if
he
was
justified
by
faith,
and
not
works,
then
maybe
(as
far
as
the
Jews
were
concerned),
this
Christian
gospel
is
not
so
far-fetched.
So
this
is
the
great
question
that
Paul
set
out
to
answer:
Was
Abraham
justified
by
works,
or
by
faith?
As
Paul
wrote
in
verse
2:
“If,
in
fact,
Abraham
was
justified
by
works,
he
had
something
to
boast
about…”
Given
the
greatness
of
Abraham’s
life,
one
might
certainly
think
that
he
was
justified
by
works,
and
that
he
had
lots
of
things
he
could
boast
about.
However,
if
you
examine
closely
the
great
works
of
Abraham’s
life,
you
find
that
they
were
all
driven
by
faith
in
the
promises
of
God.
Let’s
look
at
the
three
great
works
of
Abraham, and see what we find.
The
first
of
the
great
works
of
Abraham
was
when
he
left
Haran
(where
his
father
had
settled),
and
took
his
household
to
Canaan,
to
the
promised
land,
to
modern-day Israel. This is documented in Genesis 12:
The
Lord
had
said
to
Abram,
“Go
from
your
country,
your
people
and
your
father’s
household
to
the
land
I
will
show
you.
I
will
make
you
into
a
great
nation,
and
I
will
bless
you;
I
will
make
your
name
great,
and
you
will
be
a
blessing.
I
will
bless
those
who
bless
you,
and
whoever
curses
you
I
will
curse;
and
all
peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
So
Abram
went,
as
the
Lord
had
told
him;
and
Lot
went
with
him.
Abram
was
seventy-
five
years
old
when
he
set
out
from
Harran.
He
took
his
wife
Sarai,
his
nephew
Lot,
all
the
possessions
they
had
accumulated
and
the
people
they
had
acquired
in
Harran,
and
they
set
out
for
the
land
of
Canaan,
and
they
arrived
there.
(Gen. 12:1-5).
Note
here
that
there
was
apparently
no
social
or
economic
reason
for
Abram
(as
Abraham
was
known
at
that
time)
to
leave
Haran.
He
wasn’t
under
attack
from
anyone,
or
anything
like
that.
He
was
quite
successful
where
he
was,
and
had
accumulated
many
possessions
so,
financially,
he
was
doing
well
in
Haran.
There
was
no
worldly
reason
for
Abram
to
leave
Haran.
So
really,
it
made
no
sense
for
Abram
to
pull
up
roots
and
to
go
to
Canaan,
to
go
to
the
promised
land,
except
that
God
had
promised
to
make
him a great nation in Canaan.
So,
Abram
responded
to
the
promise,
and
uprooted
his
whole
life,
at
age
of
75,
and
went
to
Canaan.
Abram
responded
to
the
promise
of
God,
by
faith.
He
ripped
up
his
comfortable
and
safe
life
in
Haran,
because
God
promised
something
greater
for
him.
Make
no
mistake:
This
was
an
act
of
faith
by
Abraham,
faith
in
the
promises of God.
By
the
way,
aren’t
we
told
to
do
the
same
thing?
We
Christians
are
called
to
leave
this
comfortable
life
that
we
have
in
the
world,
and
to
follow
where
God
calls
us
to go.
When
Jesus
called
each
of
His
disciples,
what
did
He
say
but,
“Follow
me”
?
And
they,
as
an
example
to
us,
dropped
their
nets
where
they
were,
or
dropped
whatever
they
were
doing,
and
followed
Him.
This
is
the
example
of
the
disciples
to
us,
and
this
is
the
example
of
Abraham
to
all
God’s
people.
God
says
to
us,
“I
promise
you
a
better
life.”
We
need
to
believe in the promises of God, just as Abraham did.
The
second
of
the
great
works
of
Abraham
occurred
when
God
established
the
covenant
of
circumcision.
This
happened
when
Abram
was
99
years
old.
At
that
time,
God
promised
him
that
he
and
his
wife
Sarah
would
have
a
son,
and
from
that
son,
Abram
would
become
the
father
of
many
nations.
We
find
this
in
Genesis
17:
“Abram
fell
facedown,
and
God
said
to
him,
‘As
for
me,
this
is
my
covenant
with
you:
You
will
be
the
father
of
many
nations.
No
longer
will
you
be
called
Abram;
your
name
will
be
Abraham…’”
[meaning,
“father
of
many”]
“‘for
I
have
made
you
a
father
of
many
nations.
I
will
make
you
very
fruitful;
I
will
make
nations
of
you,
and
kings
will
come
from
you’”
(Gen.
17:3-6).
And
then,
a
bit
later
in
the
same
chapter,
God
lays
out
the
covenant:
“Then
God
said
to
Abraham,
‘As
for
you,
you
must
keep
my
covenant,
you
and
your
descendants
after
you
for
the
generations
to
come.
This
is
my
covenant
with
you
and
your
descendants
after
you,
the
covenant
you
are
to
keep:
Every
male
among
you
shall
be
circumcised.
You
are
to
undergo
circumcision,
and
it
will
be
the
sign
of
the
covenant
between
me
and
you’”
(Gen.
17:9-11).
Then,
God
defined
the
promise
related
to
the
covenant
with
Abraham,
a
promise
through
Sarah:
“God
also
said
to
Abraham,
‘As
for
Sarai
your
wife,
you
are
no
longer
to
call
her
Sarai;
her
name
will
be
Sarah.
I
will
bless
her
and
will
surely
give
you
a
son
by
her.
I
will
bless
her
so
that
she
will
be
the
mother
of
nations;
kings
of
peoples
will
come
from
her.’
Abraham
fell
facedown;
he
laughed
and
said
to
himself,
‘Will
a
son
be
born
to
a
man
a
hundred
years
old?
Will
Sarah
bear
a
child
at
the
age
of
ninety?’”
(Gen.
17:15-17).
Despite
Abraham’s
incredulity,
we
see
that
Abraham
responded
to
the
covenant
promise
with
obedience:
“On
that
very
day
Abraham
took
his
son
Ishmael
and
all
those
born
in
his
household
or
bought
with
his
money,
every
male
in
his
household,
and
circumcised
them,
as
God
told
him.
Abraham
was
ninety-nine
years old when he was circumcised”
(Gen. 17:23-24).
Abraham
heard
the
promise
that
he
would
be
the
father
of
many
nations
through
a
son
that
Sarah
would
bear,
and
Abraham
did
everything
that
God
told
him
to
do,
through
faith
in
that
promise.
And
certainly,
to
circumcise
himself
was
an
act
of
faith.
Frankly
speaking
(at
the
risk
of
being
indelicate,
but
it’s
important
to
the
story),
the
circumcision
was
certainly
an
act
of
faith,
because
Abraham
was
harming
the
instrument
by
which
he
could
possibly
have
children.
By
being
circumcised,
Abraham,
by
faith,
was
putting
his
full
confidence
in
God
and
in
the
promises
of
God,
and literally putting no confidence in his own flesh.
And
we
Christians
are
called
to
do
the
same
thing,
but
not
through
physical
circumcision;
rather,
we
are
called
to
do
this
by
spiritual
circumcision
of
the
heart.
We
are
to
excise
anything
that
prevents
us
from
putting
full
confidence
in
God,
and
in
the
promises
of
God.
Paul
elsewhere
wrote,
speaking
of
this
true
circumcision
which
Christians
should
have,
“For
it
is
we
who
are
the
circumcision,
we
who
serve
God
by
his
Spirit,
who
boast
in
Christ
Jesus,
and
who
put
no
confidence
in
the
flesh.”
(Phil.
3:2).
When
we
have
this
true
circumcision
of
the
heart,
then
and
only
then
are
we
able
to
fully
love
God.
Moses
taught
us
this
in
Deuteronomy:
“The
Lord
your
God
will
circumcise
your
hearts
and
the
hearts
of
your
descendants,
so
that
you
may
love
him
with
all
your
heart
and
with
all
your
soul,
and
live”
(Deut.
30:6).
So,
we
are
called
to
circumcise
our
hearts,
to
put
no
confidence
in
ourselves,
just
as
Abraham
was
called
to
circumcision.
And
Abraham’s
obedience
to
God
was
proof
that
Abraham believed what God had promised.
The
third
great
work
of
Abraham
was
when
he,
in
obedience
to
God,
offered
his
son
Isaac
up
to
be
sacrificed.
He
did
this
in
obedience
to
God,
who
said
to
him:
“Then
God
said,
‘Take
your
son,
your
only
son,
whom
you
love—Isaac—and
go
to
the
region
of
Moriah.
Sacrifice
him
there
as
a
burnt
offering
on
a
mountain
I
will
show
you.’”
(Gen.
22:2).
And
Abraham
did
take
Isaac
up
on
the
mountain,
and
was
about
to
sacrifice
him,
but
the
Angel
of
the
Lord
stopped him, just as the sword was coming down.
We
learn
from
the
book
of
Hebrews
that
Abraham’s
offering
of
his
son
to
be
sacrificed
was
an
act
of
faith
by
Abraham:
“By
faith
Abraham,
when
God
tested
him,
offered
Isaac
as
a
sacrifice.
He
who
had
embraced
the
promises
was
about
to
sacrifice
his
one
and
only
son,
even
though
God
had
said
to
him,
‘It
is
through
Isaac
that
your
offspring
will
be
reckoned.’
Abraham
reasoned
that
God
could
even
raise
the
dead,
and
so
in
a
manner
of
speaking
he
did
receive
Isaac
back
from
death”
(Heb.
11:17-19).
And
so,
the
whole
act
of
sacrificing
Isaac
was
an
act
of
great
faith
on
Abraham’s
part:
faith
even
that
God
could
raise
the
dead;
faith
in
the
promises
that
God
had
given
him
many
times
over
the
years
that,
through
Isaac,
Abraham would be the father of many nations.
Now,
we
will
never
be
called
by
God
to
lay
a
child
of
ours
on
the
altar,
and
sacrifice
him.
In
fact,
that’s
one
of
the
points
of
the
story.
Unlike
the
false
gods
of
the
religions
surrounding
Abraham
at
the
time,
the
True
and
Living
God
does
not
ask
for
human
sacrifices.
The
only
human
sacrifice
to
death
sanctioned
by
God
was
Christ’s
sacrifice,
once
for
all,
for
all
of
us.
But
we
are
asked
to
be
living
sacrifices
in
service
to
God,
and
to
the
things
of
God.
In
fact,
this
is
our
proper
worship
of
God:
to
be
a
living
sacrifice
for
Him.
Paul
teaches
us
this
later
in
the
book
of
Romans:
“Therefore,
I
urge
you,
brothers
and
sisters,
in
view
of
God’s
mercy,
to
offer
your
bodies
as
a
living
sacrifice,
holy
and
pleasing
to
God—this
is
your
true
and
proper
worship”
(Rom.
12:1).
And
so,
we
as
Christians
aren’t
to
offer
up
animal
sacrifices
in
worship
to
God,
nor
especially,
are
we
to
offer
human
sacrifices
to
the
death,
as
pagan
religions
did.
No,
more
difficultly,
we
are
to
be
living
sacrifices
in
service
to
God,
and
as
living
sacrifices,
we
are
to
offer
ourselves over and over as acts of worship to God.
And
so,
we
have
these
great
works
of
Abraham,
but
as
we
have
seen,
all
these
works
sprung
from
Abraham’s
faith
in
the
promises
of
God.
These
so-
called
works,
were
actually
acts
of
faith.
They
were
acts
that
flowed
from
Abraham’s
faith;
they
were
fruit
of
the
faith
that
Abraham
had
in
the
promises
of
God;
they
flowed
as
a
natural
outpouring
of
Abraham’s
faith
in
the
promises
of
God.
The
works
were
proofs
of
Abraham’s
faith.
They
were
undeniable
confirmations
that
Abraham
believed
in
the
promises
of
God.
And
note
here
that,
if
Abraham
did
not
have
the
faith,
he
never
would
have
performed
the
works.
The
faith
came first, and out of the faith, sprang the works.
Click here to see Bibliography and Suggested Reading
