1Abraham himself was justified by faith: 9which was imputed to him for righteousness before circumcision, that he might be the common father of believers, whether circumcised or not. 13The promise was not given him through the law, else had it been void from the very nature of the law; but being of faith by grace is sure to all the destined seed, and not to those of the law only. 18The acceptableness of Abraham's faith; 23which stands recorded not for his sake only, but for the sake of all who shall profess a like faith in God through Christ.
1WHAT shall we say then thata Abraham our father, as 1pertaining to the flesh, 2hath found?
a Isa. 51:2.
1 Some take this word flesh for the state of an unregenerate man, but that cannot be here, because Abraham was regenerated long before, and had served God, before this testimony, Gen. 15:6, was given him. Others therefore join this word with the foregoing, our father, as pertaining to the flesh. But this word may also be suitably taken for according to the works which men see outwardly, and esteem praise worthy, as the following verse expounds this such, and this word flesh is so taken in Philip. 3:3, 4.
2 Or, hath obtained.
2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof 3to glory; 4but not before God.
3 That is, he hath cause to boast.
4 Namely, he has cause to boast. From which it necessarily follows that he was not justified before God by works; which afterward he proves more at large.
3For what saith the scripture? Abrahamb5believed God, and 6it was counted unto him for righteousness.
b Gen. 15:6; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23.
5 That is, the promises of God shall be of him a Shield and a great Reward, and give of him an heir, and multiply his seed, Gen. 15:1, 4, 5, 6, whereby not only a fleshly seed, but especially Christ is understood, the Son of Abraham, in Whom all the generations of the earth would be blessed. See hereafter verses 11, 12, 13, as Paul also explains it, Gal. 3:16. See also John 8:56.
6 The Hebrew text, Gen. 15:6, says, and he, namely God, counted it to him. But the sense is all one, whereby is understood that the righteousness, which he had not in himself, God gave him grace through faith in the promised Seed.
4Now to him 7that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but 8of debt.
7 Namely, with the opinion to obtain or merit righteousness by his works.
8 Namely, is given; for to give according to debt, and to impute of grace, are here opposed one to another, as repugnant each to the other.
5But to him 9that worketh not, but 10believeth on him that justifieth 11the ungodly, 12his faith is 13counted for righteousness.
9 That is, who cannot, nor dares to bring forth such meritorious works.
10 That is, puts his trust in the grace of God in Christ, verses 24, 25.
11 That is, who is yet unclean and defiled with sin in himself, as all men, even the regenerate themselves, are before God, according to the testimony of David in the following verses.
12 Not that faith, with respect that it is a work, deserves this, or is worthy of it in itself, as some mistakenly think, for this Paul has immediately before denied to all works, and therefore to faith also as a work, but because God of mere grace has promised this to believers, and because faith is as an instrument which receives the righteousness of Christ, and interposes the same between God’s judgment and his own misdeeds. See Rom. 5:9; 2 Cor. 5:19; Philip. 3:9.
13 The word count or impute is taken from the similitude of those, who put anything upon a man’s account, Philemon verse 18. So God is said to impute sin to any man, when He will have him to make satisfaction for the same by punishment; and not to impute them when He forgives them, and acquits him from punishment, verse 8. Likewise that He counts faith for righteousness, when He gives, ascribes and imputes to believers, the righteousness of Christ, apprehended by them by faith, and by this gracious imputation, counts it as if it were their own righteousness. Therefore it is also here said that righteousness is imputed to them.
6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of 14the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
14 Gr. saith the blessedness of the man.
715Saying, Blessedcare they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
15 Namely, in the beginning of the 32nd Psalm, which proof of Paul is irrefutable. For, he that is justified by his works, he needs no remission of sins to be blessed; and he that prays that God would not impute his sins to him; he prays also that God would impute the righteousness of Jesus Christ to him, seeing these two things cannot be separated in God’s judgment. See Rom. 3:24, and 5:19; Eph. 1:7, etc.
c Psalm 32:1.
8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
9Cometh this 16blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
16 Or, making blessed, from which it appears that the word blessedness, or to make blessed, here taken by David, is for the same that the Scripture, Gen. 15:6 concerning Abraham, calls the imputing of righteousness. The reason is because the ground of our salvation consists in the remission of sins, and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ.
10How was it then reckoned? 17when he was in circumcision, or 18in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
17 That is, was it imputed to him when he was already circumcised?
18 That is, when he was not yet circumcised. For this promise, to which Abraham’s faith had respect, was indeed made fourteen years before Abraham was circumcised; seeing Abraham had yet no hope of children when this promise was made, Gen. 15:2. And Ishmael was now thirteen years old when Abraham, being ninety and nine years old, was circumcised; Gen. 17:24, 25.
11Andd he received 19the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be 20the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
d Gen. 17:11.
19 That is, circumcision for a sign and seal, that is, sealing and confirming that he was justified by faith; in which words the nature and property of all sacraments are briefly set forth, as also Gen. 17:11; Exod. 12:13; Ezek. 20:12. Namely, that they serve not first to work faith, but to seal and to strengthen it, and therefore are not bare signs but seals also.
20 Namely, after whose example or footsteps God wills that as well Gentiles as Jews would be justified.
12And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
13For the promise, that he should be 21the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, 22through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
21 Here is either referred to the promise made to Abraham at the same time when this testimony of his righteousness by faith was given, Gen. 15:6, 7, 8; namely, of the possession of the land of Canaan, which was a type of the eternal rest of believers in heaven, whereof the apostle here speaks, Heb. 4:3, and Heb. 11:9, 10; or, to another promise which is expressed, Gen. 22:17, 18, after that he would have offered up his son, namely that all generations of the earth shall be blessed in his seed. For Abraham as a father of all believers was by God put into the inheritance of the spiritual world, whereof all his spiritual children, the faithful, shall also receive their part through Christ, the promised Seed; Psalm 2:8; Heb. 2:5.
22 That is, through the keeping of the law. Here Paul produces yet another reason to prove that Abraham was not justified by works, for otherwise the promise made to Abraham, namely that he with his Seed would be heir of the world, would be given in vain; for the law works wrath, and gives not the inheritance, because it is weakened by the flesh, Rom. 8:3.
14Fore if they 23which are of the law be 24heirs, faith is made 25void, and the promise made 26of none effect:
e Gal. 3:18.
23 That is, they who are willing to be justified by works or keeping of the law.
24 Namely, of this spiritual world, verse 13.
25 That is, needless, to no purpose.
26 That is, without virtue or fruit.
15Because the law 27worketh wrath: forf where 28no law is, there is 29no transgression.
27 That is, reveals God’s wrath against the transgression of the same, by its threatenings of punishments; and increases sin through the perverseness of man’s nature, Rom. 7:8.
f John 15:22; Rom. 5:20; 7:8; Gal. 3:19.
28 Namely, neither written in nature, nor given by God, as is proved before.
29 Namely, which can be known and punished.
16Therefore 30it is 31of faith, that it might be 32by grace; to the end the promise might be 33sure to all the seed; not to that only which is 34of the law, but to that also which is 35of the faith of Abraham; whog is the father 36of us all,
30 Namely, the promise of this inheritance.
31 That is, made or given of God upon condition of faith.
32 For faith and grace go always together, and faith relies upon the unchangeable grace of God, not on works, nor on man himself, verse 5; Eph. 2:8.
33 For we can be assured of the inheritance only by faith, and not by the works of the law, seeing no man keeps the law as is proved before. See also Gal. 3:16, 18.
34 That is, of the Jews to whom the law was given. For that no man can be an heir by the works of the law, is taught in the previous 14th verse.
35 That is, who imitate the faith of Abraham, although they are not sprung from Abraham according to the flesh.
g Isa. 51:2.
36 Namely, who believe.
17(As it is written, Ih have made thee 37a father of many nations,) 38before him whom he believed, even God, 39who quickeneth the dead, and 40calleth those things which be not as though they were.
h Gen. 17:4.
37 Namely, not only of them who would proceed from him according to the flesh, but also of those who would by faith be engrafted and received into his spiritual family, out of all other nations.
38 From henceforward Abraham’s faith is described with all its supports and properties unto the 22nd verse, from whence forward is shown that the same is propounded to us for an example.
39 This is the first support of faith, namely, God’s omnipotence, which Abraham’s faith had need of to believe firmly that now in his old age, being as dead, he would get strength to become a father of many nations.
40 Or, nameth; that is, by His Word causes to be, and have their being, Psalm 33:9; 2 Cor. 4:6.
1841Who 42against hope 43believed 44in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, 45Soi shall thy seed be.
41 Namely, Abraham.
42 Namely, which a man could have conceived by his own understanding or reason.
43 That is, trusted.
44 Namely, of God’s truth and power.
45 Namely, as the stars in the heavens.
i Gen. 15:5; Heb. 11:12.
19And being not weak in faith, he considered 46not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet 47the deadness of Sara's womb:
46 Namely, to be weakened in his confidence by the consideration of its weakness. For, otherwise he himself has set before God his old age and the old age of Sarah, Gen. 17:17.
47 Gr. the deadness of the womb of Sarah.
20Hej staggered not 48at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, 49giving glory to God;
j John 8:56; Heb. 11:11, 18.
48 This is another support to Abraham’s faith, namely, the certainty which he had of God’s faithfulness and steadfastness in His promises, Heb. 6:17, 18.
49 That is, hereby showing that he believed that God could and would do what He had promised; and has also sealed that God is true, John 3:33.
21Andk being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was 50able also to perform.
k Psalm 115:3.
50 Namely, although it seemed to be contrary to all human reason.
22And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
2351Nowl it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
51 Here the apostle concludes the exposition of the previous chapter, and testifies that all believers shall so be justified even as Abraham was justified.
l Rom. 15:4.
24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if 52we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
52 That is, trust in him, for, this is also that on which our faith relies, after the example of Abraham’s faith, namely, first, God’s ability and faithfulness, which, according to His promise, He has shown in the raising up of Christ from the dead; and secondly, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, seeing by His death we are reconciled unto God, and by the resurrection are made partakers of this reconciliation.
25Who was 53delivered 54for our offences, and was raised again 55for our justification.
53 Namely, by God His Father, Rom. 8:32.
54 Namely, to expiate and to abolish them, 1 John 1:7, and 2:2.
55 Namely, forasmuch as God has shown by this raising up, that He has accepted the death of His Son for a sufficient ransom for our sins, and will accept His perfect obedience unto righteousness for all who believe in Him. For if Christ had remained in death, then His satisfaction would not have been perfect, and He would not have been able to apply the virtue thereof unto us.