Devotions

Romans 4:12-17

¹² And he is also the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed while he was still uncircumcised. ¹³ Because the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled by keeping the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. ¹⁴ Because if they become heirs by the law, faith is empty and the promise is nullified. ¹⁵ Because the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression either. ¹⁶ For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants–not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. ¹⁷ (Scripture states, “I have made you the father of a crowd of Gentiles”).[1] He is our father in the presence of God whom he believed–the God who makes the dead alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do.

father of us all

Paul talks about two groups of saved people, and both are saved by grace, on account of faith in God’s promise. Abraham is the father of both groups.

• First, there is the circumcised (Jews) who walk in the spiritual footsteps of their natural ancestor, Abraham. These do not trust in their own obedience to external things, but trust in the God of Abraham to save them from their sins.
• Next, there is a “crowd of Gentiles” who also walk in those spiritual footsteps even though they are not under the Mosaic covenant, and do not possess Abraham’s genetic DNA. They came to faith in Christ are to be welcomed into the first group on the basis of that faith.

Paul had at least two reasons for bringing this up. He wanted the ethnic Jews who were Christians to stay true to their faith in Christ, and not fall back into the legalism and ethnic pride that might cause them to renounce him. He also wanted the whole church in Rome to unite around the same gospel – a gospel of salvation by grace through faith, untainted by this legalism and pride.

LORD, help us to keep the gospel message we preach pure from the contamination of legalism and ethnic pride.

[1] Genesis 17:4 (from the Hebrew).

Romans 4:1-5

¹ What then should we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, concluded regarding this matter? ² Because if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to brag about–but not in God’s presence. ³ Because what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ⁴ Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited as a result of grace but because of obligation. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.

demythologizing Abraham

The Judaism of Paul’s day had been founded upon a myth: the myth that God approved of Abraham because he had perfectly kept the law – even before the law had been given at Sinai. Paul encourages the Jewish Christians in Rome to go back to the Torah. He argued that according to what the Bible actually says about Abraham,[1] God approved of him long before he had the opportunity to obey the law. His approval was a response to his faith in the promise of the God of grace.

The myth still persists. There are many who push religious observances as a way to “get right with God” and insist that this is the Christian message. It is not. In fact, Paul argued here that it is not even the message of Judaism as the Torah presents it. The law was not a means of salvation, because salvation preceded it. Salvation by grace through faith is the consistent message of both testaments. Abraham is our father because he dared to believe God’s promise of grace.

LORD, help us to demythologize our presentation of the gospel so that those who hear us understand that salvation is your work, not ours.

[1] Genesis 15:6.