Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson VIII)

Consequently, by being obedient to God’s will, each occasion then became like a seal stamped on the agreement document certifying their vow to remain faithful to that agreement. To put it another way, today we would say it was like their signature on the dotted line. As a result, the children of Israel were later told: “Adonai your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your children so that you will love Adonai your God with all your heart and all your being, and thus you will live.”¹

So when looking at this idea of a seal from a Christian perspective, the Apostle Paul said this: “It is God who sets both us and you in firm union with the Messiah; He has anointed us, put his seal on us, and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee for the future.”² When writing the Ephesian believers, Paul said: “When you heard that Good News, you believed in Christ. And in Christ, God put His seal on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that He promised.”³

One rendering of verse 11, to show righteousness being credited to Abraham, goes as follows: “In fact, he received circumcision as a sign, as a seal of the righteousness.”⁴ According to one Greek scholar, that the term “sign” was a synonym for “seal.”⁵ This falls in line with how the Jews viewed the reason and purpose of a seal. In fact, in an Aramaic Targum of Solomon’s Canticles we read: “And the priests and the Levites, and all the tribes of Israel, all of them are distinguished in the words of the Law (which is compared to a sword), and they swing it and turn it among themselves, as heroes experienced in warfare; and each and every one of them has the seal of circumcision on his flesh, just as the flesh of Abraham their father was sealed, and they are strengthened by it like a hero whose sword is girded on his thigh.”⁶

Also, in Paul’s thinking, this seal, that today we call a “trademark,” serves a dual purpose. Not only does it identify the person as belonging to God, but also verifies that God is the inventor and holds the copyright. When it comes to imitation and copyright infringement, there are many who have laid claims to this spiritual seal, some even proposing that they are the inventor. But as Simon the magician found out, it cannot be duplicated and sold as genuine.⁷ God is the sole creator and the only One who authorizes the endowment of the Holy Spirit as His seal of ownership and approval.

In the same way, God’s insistence on being known as the Father of all creation, especially those who were called His children, was also part and parcel of Jewish theology. Revered Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides makes this comment on the subject: “A convert, by contrast, may bring the first fruits and make the declaration, for [the Torah] states with regard to Abraham: ‘I have made you a father to a multitude of nations.’⁸ Implied is that he is the father of all those who enter under the shelter of the Divine presence.”⁹

Maimonides was commenting on the Jewish Mishnah where it states that when a convert comes into the Synagogue to pray, according to Deuteronomy 26:3 he cannot say: “The God of the fathers of Israel,” rather, “The God of your fathers.” However, if his mother was an Israelite, then he can say “The God of our Fathers.”¹⁰ Also in their Talmud, we read where Rabbis taught: “Abram is the same as Abraham. At first he became a father to Aram [Ab-Aram]¹¹ only, but in the end, he became a father to the whole world.”¹² So Paul’s reasoning here is that just as the Jews refer to Abraham as their father because it was through him, they all came into being, so it is that with God as the father of all believers because they trace their origin back to Him.

Early church scholar Tertullian has an emphatic point to make for the Jews reading Paul’s letter: “But you Jews say that Abraham was circumcised. Yes, but he pleased God before his circumcision, and he did not yet observe the Sabbath. For he had accepted circumcision as a sign for that time, not as a prerogative title to salvation.”¹³ And a contemporary scholar of Chrysostom’s made this clear: “Circumcision was given for these three reasons: First, to be a sign of faith; second, to mark out the race of Abraham, and third, to be a sign and symbol of good and wise behavior. It was not given in order to produce righteousness but as a sign and seal of the righteousness which was Abraham’s by faith.”¹⁴

Reformer John Calvin has a very enlightening commentary on how the rite of circumcision can relate to the sacraments of the church. He writes: “We have indeed here a remarkable passage with regard to the general benefits of sacraments. According to the testimony of Paul, they are seals by which the promises of God are in a manner imprinted on our hearts, and the certainty of grace confirmed. And though by themselves they profit nothing, yet God has designed them to be the instruments of His grace; and He effects by the secret grace of His Spirit, that they should not be without benefit in the elect… Hence it remains a fixed principle, that sacred symbols are testimonies, by which God seals His grace on our hearts.”¹⁵ In other words, God inspired the sacraments as a way for each believer to sign by faith on the dotted line confirming their pledge to obey God’s Word and will for their lives. But, without first having faith in Christ for their salvation, signing on the dotted line by participating in the sacraments makes the person’s signature a forgery.

John Bengel points out that the justification of Abraham took place when being circumcised or uncircumcised was still unknown; and Christianity, with its justification by faith, leads back to this method of becoming right before God without meeting any prior conditions.¹⁶ And Henry Alford makes a very valid point about circumcision. He points to a Targum on the Song of Solomon (3:8) that refers to, “the seal of circumcision.” He also makes note that many early church scholars used the term, “seal of the font,” for water baptism. Thus in both cases, the seal came after righteousness was imputed. That’s why in Abraham’s case, his faith in God’s word was sufficient to be declared righteous before either circumcision or baptism were established as ordinances. That’s why Abraham can be referred to as the father of the faithful by both converted Jews and Gentiles.¹⁷

Robert Haldane asks the question: “If then, Abraham was justified in uncircumcision, for what purpose, it might be asked, was he circumcised?” Haldane then answers: “He received circumcision, as a figure or sign of his paternity, literally with respect to a numerous number of descendants, and spiritually, of all believers. It indicated that He, in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed, was to spring from Abraham. This blessedness is described by David as consisting, in the imputation of righteousness without works.”

Haldane goes on to explain: “Circumcision, then, being such a seal or pledge, and as the appointment of Abraham as the father of Christ, by whom this righteousness was to be introduced, included his being the father of the line from which Christ was to spring, it was to be affixed to his posterity, and not to cease to be so till the thing signified was accomplished. Here, it would appear, we learn the reason why this seal was to be affixed on the eighth day after birth. On the eighth day, the first day of the week, when Jesus, the seed of Abraham, arose from the dead, that righteousness, of which circumcision was a seal or pledge, was accomplished. This mark, then, was a sign of Abraham’s being the father of all believers, both Jews, and Gentiles, to all of whom this righteousness was to be imputed. As it was a seal of the righteousness which he had received by the faith which he had in a state of uncircumcision, it implied that righteousness would be imputed to believers in the same state.”¹⁸

Later, Presbyterian scholar Charles Hodge offers this: “As Paul had shown that circumcision was not the condition of justification, it became necessary to declare its true nature and design… The circumcision of Abraham was designed to confirm to him the fact, that he was regarded and treated by God as righteous, through faith, which was the means of his becoming interested in the promise of redemption… The blessing promised to Abraham, in which the Gentiles participate through Jesus Christ, can he none other than redemption. As that blessing was promised to Abraham on the condition, not of works, but of faith, the Apostle hence argues, that in our case also we are made partakers of that blessing by faith, and not by works. This was the covenant of which circumcision was the seal. All, therefore, who were circumcised, professed to embrace the covenant of grace.”¹⁹

Then, 18th century Church of England theologian Charles Ellicott makes this point: “The Apostle here puts forth his view of the real import of circumcision. It was not (as so many of his contemporaries supposed) the cause or condition of Israel’s privileges so much as the sign or ratification of them. It ratified a state of things already existing when it was instituted. Hence, to those who inherited that state of things (justification by faith) the need for circumcision was not necessary.”²⁰

In other words, such ordinances as infant dedication; water baptism, communion, etc., are not to be thrown away as worthless just because they do not impute justification and sanctification, they do serve as signs of both reminder of the believer’s status and as a symbol to the world that they are in fact believers who are righteous in God’s eyes. However, they, in and of themselves, should never be seen as the objects by which justification and grace are imparted. With all this said, Paul does not leave this open for misinterpretation, he will explain more as he continues to write this letter.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson VII)

Scholar Albert Barnes adds his imprimatur to what others are saying about justification’s independence from good works: “Having shown that Abraham was justified by faith in accordance with the doctrine he was defending, the only remaining inquiry was it after he was circumcised or before; was it as a consequence of his circumcision or not. If it was after his circumcision, the Jews might still maintain that it was by complying with the works of the Law; but if it was before, the point of the Apostle would be established that it was without the works of the Law. Still further, if he was justified by faith before he was circumcised, then here was an instance of justification and acceptance without conformity to the Jewish Law; and if the father of the Jewish nation [Abraham] was so justified, and reckoned as a friend of God, without being circumcised, that is, in the condition in which the pagan world was then, then it would follow that the Gentiles might be justified in a similar way now.”¹ Even though circumcision is no longer an issue in the Christian church, the principle of obedience to God’s law over obedience to church law is still a matter of discussion.

Professor F. F. Bruce has quite a bit to say about this subject. His main points are: “What relation, if any, lies between Abraham’s being justified by faith and the rite of circumcision? For a Jew, this was a matter of great importance: circumcision was the outward and visible sign of God’s covenant with Abraham. No uncircumcised man could claim any share in that covenant; circumcision entitled Jews or Gentile proselytes to all the covenant privileges, apart from those who by a willful repudiation of the divine commandments cut themselves off from the covenant people… Abraham, accordingly, is the true father of all who, like him, believe in God and take Him at His word. He is the father of uncircumcised believers, for he was himself uncircumcised when his faith was reckoned to him for righteousness; he is the father of circumcised believers too, not so much on the ground of their circumcision as on the ground of their faith… Abraham’s justification and accompanying blessings were based on his faith in God; they were not earned by merit or effort on his part (as would have been the case had they been conditional on law-keeping) but conferred on him by God’s grace. And the principle on which God thus dealt with Abraham extends to his descendants – not to his natural descendants as such, for they have become subject to the obligations of the law, but to his spiritual descendants, those who follow the precedent of Abraham’s faith.”²

Verse 10: So how did this happen? Did God accept Abraham before or after he was circumcised? God accepted him before his circumcision.

The main point is that justification by grace was offered to Abraham some fourteen years before God required physical circumcision as a sign for him and his descendants that they had been chosen by God to receive such justification. This is clearly recorded in the Torah.³ Later on, God spoke to Abraham and told him: “I am God All-Powerful. Obey me and live the right way. If you do this, I will prepare an agreement between us. I will promise to make your people a great nation.”⁴ Now, remember, this was all done long before the Law was given to Moses and encoded in the writings of the children of Israel.

Paul saw this then as a reason to say that if God was willing to accept Abraham based on faith, not obedience to the law, then He is willing to do the same for anyone who is justified outside the law. He expressed this in his letter to the Corinthians: “If a man was already circumcised when he was chosen, he should not disrespect his circumcision. If a man was without circumcision when he was chosen, he should not be circumcised. It is not important if anyone is circumcised or not. What is important is obeying God’s commands.”⁵

Now, since circumcision is a non-factor in Christian theology and belief, if we look at water baptism in the same light, we can then conclude that a believer is justified before they are baptized. And, just as God signaled circumcision as a sign that those who received it were among the chosen, so He gave water baptism to Christians as a sign that they had been chosen by God. But, just as circumcision alone could not save the Jew, so water baptism alone cannot save a sinner. In both cases, this is done by God as a gift for believing, not as a wage for obedience. Unfortunately, this has been turned around by some and baptism is all they have to point to as evidence that they have been made right with God.

This was part of Paul’s message to the Galatians: “When someone belongs to Christ Jesus, it is not important if they are circumcised or not. The important thing is faith – the kind of faith available through love.”⁶ Based on what we said above, you can quote this same verse while substituting the word “baptized” for “circumcised” and it would promote the fact that faith is the elemental essence that brings about justification. While Paul’s teaching here was intended primarily for the Jews in the body of believers in Rome, I’m sure the non-Jews were also paying attention. No doubt they asked the same question that early church scholar Pelagius did: “Now we must see whether circumcision is born of righteousness or righteousness of circumcision. It must be the former because Abraham was righteous before he was circumcised.”⁷

John Calvin has a theological view of this subject: “We must always bear in mind, that circumcision is mentioned here as the initial work, so to speak, of the righteousness of the law: for the Jews gloried not in it as the symbol of God’s favor, but as a meritorious observance of the law: and it was on this account that they regarded themselves better than others, as though they possessed a higher excellency before God… But Paul maintains the contrary, and thus reasons: ‘If Abraham’s righteousness was the remission of sins, (which he safely takes as granted,) and if Abraham attained this before circumcision, it then follows that remission of sins is not given for preceding merits.’ You see that the argument rests on the order of cause and effect; for the cause is always before its effect; righteousness was possessed by Abraham before he had circumcision.”⁸

Frederic Godet makes an interesting point here about Abraham’s status. He writes: “There was a time in Abraham’s life when by his uncircumcision he represented the Gentiles, as later after his circumcision he became the representative of the covenant. Now, it was in the first of these two periods of his life, that is to say, in his Gentilehood, that he was justified by faith… the conclusion was obvious at a glance.”⁹ This is important to understand because if a person believes that their being right with God depends on some rite or ritual, they will also assume that their forgiveness for sins is also included and, therefore, repentance and confession is only due afterward for any sins committed as a believer.

Charles Ellicott makes a similar point: “What is the bearing of this upon the relation between Jew and Gentile? Is the blessedness of the justified state reserved only for the former? Is it limited to those who are circumcised? On the contrary, the state of justification was attributed to Abraham himself before he was circumcised. Justification is the result of faith, not of circumcision. Circumcision is so far from superseding faith that it was only the sign or seal of it.”¹⁰ So, for Ellicott, this then was the great test for those Messianic Jews in Rome to consider. Was their hope for justification based on whether their descent from Abraham is spiritual or literal? It is also the great test today for those who feel they became believers after their baptism instead of before.

Verse 11: Abraham was circumcised later to show that God accepted him. His circumcision was proof that he was right with God through faith before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the father of all those who believe but are not circumcised. They believe and are accepted as people who are right with God.

This factor concerning Abraham’s faith was important to Paul. After all, Abraham was not a Jew, he was a Chaldean. He did not have the Law later given to Moses to live by. So there were no good deeds for him to do in compliance with those laws. It was all based on obedience and faith. Even though circumcision and the Law followed, Paul wants these Jewish leaders to know that getting right with God still depends on faith first, not works.

In fact, even circumcision was based on obedience. God said to Abraham: “This is my agreement that all of you must obey. This is the agreement between Me and you and all your descendants. Every male must be circumcised.”¹¹ So in this context, we can clearly see that obedience was the important factor. God could have easily told them to cut off their thumb as a sign that they were willing to be obedient no matter what the cost. The main contributing factor in Israel’s relationship with God from the time they left Egypt until Jesus rose from death was their obedience to Him and His will. Each time they went into idolatry, it was because of disobedience, even though they were all circumcised. Therefore, since circumcision could not keep them from sinning, it likewise could not guarantee their obedience. That was only accomplished by an act of their will in submitting to God’s authority.

Even when examining their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, we read where they were told: “The blood will serve you as a sign marking the houses where you are; when I see the blood, I will pass over you — when I strike the land of Egypt, the death blow will not strike you.”¹² Had the blood of the lamb been left in a bowl or put in a jar on the shelf, the death angel would not have passed over that house, and they would have been treated just like the Egyptians. It had to be applied to the doorposts of the house. In other words, the blood on the doorpost was a sign of obedience. Likewise, the blood of Jesus in and of itself cannot be accepted by God as payment for sin unless, and until, it is applied to the heart as a sign of obedience by faith. Thus, obedience became the critical factor in everything the Jews did.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson VI)

British theologian Adam Clarke made this remark about what David said in the Psalm the Apostle Paul is using here to make his point: “That man is truly happy to whose charge God does not reckon sin; that is, they alone are happy who are redeemed from the curse of the law and the consequence of their ungodly life, by having their sins freely forgiven, through the mercy of God.”¹ How much more blessed do we feel when we realize that in spite of our sinful nature and regardless of our sinful ways, God was still willing to grant us salvation from sin’s punishment because of what His Son did for us on the cross. Such a gift is certainly more valuable than if it had been achieved by accomplishing some feat, especially, when we find out that no one before us had ever achieved this on their own. Except for one man from Galilee named Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the living God, our Lord, and Savior.

Robert Haldane makes an impassioned plea for us to understand what Paul really means by imputed righteousness. He writes: “The expression ‘imputes righteousness without works,’ is important, as it clearly ascertains that the phrase ‘for righteousness,’ signifies the receiving of righteousness. It signifies receiving righteousness itself, not a substitute for righteousness, nor a thing of less value than righteousness, which is accounted or accepted as righteousness. The righteousness said to be imputed here is that righteousness to which Paul had all along been referring, even the righteousness of God on account of the revelation of which the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and which is called by the Apostle Peter the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, in which believers have obtained precious faith. That the Apostle refers in the verse before us to this righteousness which fulfills the law, is evident, if we look back to what he says in the 21st verse of the preceding chapter, and to what he continues to say respecting it up to this 6th verse, and to the effect he here ascribes to it. If anyone can suppose that all this is insufficient to settle the question, I shall produce an argument which is unanswerable, and which all the ingenuity of man is unable to gainsay It must be the righteousness of God (or the righteousness of Christ, which is the same) that is here spoken of BECAUSE THERE IS NO OTHER RIGHTEOUSNESS ON EARTH.”²

F. F. Bruce provides this insight: “Psalm 32 is ascribed to David in the titles of both MT³ and LXX.⁴ There is a formal link between Psalm 32:1–2, quoted in verses 7–8, and Genesis 15:6, quoted in verse 3, in that the verb ‘reckon’ is common to both passages. In rabbinical exegesis, such a link was held to encourage the interpretation of the one passage by the other, by the principle called ‘equal category.’ Paul uses this principle here, but the link is not a merely formal one: the non-imputation of sin, in which the psalmist rejoices, amounts to the positive imputation of righteousness or pronouncement of acquittal, for there is no verdict of ‘Not proven’ in God’s court of law.”⁵ In other words, when anyone looks over the transcript of all the testimonies and examines all the evidence, there is no hung jury. Everything provided is more than enough to declare a sinner, “Not Guilty” because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Verse 9: Is this blessing only for those who are circumcised? Or is it also for those who are not circumcised? We have already said that it was because of Abraham’s faith that he was accepted as one who is right with God.

This is where many stumble today in attempting to attain salvation through their good works. Have you ever met someone who was baptized and christened as a baby; successfully completed their catechism classes; became loyal members of a church; established a record of regular attendance, became a faithful tither, and good all-around steward, then used all this as a basis to claim their salvation? They feel good because of all they contributed to the effort. But, if it were possible to attain salvation this way, then Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was in vain and senseless. This was how the Jews attempted to find redemption and salvation through their many rites and rituals and keeping the Law and all the commandments. It was like, “Look what I’ve done God! You owe me!” Faith would no longer be the substance of things we hope for.

Paul wanted the believers in Rome to know that it is by grace alone that God saves us, and He is not persuaded by works or words. Nevertheless, some Christians who claim salvation by faith, end up following the Jewish format in trying to retain their salvation through works. But Paul points out, if faith brought us salvation, then faith will make our salvation valid. Yet, works are still required for another purpose. Jesus said very bluntly, once you come to the cross and receive the free gift of salvation, then pick up your own cross and follow Me by doing what I have commanded you to do. However, all of these works of obedience are done out of gratitude and love for our Father, our Savior, and our Holy Spirit as a way to honor, praise, glorify and lift them up for all the world to see the light, so that they too can come to the same knowledge of the truth about God’s plan of true salvation.

At the same time, Paul was insistent that these Messianic Jews drop any notion that just because they were of Jewish stock, that they were first in line to receive forgiveness and be justified before God. Even though the children of Jacob were chosen to bring light to a world living in spiritual darkness, God’s promise as revealed through the prophet Isaiah said that His special Servant would not only be a Savior to the Jews but to people all over the world.⁶

Jesus was confirmed as that special Servant when Mary and Joseph brought Him to the Temple in order to be dedicated. By God’s design, a priest named Simeon, who lived in Jerusalem, was there on that day when Joseph and Mary arrived with the baby Jesus. Simeon lived and breathed for the day when he would see the Messiah, and had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before the Messiah would be revealed. So when he took Jesus in his arms, Simeon offered this prayer: “Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant, die in peace as you said. I have seen with my own eyes how you will save your people. Now all people can see your plan. He is a light to show your way to the other nations.”⁷

Paul had previously written the Galatians, and this is what he said: “Because of what Jesus Christ did, the blessing God promised to Abraham was given to all people. Christ died so that by believing in Him we could have the Spirit that God promised.”⁸ As a result, Paul went on to say: “In Christ, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or free, male or female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.”⁹ Paul reiterated the same truth in his letter to the Ephesians,¹⁰ and the Colossians.¹¹ But Paul is not happy just saying it, now he wants to prove it from Scripture.

Early church scholar Ambrosiaster has an interesting question: “Is this blessedness given to the children of Abraham only or to the Gentiles also? If in those days the Gentiles were not forbidden to come [to God] under the law and the promise made to Abraham, how could it be that in the time of Christ they should be prevented from coming to grace when God has clearly invited them?”¹² Ambrosiaster’s question is rhetorical. In other words, this idea of opening the door to salvation for all mankind did not start with the Apostle Paul, it was already true when Jesus was here on earth.

Adam Clarke adds his insight to this: “The apostle‘s question is very nervous. If this pardon, granted in this way, be essential to happiness – and David says it is so – then is it the privilege of the Jews exclusively? This cannot be; for, as it is by the mere mercy of God, through faith, even the Jews could not claim it. But if God offered it to the Jews, not because they have been obedient, for they also have sinned, but because of His mere mercy, then, of course, the same blessedness may be offered to the Gentiles who believe in the Lord Jesus… Abraham had no merit, he was an idolater; but he believed in God, and his faith was reckoned to him ‘in righteousness,’ in reference to his justification; he brought faith when he could not bring works; God accepted his faith in the place of obedience; and this became the instrumental cause of his justification.”¹³

Robert Haldane makes this point: “The Apostle having fully established the truth, that a man is justified by faith without works, now reverts to the allusion made to circumcision at the beginning of this chapter, in demanding what Abraham had obtained as pertaining to the flesh. He now shows, in the most decisive manner, that Abraham had not obtained justification by means of circumcision since he was justified before he was circumcised. And, proceeding to prove what he had affirmed, (ch. 3:30), that justification is not confined to the Jews, he asks if the blessedness he had spoken of comes only to those who are circumcised, or to the uncircumcised also. It was the more necessary to decide this question because the Jews not only believed that justification depended, at least in part, on their works, but that the privileges of the people of God were inseparably connected with circumcision. In the sequel, Paul shows that justification has no necessary connection with, or dependence on, circumcision.”¹⁴

Charles Hodge points out: “The apostle’s third argument, commencing with this verse and continuing to the 12th, has special reference to circumcision. He had proved that Abraham was not justified on account of his works generally; he now proves that circumcision is neither the ground nor condition of his acceptance. The proof of this point is brief and conclusive. It is admitted that Abraham was justified. The only question is, was it before or after his circumcision? If before, it certainly was not on account of it. As it was before, circumcision must have served some other purpose.”¹⁵ Of course, that other purpose was that circumcision was a passive sign that this individual was part of the covenant God made with Abraham. But being a part of was not enough, one must also be a participant of for the promise to take effect. What Paul says of circumcision for Jews can also be said of baptism for Christians.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson V)

Verses 6-8: King David spoke about this when he described the happiness of an undeserving sinner who puts his trust in God without working to be saved from the punishment of sin. “Blessed and to be envied,” he said, “are those whose sins are forgiven and put out of sight. Yes, what joy there is for anyone whose sins the Lord chooses no longer to hold against them.”¹

What Paul says now must be understood as the unbelievable realization that comes to anyone after they have been chosen, redeemed, and glorified by being made the children of God. We can see that the heading of this Psalm Paul quotes describes it as a “maskil” of David. In Hebrew, the word means “enlightened.” Therefore, a maskil psalm is one that is designed to teach the reader something that wasn’t clear to them before. After David opened his maskil with the words contained in the first two verses, he then goes on to tell his own personal story of how it worked in his case. This is also the way several Psalms are introduced.² It is also interesting that David starts this psalm much the same way Jesus began His beatitudes.³

But the main lesson here is that having one’s sins forgiven and erased so they can be accepted by the Lord is called a “blessing.” It signifies someone who is fortunate, well-off, and content while living a fulfilled life. Paul uses David’s words because he clearly points out that this blessing comes from the Lord as a gift. It is not something that is bought, bartered, or begged for. As it is so clearly stated by God through the prophet Isaiah: “They will say, ‘Goodness and strength come only from the LORD.’”⁴ And God reiterates the same truth through the prophet Jeremiah: “Let the boaster boast about this: that he understands and knows Me — that I am Adonai, practicing grace, justice, and righteousness in the land; for in these things I take pleasure, says Adonai.”⁵

Early church scholar Ambrosiaster makes this point: “Paul backs this up by the example of the prophet David, who says that those are blessed of whom God has decreed that, without work or any keeping of the law, they are justified before God by faith alone. Therefore, he foretells the blessedness of the time when Christ was born, just as the Lord Himself said: ‘Many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see and to hear what you hear without ever hearing it’.⁶”⁷ To this, another scholar adds: “After demonstrating by the example of the Patriarch Abraham that faith is older than the law, Paul quotes a further witness in support of his position, namely, David the prophet and king.”⁸

There is an interesting homily on Psalm 32 in Jewish writings that goes like this:

These words are to be considered in light of a verse from another Psalm: You have taken away the guilt of your people and pardoned all their sin. Selah.⁹ You know that Satan comes on the Day of Atonement to accuse Israel and he specifies the iniquities of Israel, saying; Master of the universe, there are adulterers among the nations of the earth; so, too, among Israel. There are thieves among the nations of the earth; so, to, among Israel. But the Holy One, blessed be He, lays out the just deeds of Israel. Then what does He do? He suspends the beam of the scales and looks to see what the balance or imbalance is between the iniquities and the just deeds. And as they are weighed – the iniquities against the just deeds, these against those – the two pans of the scale balance exactly. Thereupon, Satan goes out to fetch more iniquities to put in the pan of iniquities and bring it down. What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? Even while Satan is going about seeking iniquities, the Holy One, blessed be He, takes the iniquities out of the pan and hides them under His royal robe. Then Satan comes and finds no iniquity on the scales, as it is said The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for; and there shall be none.¹⁰ When Satan see there is no iniquity, he cries out before the Holy one, blessed be He: Master of the universe, You have carried away the iniquity of Your people!¹¹ When David realized what God does, he said: How mercifully He carries away iniquity, how mercifully He hides their sin! Thereupon David went on to praise Israel as Happy is he whose transgressions are carried away, whose sin is hidden.¹²

Paul expressed this same thought of God being the only source for such blessings when he wrote to the Corinthians: “It is God who has made you part of Christ Jesus. And Christ has become for us wisdom from God. He is the reason we are right with God and pure enough to be in His presence. Christ is the One who set us free from sin.”¹³ Paul then goes on to quote the word of God from Jeremiah mentioned above. We should all be justly proud of being God’s children and counted among the redeemed and chosen, but that pride is not in ourselves or anything we may have done, but in the One who gave His life so that we could be given such an immeasurable and eternal gift.

This is why Paul wanted the Christians in Rome to know that it was accomplished by grace, not by our good deeds. He may have taken some of this from his letter to the Ephesians: “God did this so that His kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of His grace. I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things He had already planned for us to do.”¹⁴ This is the same message Paul had for his young protégé Timothy.¹⁵

Early church scholar Origen gives this explanation: “Note the order here. First, comes the forgiveness of iniquity, then the covering of sin, then the non-imputation of the sin to the sinner. This is the order: First, the beginning of the soul’s conversion is the renunciation of evil. Second, the soul begins to do good works, which eventually become more numerous than the evil deeds which preceded them, and in this sense, those sins may be said to be covered over. Finally, the soul reaches maturity. Every trace of sin is uprooted from it so that not even the smallest trace of wickedness remains The height of perfect blessedness is promised. The Lord will not impute any sin to the soul. Wickedness is different from sin in that it applies to things which are done without the law. In Greek, the word for this is ‘anomía,’ meaning something which is done without the law. Sin, on the other hand, refers to something which is done against the dictates of conscience and nature.”¹⁶ What Origen says here is what God does at the moment of conversion when confessed sins and sincere repentance leads God to let them start over with a new slate. But as Paul will go on to say, it will always remain a goal to stay this way. That’s why God’s grace is needed throughout the life of the believer, and it is the only thing that will help him, or her achieve a victorious ending to their journey.

Reformist John Calvin also explores this subject on people being declared right with God so that He is then justified in removing their penalty for sin. He writes: “But some one may say, “Why may we not maintain, on the ground of these testimonies, that man is justified and made blessed by good deeds? Because the words of Scripture declare that man is justified and made blessed by works as well as by faith.” Here indeed we must consider the order of causes as well as the dispensation of God’s grace: for inasmuch as whatever is declared, either of the righteousness of works or of the blessedness arising from them, does not exist, until this only true righteousness of faith has preceded and does alone discharge all its offices, this last must be built up and established, in order that the other may, as a fruit from a tree, grow from it and flourish.”¹⁷

John Bengel points out that in David’s recounting the basis for which God bestows salvation on a person, he does not mention good deeds at all. Says Bengel: “The argument from the silence of Scripture is very often conclusive.” But Bengel adds that some might say that if the LORD accepts them as if they are without sin, that must mean they met all the requirements of the Law. But Bengel answers: “It is not the same thing.” He then writes: “This… has nothing to do with the description of the subject; it is part of the predicate; even if it were such a description, the merit of works would not be established; for the thief who confessed his crime, and does not craftily deny it, merits no pardon for his offence by his confession.” What Bengel contends is this: “The meaning of all this is as follows: Blessed is the man to whom the LORD has not attributed sin: blessed is he, and in his spirit there is no deceitfulness; that is, he is now sure of his condition, of the forgiveness of his sins; he can be assured that his spirit and his heart are not deceiving him.¹⁸”¹⁹

Henry Alford sees this as a confirmation of the assertion involved in verse 5 that a person may believe in Him who justifies the ungodly and have his faith reckoned for righteousness. Alford goes on to say: “The Psalm, strictly speaking, says nothing of the imputation of righteousness, – but it is implied by St. Paul, that the remission of sin is equivalent to the imputation of righteousness – that there is no negative state of innocence – none intermediate between acceptance for righteousness, and rejection of sin.” In fact, Alford says it is a blessing, which makes it very clear that this righteousness must be apart from works, because its imputation consists in the remission and hiding of offences, whereas none can be legally righteous in whom there is any, even the smallest offence found.²⁰

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson IV)

Bible scholar John Bengel suggests that by using the word “works,” Paul means those who, by their good deeds, perform all that the moral laws given to Moses requires to be right with God. But since this is impossible, their works are in vain. The point here is to show the excellence of faith which God ordained as the only way for the ungodly to be justified, thereby saving them from the sentence of death for their sins. But Bengel also points out that “Justification is an individual act.”¹ This eliminates the Jews’ claim that they are justified because they are descendants of Abraham. The same is true with Christians. No child can pretend to be justified before God just because they were born into a Christian family.

Henry Alford also makes a good point, that if a person’s good works could gain them justification and salvation, it would be another way of saying that God was indebted to them. Instead, it’s the other way around. Knowing that without God’s help they are lost, they then go to Him in faith because they know that once they are redeemed, called, chosen, and glorified as His children, it’s all because of His love, grace, and mercy.² Wesleyan theologian Adam Clarke confirms the same thought: “Now to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt – Therefore, if Abraham had been justified by works, the blessings he received would have been given to him as a wage for those works, and consequently his believing could have had no part in his justification, and his faith would have been useless.”³ Although Abraham did not understand God’s promises and blessings as being a reward for work, Sarah did. That’s why she told Abraham to go to Hagar and work on getting them the baby that God had promised. But God was not impressed and told both Abraham and Sarah to have faith in His promise to give them the promised child, not to try and earn it.

Scottish Bible scholar Robert Haldane gives us his summary of these two verses: “In the 4th and 5th verses before us, the distinction between receiving a reward for works, and receiving it through faith, is clearly established. In the first case, a man receives what is due to him as his wages; in the second, all comes in the way of favor. Here also faith and works are directly opposed to each other. To preserve the doctrine of these verses from abuse, it is only necessary to recollect that works are denied as having anything to do with justification, but that they are absolutely necessary in the life of the believer. People are prone to magnify one part of the Divine counsel, by disparaging or denying another, which to their wisdom appears to stand in opposition to it. Some speak of faith in such a manner as to disparage works; others are so zealous for works as to disparage faith; while some, in order to honor both, confuse them with each. The Apostle Paul gives every truth its proper value and its proper place. In this Epistle, he establishes the doctrine of justification by faith alone and speaks not of the fruits of faith till the fifth chapter. But these fruits he shows to be the necessary result of that faith which justifies.”⁴

Theologian Charles Hodge makes a point: “These verses are designed, in the first place, to vindicate the applicability of the quotation from Scripture, made in verse 3, by showing that the declaration ‘faith was imputed for righteousness,’ is a denial that works were the ground of Abraham’s acceptance. And, secondly, that to justify by faith, is to justify gratuitously, and, therefore, all passages which speak of gratuitous acceptance are in favor of the doctrine of justification by faith.”⁵ And British pulpiteer Charles Spurgeon expressed it this way: “That is meant for him who hopes to be saved by his works, to whom salvation is of merit. He has worked for the reward. He has earned it. Do not talk about grace in that case. He gets what he earns, what he deserves to have, what he receives is ‘not reckoned of grace, but of debt.””⁶

What Paul is writing here about salvation as a gift from God, not something that can be earned, was not just his idea. It is firmly established on the teachings of Jesus Himself who said: “I assure you, anyone who hears what I say and believes in the One who sent me has eternal life. They will not be judged guilty. They have already left death and have entered into life.”⁷

So there should not be any misunderstanding on the part of these Messianic Jews in Rome about what constitutes authentic justification through faith in Christ. There is only one way, and that way is through Jesus the Messiah. Paul shares with Timothy how his conversion made a new person. He wrote: “In the past, I insulted Christ. As a proud and violent man, I persecuted His people. But God gave me mercy because I did not know what I was doing. I did that before I became a believer. But our Lord gave me a full measure of His grace. And with that grace came the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a true statement that should be accepted without question: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst of them.”⁸

So what God gave Habakkuk to write down long ago is just as true today as it was then and also in Paul’s day: “This message cannot help those who refuse to listen to it, but those who do listen will live because they believe it.”⁹ Paul now calls David, a man after God’s own heart, to the witness stand to tell what he understood about being rewarded for faith, not for works.

Early church preacher Chrysostom said this in his homily: “Think how great a thing it is to be persuaded and have complete confidence that God is able not only to set an ungodly man free from punishment but also to make him righteous and count him worthy to receive these immortal honors.… This is what makes a believer glorious—the fact that he enjoys so great a grace and displays such great faith. Note too that the recompense is greater. For the one who works receives his reward, but the one who believes is made righteous. Righteousness is much greater than a reward because it is a recompense which includes many rewards.”¹⁰

Then, a contemporary of Augustine’s remarked: “When an ungodly person is converted, God justifies him by faith alone, not for good works which he does not have. On that basis, he would have been punished for his ungodly works. But note that Paul does not say one who remains in sin is justified by faith but rather the ungodly, i.e., one who has just come to believe.”¹¹ So it is evident, salvation is not a reward but a gift; not something that can be earned, but received; not by works, but by faith; and not to the self-righteous, but to the admitted sinner.

Reformist John Calvin makes this commentary: “This is a very important sentence, in which Paul expresses the substance and nature both of faith and of righteousness. He indeed clearly shows that faith brings us righteousness, not because it is a meritorious act, but because it obtains for us the favor of God. Nor does he declare only that God is the giver of righteousness, but he also arraigns us of unrighteousness, in order that the bounty of God may come to aid our necessity.”¹² Adam Clarke offers his views on this subject: “Now, as Abraham‘s state and mode in which he was justified, are the plan and rule according to which God purposes to save men; and as his state was ungodly, and the mode of his justification was by faith in the goodness and mercy of God; and this is precisely the state of Jews and Gentiles at present; there can be no other mode of justification than by faith in that Christ who is Abraham‘s seed, and in whom, according to the promise, all the nations of the earth are to be blessed.”¹³

Professor F. F. Bruce says this: “Abraham was not ungodly; he was a man of outstanding piety and righteousness. But the principle on which Abraham was justified, being one that excludes the idea of accumulating merit by works of piety and righteousness, is one that is equally available to the ungodly, who have no such works to rely on. So the tax-collector in the parable went home ‘justified’ rather than the Pharisee, not because his merit was greater (it was much less) but because, realizing the futility of self-reliance, he cast himself entirely on God’s grace.¹⁴ But the description of God as the one ‘who justifies the ungodly’ is so paradoxical as to be startling – even shocking.”¹⁵ Dr. Bruce goes on: “No wonder that Paul thought it necessary to maintain that God, in justifying sinners, nevertheless preserves His personal integrity. Once they are justified, indeed, the ungodly should cease to be ungodly, but it is not on the basis of any foreseen amendment of their ways that they are justified. If we fail to appreciate the moral problem involved in God’s forgiving grace, it may be because we have ‘not yet considered how serious a thing is sin.’ The paradox of the justifying of the ungodly is resolved in Romans 5:6, ‘Christ died for the ungodly.’”¹⁶

Octavius Winslow said this in his sermon on Self Communion: “It is not for your worth that you are saved, but for Christ’s worth. It is not on the ground of your personal merit that you are justified but on the ground of Christ’s merit alone. It is not upon the plea of your fitness, your tears, your confessions, your prayers, your duties, that God forgives and accepts you, but simply and exclusively upon the one plea of the Savior’s sacrifice. The BLOOD of Christ pardons, the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Christ justifies you, and this is all that you require, or that God demands. The great work is all done – it is not to be done. It is complete, finished, accepted, sealed. And you, as a lost sinner, without holiness, without strength, without one plea that springs from what you are, have nothing to do. Believe, and you are saved. Believing is not doing, it is not meriting, it is TRUSTING- it is the simple exercise of a faith in Christ which God gives, and which the Holy Spirit produces in the heart; so that your salvation, from beginning to end, is entirely out of yourself, in another.”¹⁷

One Jewish writer gives his thoughts: “Paul is not presenting an argument of ‘Law versus Grace.’ This idea, (that there is such a thing as ‘law versus grace’) is taught throughout much of Christianity. It is a theology that pits God’s Torah against His mercy, which is something completely contrary to the Hebrew Scriptures, that instead reveal that God gave His Torah out of His mercy. What Paul ‘sets against’ each other, in this and in all of his letters (including Galatians and Colossians, which are consistently misunderstood), is the idea of, ‘doing works apart from faith’ in order to ‘earn’ salvation, versus trusting in God’s provision, and then living according to His revealed will – the Torah.”¹⁸

In one of his books, William Blake, English poet, painter, and visual artistry pioneer (1757 – 1827), wrote the following proverb: “The fox condemns the trap, not himself.”¹

How true this is of many today, especially politicians, who blame everyone and everything else for their troubles. They are not sorry for what they did, they’re upset because they got caught. Remember, there is no such thing as an honest mistake, but there is such a thing as being honest when you make a mistake. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

CAN PEOPLE SEE JESUS IN YOU?

Here’s a story I read that I thought you might enjoy.

A few years ago, a team of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases in hand, moving quickly through the airport terminal, one of these salesmen inadvertently bumped into a table which held a display of apples being sold for a charity. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the gate in just in time for boarding.

That is, all except one! He paused, took a deep breath, quickly assessed the situation – and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them he would try and catch a later flight. Then, he returned to the area where the apples were still all over the terminal floor.

The man was glad he did. He discovered that the 16-year-old girl running the stand was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, all the while helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the rushing crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one caring for her plight. The salesman quickly knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display.

As he did this, he noticed that many of the apples had become battered and bruised. These he set aside in a basket. When they had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?” She nodded through her tears. “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly,” he said.

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister…” He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, “Are you Jesus?” He stopped in mid-stride, stunned by the question. He assured her that he was not Jesus, then made his way to arrange for a later flight with that question burning in his mind: “Are you Jesus?”

There are things that happen to us in life, often unintentional and some by accident. People watch how we respond, especially when it might be an inconvenience if we take the time to help someone put things back in order. So the next time you see a person in need of help, even if you are in a hurry, if you stop to assist them, will they wonder if it was Jesus in you that made the difference. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson III)

British Bible scholar Henry Alford indicates that what Paul said here had sparked a controversy between Protestants on the one hand, and Catholics, Arminians,¹ and Socinians² on the other. The whole question was whether the righteousness Paul speaks of here with regard to Abraham was reckoned (1st) by means of faith, being God’s righteousness imputed to the sinner; or (2nd) on account of faith, so that God made Abraham righteous on account of the merit of his faith. Alford says: “The Apostle has proven that Jews and Gentiles are all under sin: utterly unable by works of their own to attain righteousness. Now faith, in the second sense mentioned above, is strictly and entirely work, and as such would be the efficient cause of man’s justification – which by what has preceded, it cannot be. It will, therefore, follow that it was not the act of believing which was reckoned to him as a righteous act, or on account of which perfect righteousness was credited to his account. Rather, the fact of his trusting God to perform His promise ushered him into the blessing promised.”³ Let me present this in a simpler manner for clearer understanding. Paul will write later, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”⁴ It is not making the confession that will save you, but it is God who will save you in response to your confession made by faith.

As H. A. Ironside put it: “The promise that he [Abraham] should be an heir of the world was not given to him ‘through the law,’ that is, it was not a reward of merit, something he had earned by obedience. It was on the basis of sovereign grace. Hence, his righteousness like ours, if we believe, was a ‘by-faith righteousness.‘ The heirs of the promise are those who accept it in the same faith, otherwise, it would be utterly invalidated. It was an unconditional promise.”⁵ In other words, no amount of praying, confessing, repenting, or pleading with God will result in justification. The old saying, “They prayed through to salvation,” misrepresents justification by faith. Only God can make the decision to justify, and such justification is not based on a person’s works, but the work of Christ. What a person praying, confessing, repenting, and asking for mercy will do, is show God that they are earnest and sincere in their belief that He and He alone is the only One who can save them.

Charles Hodge makes this comment: “The connection of this verse with the preceding is this: Paul had just said that Abraham had no ground of boasting with God; for, what does the scripture say? Does it credit the basis of Abraham’s justification to his works? By no means. It declares he was justified by faith; which Paul immediately shows is equivalent to saying that he was justified gratuitously.”⁶ This is an important point. Faith does not earn justification. Faith is the key that opens the door to God’s gift of being declared free of sin’s punishment. That should give every believer even more reason to thank God and serve Him out of love and loyalty.

Then Frederic Godet provides a scholarly exposition of verse three: “Scripture contains a declaration in which there is revealed the judgment of God respecting the way in which Abraham was justified. This saying is to be found in Genesis 15:6. Called by God out of his tent by night, he is invited to contemplate the heavens, and to count, if he can, the myriads of stars; then he hears the promise: ‘so numerous shall your seed be.’ He is a centenarian and has never had children. But it is God who speaks; that is enough for him: he believed God. Faith consists in holding the divine promise for the reality itself, and then it happens that what the believer has done in regard to the promise of God. God, in turn, does in regard to his faith: He holds it for righteousness itself.”⁷

Charles Ellicott offers this commentary: “The Apostle gives proof of this from Scripture. Abraham was not justified by works, and, therefore, had nothing to boast of in God’s sight. He was justified by faith. His righteousness was not real but imputed. His faith was treated as if it had been equivalent to a righteousness of works. It met with the same acceptance in the sight of God that a righteousness of works would have done. But – the argument goes on – faith carries with it no such idea of merit or debt as works. It is met by a pure act of grace on the part of God. The sense of imputation is not to be gotten rid of. It is distinctly a forensic act. The righteousness attributed to Abraham is not an actual righteousness, but something else that is considered and treated as if it were equivalent to such righteousness. It is so treated by God acting as the judge of mankind.”⁸

Jewish scholar David Stern makes reference to a teaching among the Jews, contained in Midrash Rabbah (Great Commentary), that reads: “In the world-to-come, Israel will sing a new song, as it is said, ‘Sing unto Adonai a new song, for He has done marvelous things.’⁹ By whose merit will they do so? By the merit of Abraham, because he trusted in the Holy One, blessed be he, as it says, And he trusted in Adonai.¹⁰”¹¹ Stern goes on to say: “Paul quotes the same verse [Genesis 15:6] as cited in the Midrash Rabbah. The one ‘deed’ that ‘earned’ Abraham being declared righteous by God was not a deed at all, but the non-act (the heart attitude) of trusting God.”¹²

Verses 4-5 When people work, their pay is not given to them as a gift. They earn the pay they get. But people cannot do any work that will make them right with God. So they must trust in Him. Then He accepts their faith, and that makes them right with Him. He is the one who makes even evil people right.

The Apostle Paul now begins to show the Roman believers that God’s grace is not given as a reward, but as a gift. No one works for a gift, otherwise, it would not be an endowment, but a wage. This was clearly taught by the Rabbis. In their writings we find it written: “Do not be as slaves, who serve their master for the sake of reward. Rather, be as slaves who serve their master, not for the sake of a reward.”¹³ In other words, do not consider what you do for God as a job, but an expression of love. Because God does not pay His servants but rewards them with more than they could ever earn.

This was part of Paul’s message to the people in Antioch in Pisidia. He told them: “Brothers, understand what we are telling you. You can have forgiveness of your sins through this Jesus. The Law of Moses could not free you from your sins. You can only be made right with God if you believe in Jesus.”¹⁴ Paul had the same message for the believers throughout Galatia.¹⁵ And Paul gave the Philippians his personal testimony: “In Christ, I am right with God, but my being right does not come from following the law. It comes from God through faith. God uses my faith in Christ to make me right with Him.”¹⁶

Early church scholar Origen has this comment: “Faith relies on the grace of the justifier. Works rely on the fairness of the employer. When I consider the greatness of Paul’s speech, by which he says that the worker receives what is due to him, I can hardly persuade myself that there is any deed which could claim a wage from God as its due.”¹⁷ The Apostle Paul talks about a crown of righteousness being kept in store for him after he crosses the finish line at the end of life.¹⁸ This is not a participation prize nor a wage, but it is a reward given to him by the very One who gave him the strength, patience, and motivation to go all the way.

Then, fellow scholar Ambrosiaster has this point of view: “No merit is imputed as a reward to the man who is subject to the law—either to the law of works, i.e., of Moses or to the law of nature. For he who is obliged to keep the law is a debtor. A necessity is imposed upon him by the law to keep it whether he wants to or not, so as not to be guilty, as Paul says in another passage: ‘Those who resist will incur judgment.’¹⁹ On the other hand, to believe or not to believe is a matter of choice. No one can be required to accept something which is offered as a gift. But he is invited to receive it. He is not forced but persuaded. He believes what he does not see but hopes for. This is what glorifies God.”²⁰

Then Augustine makes this comment: “Paul was speaking here of the way wages are given. But God gave by grace because he gave to sinners so that by faith they might live justly, that is, do good works. Thus the good works which we do after we have received grace are not to be attributed to us but rather to Him who has justified us by His grace. For if God had wanted to give us our due reward, He would have given us the punishment due to sinners.”²¹

With regard to the subject of how the expectation of reward from God for good works signifies the payment of a debt, John Calvin has this to say: “It is not the one Paul calls a worker, who is given to good works, to which all the children of God ought to emulate, but the person who seeks to merit something by his works… He would not, indeed, have the faithful to be idle; but he only forbids them to be mercenaries, so as to demand anything from God, as though it were justly their due.”²² We cannot earn heaven nor the reward of eternal life that goes with it. Nothing we can say or do can raise us to that level. It is all a merciful gift from God the Father on behalf of Christ His Son who did what was needed to get us there.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson II)

Reform theologian Robert Haldane also expresses his thoughts on the good works factor: “The term ‘works’ is here explanatory of the word flesh in the first verse, signifying any works, whether moral or ceremonial. If Abraham were justified on account of his works, as the Jews believed, it must be admitted that he had something to boast about, contrary to what the Apostle had just before declared, that all boasting on such grounds is excluded… No objection that could be offered would appear to the Jews more forcible; it was, therefore, important to advert it. Being, however, entirely groundless, the Apostle at once repels it, and replies to the question previously proposed, respecting circumcision, or any work or privilege, in that prompt and brief manner of which we see an example at the end of the 8th verse of the former chapter. He answers, But not before God. Abraham had no ground of boasting before God, not having been justified either by the observance of the rite of circumcision or by any other work of obedience which he had performed; and this Paul fully proves in the sequel.”¹

Charles Ellicott writes: “We know that he [Abraham] obtained justification. If that justification had been earned by his own works it would then have been something to be proud of; it would be a pride that he might fairly hold both towards people and towards God; for to people he could point to the privileged position that he gained, and in the sight of God he would be able to plead a certain merit of his own. But he has no such merit. His justification was not earned, but it was given to him, not for the sake of works, but for his faith. This is the express statement of Scripture. And hence it follows that though his privileged position in the sight of people remains, he has nothing to boast of before God.”²

Professor F. F. Bruce introduces this chapter as follows: “Paul has already said that this ‘righteousness of God … apart from law’ is attested by the Law and the Prophets. This must now be shown more fully, and Paul undertakes to show it principally from the story of Abraham, with a side-glance at the experience of David. Of all the righteous people in the Old Testament, none could surpass Abraham —‘Abraham, my friend’, as God calls him in Isaiah 41:8. God’s own testimony to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 26:5, ‘Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.’ What about Abraham, then? If it is by works that a person is justified in God’s sight, Abraham would have a better title than most, and he would be entitled to take some credit for it. But that is not God’s way. God’s way is clearly indicated in the record of Genesis 15:6: when the divine promise came to Abraham, in spite of the extreme improbability of its fulfillment by all natural considerations, ‘he believed the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.’ Paul had already made this statement the basis of an ad hominem argument to the churches of Galatia when some of their members were disposed to abandon the principle of faith for that of legal works.”³

Dr. Bruce then makes this point: “Abraham’s acceptance with God was clearly not based on his works, good as they were. Paul’s argument is not merely textual and verbal, dependent on a selection of Genesis 15:6 in preference to other texts from the patriarchal narrative which might have pointed in another direction. For Abraham’s good works and his obedience to the divine commandments were the fruit of his unquestioning faith in God; had he not first believed the promises of God he would never have set out for the promised land or conducted his life there in the light of what he knew of God’s will. No; when God gave Abraham a promise (in the fulfillment of which, incidentally, the whole gospel was bound up), he simply took God at His word, and acted accordingly.”⁴

Jewish theologian David Stern says that by the time Jesus came, it was a widespread doctrine among the Jews that they could benefit and even claim salvation based on the righteous works of their ancestors. They made this claim before Jesus in John 8:33, and some of Paul’s opponents made use of the same idea.⁵ The seed for the Jews belief is found in Deuteronomy 4:37.⁶ But the error made by the Jews is that while God is faithful to His promises to their forefathers, it does not take away their own responsibility to have faith.

Stern then goes on to say: “Even Abraham’s trust is of no avail to his descendants; they must have trust of their own. Romans 9–11 can be viewed as an elaboration of this principle. The present chapter investigates the nature of Abraham’s own ‘merit:’ what is it that he obtained by his own efforts? Didn’t he have ‘works,’ meritorious ‘deeds’ that earned him his salvation? This is what Paul’s hypothetical questioner is asking. In one sense the answer is ‘Yes’ — if trusting can be counted as a ‘work,’ or if trusting in its proper sense implies appropriate good works that stem from it, which is what Paul himself speaks about in Ephesians 2:8–10, and James [says] in 2:14–26.⁷ But, as explained in Chapter 3:20b above, ‘works’ here are understood in contradistinction to ‘faith’ as legalistic observances. If James’ point is that ‘faith without works is dead,’⁸ Paul’s point here is complementary and equally true: works without faith are dead.”⁹

Verse 3: That’s why the Scriptures say, “Abraham believed God, and because of this he was accepted as one who is right with God.”

Paul now refers his readers back to the Torah where it clearly states: “He [Abraham]believed in Adonai, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”¹⁰ It was important that they listen to what the Scriptures had to say. God reminded His people of this back in Isaiah’s day.¹¹ The Apostle James put the same emphasis on believing what was written in Scripture.¹² And the Apostle Peter exhibited the same frame of mind.¹³

Paul pointed this out when he wrote the Galatians: “The Scriptures say the same thing about Abraham. ‘Abraham believed God, and because of this faith he was accepted as one who is right with God.’ So you should know that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith,”¹⁴ and the Apostle James echoed this doctrine: “This shows the full meaning of the Scriptures that say, ‘Abraham believed God, and because of this faith he was accepted as one who is right with God’.”¹⁵

The Jews were accustomed to establishing their teaching on the Scriptures with the words: “Because it is written.” And Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai quotes Scripture as he points out: “For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, and reproofs of sufferings are the way of life.¹⁶”¹⁷ In fact, in this same Tractate the term “it is written” appears some 192 times as Rabbis support their teaching on the basis of Holy Writ.

Several early church scholars have various thoughts on what Paul says here. Ambrose writes: “I do not demand a reason [for my justification] from Christ. If I am convinced by reason, I deny faith. Abraham believed God. Let us also believe, so that we who are the heirs of his race may likewise be heirs of his faith.”¹⁸ And Chrysostom points out: “The Master proclaimed that Abraham was justified because he outran the weakness of his human nature. He strained with his whole mind toward the power of Him who had made the promise.”¹⁹ And Pelagius adds: “Abraham’s faith was so great that his earlier sins were all forgiven him, and righteousness was counted as credit for every one of them by faith alone. Later he was on fire with such love for God that he piled one good work on top of another. Therefore, he has glory in God’s eyes.”²⁰ What Pelagius does not say is that all of those works were based on faith in God’s promise, not in what Abraham accomplished through obedience based on that faith.

John Calvin sees it this way: “If Abraham was justified because he embraced, by faith, the bountiful mercy of God, it follows, that he had nothing to glory in; for he brought nothing of his own, except a confession of his misery, which is an appeal for mercy. He, indeed, takes it as granted, that the righteousness of faith is the refuge, and, as it were, the asylum of the sinner, who is destitute of works. For if there be any righteousness by the law or by works, it must be in people themselves; but by faith, they derive from another what is wanting in themselves; and hence the righteousness of faith is rightly called imputative.”²¹

Robert Haldane shares this: “Having denied in the foregoing verse that Abraham was justified, or had any ground of boasting, either on account of his circumcision or his obedience, Paul next supports his denial by an appeal to Scripture, which was calculated to carry stronger conviction to the Jews than anything else he could have alleged. His proof is drawn from the historical records of the Old Testament, and thus he places his seal on its complete verbal inspiration, quoting what is there recorded as the decision of God.”²²

What we have read written by scholars in early church history, followed by the insights and confirmation of those who were inspired in the Reformation period, right up until this day about the futility of getting right with God by dutifully participating in rites, rituals, and regulations of the church is just as valid today. To claim union and fellowship with God because of being born in a Christian family, or being alive in Christ because of being baptized as an infant before there was any awareness of right and wrong, sin and evil, or claiming heaven as one’s destination because of all the good works and charity one participates in, is just as baseless and useless today as when the Apostle Paul wrote these words. It is a gift from God by faith alone.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson I)

Verses 1-2: So what can we say about Abraham, the father of our people? What did he discover about good works? If Abraham was made right by the things he did, he had a reason to boast about himself. But God would have none of that.

Now Paul calls Abraham as the primary witness to the fact that the believer’s justification for receiving forgiveness of sins and everlasting life is by faith, not by works, ceremonies, or sacraments. That was God’s message to Israel: “Listen to me, those of you who are trying hard to live good lives, those of you who seek the Lord for help: look at the Rock from which you were cut, the Quarry out of which you were taken – look at Abraham is your father, and Sarah, who gave birth to you. Abraham was the only one I called. Then I blessed him, and he started a great family which now has many descendants.”¹ Therefore, if Abraham didn’t boast about his pedigree or good works being the basis for his relationship with God, why should these Christians now make such a claim?

Perhaps Paul heard about the confrontation John the Baptizer had with the Pharisees and Sadducees when he told them: “I know what you are thinking. You want to say, ‘but Abraham is our father!’ That means nothing. I tell you, God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. The ax is now ready to cut you down like trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”² No doubt, that is why Paul warned the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia not to follow the example of those back in Jerusalem who refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.³

Early church scholar Ambrosiaster has this to say: “After showing that no one can be justified before God by the works of the law, Paul goes on to say that Abraham could not merit anything according to the flesh either. In saying ‘the flesh,’ Paul meant circumcision because Abraham sought nothing on the basis of his circumcision. For he was already justified before he was circumcised.”⁴ To this, early church preacher Chrysostom adds: “The Jews kept repeating that Abraham, the friend of God, was the first to be circumcised. Paul wants to show that he was justified by faith before he was circumcised.”⁵ Today, by substituting the term “baptism” for “circumcision,” we can argue the same principle for those who style themselves as Christians.

Reformer John Calvin sees it this way: “This is a confirmation by example; and it is a very strong one, since all things are alike with regard to the subject and the person; for he [Abraham] was the father of the faithful, to whom we ought all to be conformed; and there is also but one way and not many ways by which righteousness may be obtained by all. In many other things one example would not be sufficient to make a common rule; but as in the person of Abraham there was exhibited a mirror and pattern of righteousness, which belongs in common to the whole Church, rightly does Paul apply what has been written of him alone to the whole body of the Church, and at the same time he gives a check to the Jews, who had nothing more plausible to glory in than that they were the children of Abraham; they could not have dared to claim for themselves more holiness than what they ascribed to the holy patriarch. Since it is then evident that he was justified freely, his posterity, who claimed a righteousness of their own by the law, ought to have been made silent even through shame.”⁶

John Bengel sees Paul using Abraham as an example to prove that justification is by grace, not by works because in verse 9 the same justification is provided for the Gentiles. For this reason, both Jews and Gentiles can refer to Abraham as the spiritual father of their faith. It would not be possible for the Gentiles to refer to Abraham that way according to the flesh.⁷ Bengel agrees with other scholars who say that to abound in good works might bring honor to Abraham, but it could not exhibit God’s mercy as the reason for their justification.

Henry Alford takes what Paul says here in the opening line as contending with the Jewish members of the congregation, including himself, that as upholders of the law, what could Abraham’s experience teach them. Alford says that Paul’s question does not take away anything pertaining Abraham’s spiritual qualities. In fact, it is a comparison of the two that leads to a revelation that even in Abraham’s case, God would not credit justification to any of the works that Abraham did, but to the faith in which he performed them. Then, to prove that justification by works did not leave Abraham any room to boast, Alford writes: “Whatever men might think of him, or attribute to him (for example, the perfect keeping of the law, as the Jews did), one thing at least is clear, that he has nothing [to present] before (in the presence of ) God.”⁸ So, if it did not work for Abraham, Paul is more or less saying to the Jews that it will not work for them, and we can say that it will not work today.

British theologian Charles Hodge makes this point: “The connection of this verse with the preceding train of reasoning is obvious. Paul had taught that we are justified by faith; as well in confirmation of this doctrine, as to anticipate an objection from the Jew, he refers to the case of Abraham: ‘How was it then with Abraham? How did he obtain justification?’ The point in dispute was, how justification is to be attained. Paul proposes to decide the question by reference to a case about which no one could doubt. All admitted that Abraham was justified. The only question was, How?”⁹ Hodge goes on to point out that Paul makes it clear that Abraham did not earn justification from God by works, but was granted justification through faith.

So, there was no reason for them to claim privilege just because they were descendants of Abraham. Rather, look at what God saw in Abraham and used that as a motivation to walk by faith rather than using the law to seek justification. In fact, this is what Paul told the Philippians: “All I want now is Christ. I want to belong to Him. In Christ, I am right with God, but my being right does not come from following the law. It comes from God through faith. God uses my faith in Christ to make me right with Him.”¹⁰

In other words, Abraham had a lot to brag about concerning his faith, obedience, and trust in God, as did Paul, but not as a bargaining chip to use with God to secure justification for removal of the penalty of sin. This is in line with the message God had for the children of Israel about what they should be proud of.¹¹ And to the Ephesians Paul said: “You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. God has made us what we are.”¹² So Paul wanted these Messianic leaders in Rome to know they were not an exception to the rule. Now that Paul laid this groundwork, he will begin to build on it in the following verses.

Early church scholar Origen makes this point: “In this whole passage, it seems that the Apostle wants to show that there are two justifications, one by works and the other by faith. He says that justification by works has its glory in and of itself, but not before God. Justification by faith, on the other hand, has glory before God, who sees our hearts and knows those who believe and those who do not believe. Thus it is right to say that it has glory only before God, who sees the hidden power of faith. But the one who looks for justification by works may expect honor mainly from other persons who see and approve of them. Let no one think that someone who has faith enough to be justified and to have glory before God can at the same time have unrighteousness dwelling in them as well. Faith cannot coexist with unbelief, nor can righteousness with wickedness, just as light and darkness cannot live together.”¹³

And Bishop Cyril gives this commentary: “What can we say to those who insist that Abraham was justified by works because he was ready to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar? Abraham was already an old man when God promised him that he would have a son and that his descendants would be as countless as the stars in the sky.¹⁴ Abraham piously believed that all things are possible with God and so exercised this faith. God reckoned him to be righteous on this account and gave Abraham a reward worthy of such a godly mind, namely, the forgiveness of his previous sins.… So even if Abraham was also justified by his willingness to sacrifice Isaac, this must be regarded as an evident demonstration of a faith which was already very strong.¹⁵”¹⁶

Reformist John Calvin gives this explanation: “If Abraham was justified by works, he might rightly glory: but he had nothing for which he could glory before God; then he was not justified by works. Thus the clause, but not before God, is the minor proposition; and to this must be added the conclusion which I have stated, though it is not expressed by Paul. He calls that glorying when we pretend to have anything of our own to which a reward is supposed to be due at God’s tribunal. Since he takes this away from Abraham, who of us can claim for himself the least particle of merit?”¹⁷

Wesleyan theologian Adam Clarke states: “But not before God – These seem to be the Apostle‘s words, and contain the beginning of his answer to the arguments of the Jew, as if he had said: Allowing that Abraham might glory in being called from heathenish darkness into such marvelous light, and rejoice in the privileges which God had granted to him, yet this glorying was not before God as a reason why those privileges should be granted; the glorying itself being a consequence of these very privileges.”¹⁸

Every Christian should learn what Paul is teaching here. We may be a member of the church, sing in the choir, serve on the usher committee, belong to a prayer group, do part-time missionary work, pay our tithes and offerings, and work in the church office. But none of this can count one penny toward paying for our justification and having a personal relationship with God. In fact, sometimes they can get in the way. We are justified solely through our faith in the work Christ did on the cross and entirely dependent on the grace and mercy of God for having been redeemed, called, and set apart for His glory.