I. THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM AS AN EXAMPLE (l-8)
A. How Was Abraham Justified? (1-3)
1. Was it by works? If anyone ever lived who could have been saved by works, it was Abraham. If Abraham was saved by his works, he could have been boastful.
2. The scripture teaches it was because he believed in God (Gen. 15:6). How then can we reconcile this teaching with James 2:24, which indicates Abraham was saved by works? The key is that both Paul and James are teaching justification by faith, but neither is teaching justification by faith only. Paul is demonstrating that salvation comes through faith apart from the works of the Law of Moses; James shows salvation is by a faith that expresses itself by obedience to the will of the Lord. The belief that Abraham had marked on his account as righteousness, belonged to a man who was already a child of God.
B. What Difference Does It Make? (4-8)
1. If it was by his own works, his justification was earned. Once a man sins, salvation is not a debt that God owes him. Is this verse teaching that righteousness then comes through no human effort? Then why are not all righteous?
2. But even Abraham was not perfect, so his justification must have been by faith. Paul is still discussing man's inability to do works perfectly. By faith our sins can be forgiven, if our sins are forgiven, then we are righteous.
C. Even David Attested to This System of Righteousness. (6-8)
Sin is imputed to a man as long as he is a sinner (or in sin). When a man is forgiven, these sins are not imputed against him any longer. If the forgiven man is righteous, then the Lord must have imputed that righteousness to him.
II. RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH AVAILABLE TO ALL (9-25)
A. The blessing of righteousness by faith comes to both circumcision and uncircumcision. (9-12)
1. Abraham received this blessedness before being circumcised. The blessing is the mentioned in verses 6-8, that of having sins forgiven. When had Abraham received this blessing? Before circumcision. Paul shows that a person who had not been commanded to be circumcised could be righteous. Righteousness did not and does not hinge on circumcision.
2. Therefore he is the father of all who believe. A Jew was in the covenant with Abraham prior to circumcision, it was only if he remained uncircumcised that he would break the covenant. From Abraham's point of view circumcision was God's stamp of approval of his faith. Because of the righteousness of his faith while uncircumcised, he was the father of the faithful Gentiles. Because of his continued righteousness after circumcision, then he can be called the father of the faithful Jews. So circumcision is not the key, faithfulness is (Gal. 5:6; Acts 15:9). The spiritual family of Abraham supersedes his physical family (Gal. 3:16,29).
B. The promise made to Abraham was given through righteousness of faith. (13-18)
1. It was not given through the Law. For two reasons:
a. There was no Law of Moses when the promise was made. Gen. 12 indicates the blessing was to all people. See also Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16. (Note: The seed promise was singular and referred to Jesus.
b. Justification by faith could not come through the Law because a system based on works would invalidate a system based on faith. If no one can attain perfection, no one can attain the promise (Gal. 3:17)
c. The Law works wrath because man violates the Law. If there were no law~ there would be no sin. However, there has always been law between God and man. What Paul means is that no one transgresses a law that has not been given to them (3:19).
2. But that it might be by grace it was given through faith and that through faith and not law~ Abraham is the father of us all. Since the promise comes through faith it is a certain promise to all of Abraham's descendants, not just those who came through the Law. Paul quotes Gen. 17:5 to help us distinguish the "father of many nations" covenant from the "land" and "circumcision" covenants which were for the Jew only. Abraham's faith is magnified when we realize his age when God called him (70's), when he left Haran (75), when Ishmael was born (86) and when Isaac was born (100). God gave life to the dead when he opened Sarah's womb. In spite of Sarah's barrenness Abraham believed he would fulfill the promise, even though he initially believed it would be through Ishmael.
C. The faith of Abraham illustrated. (19-22)
1. Through strong faith he staggered not at the promise of God, despite his old body and the deadness of Sarah's womb. Abraham's faith continued even under these overwhelming circumstances. Knowing every obstacle against him, Abraham still believed God's promises to be true. Abraham affirmed his faith in God on four separate occasions spanning close to 50 years. Abraham's justification by faith is not justification of an alien sinner, but of one who continues to believe and practice what that belief requires.
2. It was the kind of faith that was reckoned as righteousness.
D. The example of Abraham's righteousness written for our benefit.
(23-25)
Abraham's faith and the outcome of that faith are a guaranty that
all believers' in the resurrection of Christ will have their faith
reckoned to them for righteousness. The death and resurrection
of Christ was on our account, that is to say, for us (1Cor. 15:17).