Romiyim (Romans) 4
4
1What, then, shall we say Aḇraham our father, to have found, according to the flesh?
2For if Aḇraham was declared right by works, he has ground for boasting, but not before Elohim.
3For what does the Scripture say? “Aḇraham believed Elohim, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness.”# Gen. 15:6#See also Gal. 3:6
4And to him who is working, the reward is not reckoned as a favour but as a debt.
5And to him who is not working but believes on Him who is declaring right the wicked, his belief is reckoned for righteousness,
6even as Dawiḏ also says of the blessedness of the man to whom Elohim reckons righteousness without works:
7“Blessed are those whose lawlessnesses are forgiven, and whose sins are covered,
8blessed is the man to whom יהוה shall by no means reckon sin.”# Psa. 32:1, 2
9Is this blessing then upon the circumcised only, or also upon the uncircumcised? For we affirm: Belief was reckoned unto Aḇraham for righteousness.# Gen. 15:6
10How then was it reckoned? Being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the belief while in uncircumcision, for him to be a father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for righteousness to be reckoned to them also,
12and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the belief which our father Aḇraham had in uncircumcision.
13For the promise that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Aḇraham or to his seed through the Torah, but through a righteousness of belief.
14For if those who are of the Torah are heirs, belief has been made useless, and the promise has been nullified,
15for the Torah works out wrath, for where there is no Torah there is no transgression.
16On account of this it is of belief, that it be according to favour, for the promise to be made certain to all the seed, not only to those who are of the Torah, but also to those who are of the belief of Aḇraham, who is father of us all –
17as it has been written, “I have made you a father of many nations”# Gen. 17:5 – in the presence of Him whom he believed, even Elohim, who gives life to the dead and calls that which does not exist as existing,
18who against all expectation did believe, in expectation, so that he should become father of many nations, according to what was said, “So shall your seed be.”# Gen. 15:5
19And not having grown weak in belief, he did not consider his own body, already dead, being about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb,
20he did not hesitate about the promise of Elohim through unbelief, but was strengthened in belief, giving esteem to Elohim,
21and being completely persuaded that what He had promised He was also able to do.
22Therefore also “it was reckoned to him for righteousness.”# Gen. 15:6
23And not because of him alone was it written that it was reckoned to him,# Gen. 15:6
24but also because of us, to whom it shall be reckoned, to us who believe in Him who raised up יהושע our Master from the dead,
25who was delivered up because of our trespasses, and was raised for us to be declared right.
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Romiyim (Romans) 4: TS2009
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Copyright© 1993 – 2015 by the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR). All rights reserved.
Romans 4
4
The Faith of Abraham
1Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”#4:3 Gen 15:6.
4When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:
7“Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sins are put out of sight.
8Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”#4:7-8 Ps 32:1-2 (Greek version).
9Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles?#4:9 Greek is this blessing only for the circumcised, or is it also for the uncircumcised? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. 10But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!
11Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 12And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
16So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”#4:17 Gen 17:5. This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.
18Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”#4:18 Gen 15:5. 19And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
20Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
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