Tyndale Open Study NotesRomans 4

Jews in Paul’s time honored Abraham as the founder of Israel. Some Jewish writings even claim that Abraham never sinned (Prayer of Manasseh 8; Jubilees 23:10). Other writings stress his obedience and connect his relationship with God to keeping the law of Moses (1 Maccabees 2:52; Sirach 44:19–20).

Paul argues differently. He shows that Abraham’s faith, not his obedience to the law, is what put him in a right relationship with God. Because Abraham is the founder of God’s people, his example shows that being made right with God by faith stands at the center of God’s plan.

Paul quotes Genesis 15:6. In response to God’s promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, Abraham trusted God. It was faith that established Abraham’s relationship with God.

This relationship did not come from works, circumcision, the law, or the number of his descendants (Romans 4:3–21).

The logic of these verses is as follows:

1. When people work, their pay is what they earn, not a gift.

2. The idea not stated is that God never owes his creatures anything. They owe him everything. So, anything he gives is a gift (see also 9:14–16).

3. The conclusion is that God does not place people in a right relationship with him because of their works.

This quotation from Psalm 32:1–2 follows the Jewish tradition of supporting a reference to the law with one from the prophets or writings. Paul also uses a Jewish way of interpreting Scripture. This method links different quotations by repeating a key word. Here, count translates the same Greek word as "credited" in Romans 4:3.

God accepted Abraham before circumcision. Paul’s point is simple: God "credited" Abraham as righteous in Genesis 15:6 before his circumcision, which happened later (Genesis 17). This shows that God’s acceptance and blessing are free gifts, not earned by works of the law.

When God introduced circumcision, he called it “a sign of the covenant” between himself and Abraham (Genesis 17:11). The covenant existed before Abraham became circumcised (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:1–21; 17:1–8). This shows that it was on the basis of faith, not circumcision. Therefore, Abraham is the spiritual father of all people, whether circumcised (Jews) or uncircumcised (Gentiles), "who are of the faith of Abraham" (Romans 4:13–25).

of the world: God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations (4:17; Genesis 12:2; 13:16; 15:5; 17:4–6, 16–20; 22:17). God also said Abraham would bring blessings to all people (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; compare Isaiah 55:3–5).

faith is useless (literally faith has become empty): If works of the law could replace faith, then faith would lose its importance. Trusting in God means recognizing our need and relying completely on God’s mercy, which leads to a life of obedience.

where there is no law, neither is there transgression: Paul always uses the word transgression to mean not obeying a plain commandment of God (see also 2:23; 5:14; Galatians 3:19; 1 Timothy 2:14). So, transgression can only exist where the law exists. This is why violating the law always brings punishment. The law that God gave to the Israelites had detailed requirements. This made the people more accountable for sin than before their law existed. When they inevitably violated this law, God punished them more severely.

not only to those who are of the law: The Jews were of the law in that their covenant with God included the law of Moses and they were to live according to it.

raised … from the dead: Abraham experienced the life-giving power of God in the birth of his son Isaac. Christians witness it in the resurrection of Jesus. Throughout history, salvation has been available only through faith in God, who makes and keeps his promises.