Romans 4 (16Feb and 19Feb)

Rom 4:1-25 ESV
(1) What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?

[Paul further expounds faith apart from the law of works with Abraham as the 1st man to be credited with righteousness.

So, In what ways that Abraham could say about himself that he attained of righteousness?]

(2) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

[If, Abraham was justified (called a good man or a righteous man, perhaps in manly ways) because of what he does and who he is, then he can boast that he is a man of upright character. (perhaps the other religion believers may boast of their works, ie their merit points to attain Paradise, which outnumbered their ill doings)

But before God's sight, is the same boasting justifiable for the righteousness that is of God's standard? For if God would acquit some sin in a philantrophic man, because his good work outnumbered his sins, then God would not need to introduce to practice of sacrifice to the Jews. Thus, in introducing the practice of sacrifice, God defines and demands the justification of man's sin by animal sacrifice, which was a shadow of Christ's death on the cross.]
(3) For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."

[So, according to Scriptures, Abraham was credited (counted) to him as righteousness because Abraham believed in God.

Is believing a form of work? Believing is a decision to accept truths that is presented to him by his own thoughts or presented by a 2nd party. Thing is, without believing that God justifies the sinners through faith, would lead to the conclusion that something has to be done in order to be justified; that is believing in god(s) who acquits the guilty and is apeased by good works (however, even a just human judge would not be so). But to believe that God justifies the sinner through faith, works is no longer the deciding factor of our salvation, rather it is faith itself which stemmed out from believing.]

(4) Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.

[For since the reward of our works is duly due, then the reward of our bad deeds should come together with the reward of our good deeds. Therefore, if god were to judge us in this manner, then it is no longer eternal life, and god is confined in space and time, deciding how long we should spend our sentence in hell and how long in heaven, in accordance to the ratio of our good and bad works.]

(5) And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
(6) just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
(7) "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
(8) blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."
(9) Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.

[Paul answers the question if circumcision is needed to be saved.]

(10) How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.

[Remarkably, Abraham was counted as righteous before the covenant of circumcision. Therefore, how should the Jewish Christian justify their claims that circumcision is compulsory for righteousness?

Then what? Why on earth God gave circumcision (such a hassel, and.... perhaps.... pain)?]

(11) He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,

[For it was because Abraham was counted as righteous and therefore God sealed him with the sign of circumcision.
Consider:
Abraham was circumcised and thus was righteous
vs.
Abraham was righteous thus was circumcised.

the latter would be true.

Therefore, circumcision in itself has no value for I could seal a product with the 'Sirim' chop, although the product's quality was dodgy, does that mean this product is save? Most likely it's gonna end up in the dumpster along with the company who produced it and the 'Sirim' chop agency.

Few implications:
sealed because was credited as righteous through faith.
thus, should expect to express like one who is saved (which has 2 aspects to it, imputed righteousness and redemption from the bondage of sin)]

(12) and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

[So, God killed 2 birds with 1 stone (in the case of the dispute about circumcision in the church). Abraham is father to both the circumcised (inward and outward) and the uncircumcised (circumcised in ward but not outward).]

(13) For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

[Another example of righteousness through faith and not works.]

(14) For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.

[For if the promise were meant to be only fulfilled if Abraham followed every law, then Jesus would not had come, for Abraham sinned too.

Therefore, we have a case where God fulfilled His promise despite our sinfulness. Thus, we have a contradiction and therefore the promise was not fulfilled by works but something else - faith.]

(15) For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

[explaining why verse 14 is a valid assumption and statement.

the law brings wrath - for all have sinned.

but if there's no law - promise for what? there are no transgressions to worry of.]

(16) That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring--not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

[Therefore, to guarantee the salvation of men, and to display God's love, grace and compassion, it is dependent on faith - both to perfect people (encourage those who have still been good to continue on; the subset), and those who share the faith of Abraham.]

(17) as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations"--in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

gives life to the dead - the resurrection, which is necessary after death (for Adam and Eve died).
calls into existence the things that do not exist - God has the power to call things into existence. The seed of Abraham did not exist, but when God said "so shall thy seed be." it comes into being, in the future.
Man can only summon things that has already existed, but God out of nothing, summons what that does not exist into existence.

Perhaps, this is why we have to be 'made in the image of God'. For how are we to explain the existence of knowledge?]

(18) In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be."

[Abraham was told:
the impossible (for he was old)
which that does not exist (he has no children)

A paradox:
In hope he believed against hope - If both 'hope's are used for the same thing, then it certainly is a paradox, for how is hope believed against in hope?
Certainly, Abraham had a 'higher order' of hope, which comes from faith that believed against earthly hopes, that of which he is old and does not have any children.]

(19) He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.

[He did not weaken in faith... - Paul probably meant that Abram did not forgo the faith because of God's ridiculous promise (it is ridiculous when we subject God to the laws of nature). Therefore, although Abram agreed with Sarai to marry her maidservent, Hagar, because Sarai was barren, and therefore Hagar conceived Ishmael, Abram nonetheless believed at the point when the promise was given (Gen 15:5-6), and after 13 years since that incident (Gen 17), Abram had not given up on the faith, and after God told Abraham that Sarah will bear a child (1st time explicitly, 2nd time in total considering the 1st was implied, and was understood), he still believed.]

(20) No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

[Paul asserts Abraham's faith again.
(KJV+) He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief: 'staggered' (diakrino) means to separate thoroughly, to withdraw from or oppose. That means, Abraham did not dissociate or completely separate himself from God through faithlessness (unbelief).

v17 - the promise
v18 - In hope he believed against hope
v19 - did not weaken in faith despite earthly circumstances
v20 - did not forgo the faith completely.]

(21) fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
(22) That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."

[Notice Abraham's faith was 'counted to him as righteousness' before all the actual events. Although Abram fell after his faith was counted to him as righteosness, God knew Abram will not give up, and thus still fulfilled His promise.

Therefore, eventhough after being saved in Christ by grace and through faith, not by works, we still fall, but would our fall cost us our faith, will be another story to be told.

"Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

'counted' - logizomai: Middle voice from logos; to take an inventory, that is, estimate. Usually translated to imputed, counted, reckoned, think, accounted, suppose, reasoned, etc..........so many ways of using!

'for' - to or into (indicating the point reached or entered).

Abraham's belief/faith obtained access to 'reach' righteousness in God's sight.]

(23) But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone,
(24) but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
(25) who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

[Paul draws a parallel comparison of Abraham's case to our current standing. While God's promise may not be that we become father of many nations, God promised eternal life through His Son.

We may reasoned that this is most impossible, for we are all sinners, and thus cannot be with a perfect God. Nevertheless, if we do not leave the faith or not believe at all because of such incredulous claims, but grew strong in faith and giving glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do AND did what he had promised. Then it is why our faith was counted to us as righteousness.

It is the faith of Abraham.]