聖書注解書

B. THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM (Ch. 4)

Bp Lightfoot (Ep. to the Galatians, detached note to ch. 3) makes it very probable that “at the time of the Christian era the passage in Genesis relating to Abraham’s faith had become a standard text in the Jewish schools … and that the interest thus concentrated upon it prepared the way for the fuller and more spiritual teaching of the Apostles.” By Philo, the great representative of Alexandria, Genesis 15:6 “is quoted or referred to at least ten times.” And in the Talmud, which reflects “fairly, though with some exceptions, the Jewish teaching at the Christian era,” “the significance attached to Abraham’s example may be inferred from the following passage in the Mechilta on Exodus 14:31 : ‘Great is faith, whereby Israel believed on Him that spake and the world was. For as a reward for Israel’s having believed in the Lord, the Holy Spirit dwelt on them.… Abraham our father inherited this world and the world to come solely by the merit of faith whereby he believed in the Lord; for it is said, and he believed in the Lord, and it was counted &c.… So … Habakkuk, The righteous liveth of his faith … Great is faith!’ ”[51] Bp Lightfoot adds in a note, that some later Jewish writers, “anxious, it would appear, to cut the ground from under St Paul’s inference of ‘righteousness by faith,’ interpreted the latter clause [of Genesis 15:6], ‘and Abraham counted on God’s righteousness,’ i.e. on His strict fulfilment of His promise.… Such a rendering is as harsh in itself as it is devoid of traditional support.”

[51] Observe that the idea of merit, visible in the above passages, is carefully excluded by St Paul.

Ch. Romans 4:1-25. Abraham, an apparent exception to the rule of gratuitous acceptance, really the great example of it

1. What shall we say then? &c.] Here a new and independent objection is anticipated. Abraham, the great Head of the Old Covenant, would be appealed to by the Jew, as on the assumption that he at least was justified by its terms; and on him now the argument turns.—See Appendix B.

The reading of the Gr. varies in MSS.; but the most probable reading will be rendered thus, What therefore shall we say that Abraham our father hath found, according to the flesh?—“Therefore:”—this, in our view, refers to the general previous argument from Romans 3:21, not specially to Romans 3:31.—“Our father:”—i.e. of the Jews.—“Hath found:”—i.e., in the way of acceptance and privilege. The perfect tense suggests the permanence of Abraham’s position in men’s thoughts.—“According to the flesh:”—these words do not, as in E. V., belong to “our father,” but to “hath found.” To interpret them here we must remember (what will come out in the course of the Epistle) St Paul’s doctrine of “the flesh.” It is, briefly, that “the flesh” is human nature, in the Fall, as unrenewed and unassisted by Divine special grace. “According to the flesh” will thus mean here “in respect of his own independent works and merits.” Did Abraham win acceptance as meritoriously keeping the covenant of works, which demands obedience and provides no grace? In brief, was he justified by works?

2. For] Q. d., “the question is asked, because if the answer is yes, Abraham stands in a position of independence before God.”

by works] Lit. out of works; in consequence of them.

he hath] “As he stands before us in Scripture;” a frequent and natural use of the present tense.

whereof to glory] Lit. a boast; a ground of self-congratulation. The word is nearly the same as that in Romans 3:27. Both Gr. words are good or bad according to their connexion; meaning sometimes rightful and even holy exultation (e.g. ch. Romans 5:2; Hebrews 3:6, “rejoicing”), sometimes vanity and self-assertion.

but not before God] Lit. but not towards God; i.e. “not as looking Him in the face.” Before is thus a fair rendering. The phrase seems to be pregnant: instead of a mere negative to the question proposed, St Paul suggests the ultimate reason of the negative—the impossibility that man can boast rightly before God. We may paraphrase: “But as a fact he had no ground of boasting; for, in view of the holiness of God, that could not be, even for him. And (Romans 4:3) Scripture bears this out in direct terms; for it records that he was accepted as believing.”

3. what saith the scripture?] See on Romans 1:17.

Abraham believed, &c.] Lit. But Abraham believed, &c. The particle is, perhaps, significant; emphasizing the verb. The Gr. is verbatim from LXX. of Genesis 15:6, save that “but” is “and” in LXX. See by all means Genesis 15:5-6, as a leading illustration of what faith is in St Paul’s sense; personal trust in God; acceptance of His word absolutely, because it is His. (See further on Romans 4:22 below.)

it was counted] The same Gr. verb is rendered in this chapter “reckoned,” Romans 4:4; Romans 4:9-10; “counted,” Romans 4:5; “imputed,” Romans 4:11; Romans 4:22-24 : see too Romans 4:6; Romans 4:8. (In 2 Timothy 4:16 it is “laid to charge.”) Its plain meaning is (like that of the Lat. imputare) to put down on an account (whether as debt or credit the context decides). The reason why of the “imputation” does not lie in the word itself, which may equally be used where merit and grace, wages and gift, are in question.

for righteousness] i.e. “as if it were righteousness” (in respect of results) Same construction as Romans 2:26, a passage which illustrates this. There the (supposed) Gentile who keeps the law, is treated as if he were circumcised, though he is not. Here Abraham, because he believes, is treated as having personal (justifying) righteousness, though he has it not. In other words, he is justified on a ground which is not his own works. It is specially needful to notice (what this particular passage brings out) that faith is in no sense regarded as, in itself, righteousness. (See below, on Romans 4:25.) The statement is that, “by grace,” the same result, viz. acceptance before God, follows faith that would follow the possession of merit. Faith is the condition, but not the ground, of this acceptance. The ground is the Propitiation.

[In Psalm 106:31 we have the very words used of Phinehas which are here used of Abraham. But comparing the Psalm with Numbers 25:11-13 we see the difference of application. In Phinehas, an act of holy zeal was honoured by a special temporal favour, the permanence of the priesthood in his family. It was no question of acceptance in respect of salvation; a matter which lies on a totally different level from that of temporal rewards. On that lower level, the act of Phinehas was one of merit, and was “reckoned” as such to him and his house. In Abraham’s case we have two notes of difference from that of Phinehas: (1) faith in God, not an act of zeal, is the occasion; (2) the “imputation” is mentioned absolutely and with peculiar solemnity, unconnected with any temporal results. And thus it is taken by St Paul here, as his whole reasoning shews, as a Divine intimation of the true conditions of the acceptance of man by God “without works.”]

On James 2:14, &c., see Appendix C.

4. to him that worketh, &c.] A general principle and fact, instanced here with special reference to human obedience to the Law of God. The terms of the Law are tacitly compared to a human contract, with definite pay for definite work.

of grace] Lit. according to grace; “on the principle of undeserved kindness.” So just below, according to debt; “on the principle of obligation.”

5. to him that worketh not] The Gr. implies a general statement; Abraham’s case in universal application.—“Worketh not:”—i.e., of course, in respect of justification. It is another form of the truth expressed Romans 3:28 and Romans 4:6 by “without works;” and the phrases singly and together go as far as language can in defining faith to be the sole condition of Justification.

on him that justifieth the ungodly] These words, with numberless others, remind us that justifying faith is not trust in “anything,” but trust in God and His Word. See below on Romans 4:20-22.—“The ungodly:”—a very strong word—the impious man. Same word as ch. Romans 5:6; 2 Peter 2:5; Judges 4, &c. Here St Paul leaves the special features of Abraham’s case, to enforce the principle of Justification by an extreme case. He contemplates a man so emphatically “without works” as to be an open sinner: now, this man is justified, is declared to be accepted as righteous, on the sole condition of faith in the Justifier. And God is, as it were, characterized here as He who (habitually) so acts; doubtless to encourage the most unreserved trust. The word “ungodly” is not descriptive of every man: “all have sinned” fatally (Romans 3:19; Romans 3:23); but not all are openly impious. And as men look on these latter as extreme cases, just these are selected for special mention as proper objects of Justification.

6. Even as David also] In Psalms 32. This quotation is specially to the point, being not only an inspired statement of truth, but made by one who had been guilty of deep “ungodliness,” and had himself experienced justification under that condition.—“Also:”—i.e. as well as Moses in Genesis.—Romans 4:6-8 are quite subordinate to the main argument, which is throughout based on Abraham’s justification.

describeth the blessedness] More lit. expresses the congratulation. The word rendered “blessedness” here and in Romans 4:9 is properly “the pronouncing happy.” It is just this which is done in Psalm 32:1-2.

imputeth righteousness] As it is implied that He does when we read that He “will not impute sin” to him (Romans 4:8). Not that the two phrases are exactly coincident: to “impute righteousness” implies a largeness of acceptance not necessary in the other phrase. But, taken with the word “blessed,” the non-imputation of sin is practically equivalent to the imputation of righteousness; for such “blessedness” imports a full and solemn acceptance.—The latter phrase well illustrates the former: in the latter, man has sin, but is treated as having it not; in the former he has not righteousness, but is treated as having it:—“righteousness is reckoned to him without works.”

7. Blessed, &c.] The Gr. is verbatim from LXX. It is worth remarking that the words (in the Psalm) following this quotation (“and in whose spirit is no guile”) are in full accord with its application here. The “guile” there is evidently “insincerity in coming as a penitent to God.” The “blessed” are they who are really forgiven—who have really sought forgiveness.

are forgiven] Gr. aorist; were forgiven. The probable reference is to the definite act, past and complete, of remission. So just below, were covered.

covered] The literal translation of the Hebrew word very often translated “atoned for.”