Chú giải Kinh Thánh

The great gospel doctrine of justification by faith without the works of the law was so very contrary to the notions the Jews had learnt from those that sat in Moses' chair, that it would hardly go down with them; and therefore the apostle insists very largely upon it, and labours much in the confirmation and illustration of it. He had before proved it by reason and argument, now in this chapter he proves it by example, which in some places serves for confirmation as well as illustration. The example he pitches upon is that of Abraham, whom he chooses to mention because the Jews gloried much in their relation to Abraham, put it in the first rank of their external privileges that they were Abraham's seed, and truly they had Abraham for their father. Therefore this instance was likely to be more taking and convincing to the Jews than any other. His argument stands thus: "All that are saved are justified in the same way as Abraham was; but Abraham was justified by faith, and not by works; therefore all that are saved are so justified;" for it would easily be acknowledged that Abraham was the father of the faithful. Now this is an argument, not only à pari—from an equal case, as they say, but à fortiori—from a stronger case. If Abraham, a man so famous for works, so eminent in holiness and obedience, was nevertheless justified by faith only, and not by those works, how much less can any other, especially any of those that spring from him, and come so far short of him in works, set up for a justification by their own works? And it proves likewise, ex abundanti—the more abundantly, as some observe, that we are not justified, no not by those good works which flow from faith, as the matter of our righteousness; for such were Abraham's works, and are we better than he? The whole chapter is taken up with his discourse upon this instance, and there is this in it, which hath a particular reference to the close of the foregoing chapter, where he has asserted that, in the business of justification, Jews and Gentiles stand upon the same level. Now in this chapter, with a great deal of cogency of argument, I. He proves that Abraham was justified not by works, but by faith, Ro 4:1-8. II. He observes when and why he was so justified, Ro 4:9-17. III. He describes and commends that faith of his, Ro 4:17-22. IV. He applies all this to us, Ro 4:22-25. And, if he had now been in the school of Tyrannus, he could not have disputed more argumentatively.

The main object of this chapter is to show that the doctrine of justification by faith, which the apostle was defending, was found in the Old Testament. The argument is to be regarded as addressed particularly to a Jew, to show him that no new doctrine was advanced. The argument is derived, first, from the fact that Abraham was so justified, Romans 4:1-5; Secondly, from the fact that the same thing is declared by David Romans 4:6-8.

A question might still be asked, whether this justification was not in consequence of their being circumcised, and thus grew out of conformity to the Law? To answer this, the apostle shows Romans 4:9-12 that Abraham was justified by faith before he was circumcised, and that even his circumcision was in consequence of his being justified by faith, and a public seal or attestation of that fact.

Still further, the apostle shows that if people were to be justified by works, faith would be of no use; and the promises of God would have no effect. The Law works wrath Romans 4:13-14, but the conferring of the favor by faith is demonstration of the highest favor of God Romans 4:16. Abraham, moreover, had evinced a strong faith; he had shown what it was; he was an example to all who should follow. And he had thus shown that as he was justified before circumcision, and "before" the giving of the Law, so the same thing might occur in regard to those who had never been circumcised. In Romans 2; 3, the apostle had shown that all had failed of keeping the Law, and that there was no other way of justification but by faith. To the salvation of the pagan, the Jew would have strong objections. He supposed that none could be saved but those who had been circumcised, and who were Jews. This objection the apostle meets in this chapter by showing that Abraham was justified in the very way in which he maintained the pagan might be; that Abraham was justified by faith without being circumcised. If the father of the faithful, the ancestor on whom the Jews so much prided themselves, was thus justified, then Paul was advancing no new doctrine in maintaining that the same thing might occur now. He was keeping strictly within the spirit of their religion in maintaining that the Gentile world might also be justified by faith. This is the outline of the reasoning in this chapter. The reasoning is such as a serious Jew must feel and acknowledge. And keeping in mind the main object which the apostle had in it, there will be found little difficulty in its interpretation.

Abraham was justified by faith, and not by the works of the law; for his faith was imputed to him for righteousness, Romans 4:1-5. David also bears testimony to the same doctrine, Romans 4:6-8. Abraham, the father of the Jewish race, was justified by faith, even before he was circumcised; therefore salvation must be of the Gentiles as well as the Jews, Romans 4:9-12. And the promise that all the nations of the earth should be blessed in him, was made to him while he was in an uncircumcised state; and, therefore, if salvation were of the Jews alone, the law, that was given after the promise, would make the promise of no effect, Romans 4:13-17. Description of Abraham's faith, and its effects, Romans 4:18-22. This account is left on record for our salvation, that we might believe on Christ, who was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification, Romans 4:23-25.

The apostle, having proved in the foregoing chapter that neither Jews nor Gentiles have a right to the blessing of God's peculiar kingdom, otherwise than by grace, which is as free for the one as the other, in this chapter advances a new argument to convince the Jew, and to show the believing Gentile, in a clear light, the high value and strong security of the mercies freely bestowed on them in the Gospel; and, at the same time, to display the scheme of Divine providence, as laid in the counsel and will of God. His argument is taken from Abraham's case: Abraham was the father and head of the Jewish nation; he had been a heathen, but God pardoned him, and took him and his posterity into his special covenant, and bestowed upon them many extraordinary blessings above the rest of mankind; and it is evident that Abraham was not justified by any obedience to law, or rule of right action, but, in the only way in which a sinner can be justified, by prerogative or the mercy of the lawgiver. Now, this is the very same way in which the Gospel saves the believing Gentiles, and gives them a part in the blessings of God's covenant. Why then should the Jews oppose the Gentiles? especially as the Gentiles were actually included in the covenant made with Abraham for the promise, Genesis 17:4, stated that he should be the father of many nations: consequently, the covenant being made with Abraham, as the head or father of many nations, all in any nation who stood on the same religious principle with him, were his seed and with him interested in the same covenant. But Abraham stood by faith in the mercy of God pardoning his idolatry; and upon this footing the believing Gentiles stand in the Gospel; and, therefore, they are the seed of Abraham, and included in the covenant and promise made to him.

To all this the apostle knew well it would be objected, that it was not faith alone, that gave Abraham a right to the blessings of the covenant, but his obedience to the law of circumcision; and this, being peculiar to the Jewish nation, gave them an interest in the Abrahamic covenant; and that, consequently, whoever among the Gentiles would be interested in that covenant, ought to embrace Judaism, become circumcised, and thus come under obligation to the whole law. With this very objection the apostle very dexterously introduces his argument, Romans 4:1, Romans 4:2; shows that, according to the Scripture account, Abraham was justified by faith, Romans 4:3-5; explains the nature of that justification, by a quotation out of the Psalms, Romans 4:6-9; proves that Abraham was justified long before he was circumcised, Romans 4:9-11; that the believing Gentiles are his seed to whom the promise belongs, as well as the believing Jews, Romans 4:12-17; and he describes Abraham's faith, in order to explain the faith of the Gospel, Romans 4:17-25. See Dr. Taylor's notes. We may still suppose that the dialogue is carried on between the apostle and the Jew, and it will make the subject still more clear to assign to each his respective part. The Jew asks a single question, which is contained in the first and part of the second verses. And the apostle's answer takes up the rest of the chapter.

INTRODUCTION TO Romans 4

The apostle having, in the preceding chapters, proved that there is no justification before God by the works of the law, partly from the depraved state and condition that all men are in by nature, both Jews and Gentiles; and partly from the nature of the law itself, which discovers sin, arraigns men for it, and convicts of it, and pronounces guilty before God for it; as also by showing, that it is by another righteousness, which he describes, that men are justified in the sight of God; proceeds in this to confirm the same by an example; and that which he pitches upon is the most appropriate and pertinent he could have thought of, namely, that of Abraham, the father of the Jews, Romans 4:1, for in whatsoever way he was justified, his sons surely could not imagine but it must be the right way, nor should they seek another: now that Abraham was not justified by works, he proves Romans 4:2, from an absurdity following upon it, that he would have just reason to glory; whereas no man ought to glory before God, but only in the Lord: and by a passage of Scripture, Romans 4:3, to which he appeals, he makes it clearly appear that he was justified by faith, for that says, his faith was counted for righteousness. This case of accounting anything to another for righteousness, is illustrated by two sorts of persons, who have different things accounted to them, and in a different manner; to the worker, the reward is reckoned of debt, and not of grace, Romans 4:4, but to the believer that works not, his faith, as Abraham's was, is counted for righteousness; whence it follows, that not the worker is justified by his works, but the believer by the righteousness of faith; and this is confirmed by a testimony of David in Psalm 32:1, by which the apostle proves the imputation of righteousness without works, in which the happiness of men consists, Romans 4:6, and shows, that this happiness does not belong to circumcised persons only, but to the uncircumcised also; and therefore is not by circumcision, but by faith, Romans 4:9, and which he proves by observing the time when faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness; not when he was circumcised, but before, Romans 4:10, the use of which circumcision to him was to assure him, that he should be the father of uncircumcised Gentiles that believed, to whom righteousness should be imputed, as to him when he was uncircumcised, Romans 4:11, who are described by their imitation of his faith, which he had, and exercised before his circumcision, Romans 4:12. And this leads on to a fresh argument, proving justification to be by faith, and not by the works of the law, since the promise made to Abraham, and his seed, was not through the law, but the righteousness of faith; and consequently both his and their justification were not by the one, but by the other, Romans 4:13, or, if otherwise, both the faithfulness of God, and the faith of his people, would be void, and the promise of grace of no effect, Romans 4:14. And this is still further argued from the effect of the law working wrath, which, if justification was by it, it would never do, Romans 4:15. The wisdom and goodness of God in giving faith, and not works, a concern in justification, are observed, Romans 4:16, whereby it appears to be of free grace, faith only being a recipient, and what gives all the glory to God; and also the promise of eternal life through justification by free grace becomes sure to all the spiritual seed; who are distributed into two sorts, the believing Jews under the legal dispensation, and the believing Gentiles, under the Gospel dispensation; of both which Abraham was father; which is confirmed by a testimony out of Genesis 17:4, whose faith is described by the object of it, the omnipotent God that quickens the dead, and calls things that are not, as though they were, Romans 4:17, and by the nature of it, Romans 4:18, believing in hope against hope, resting on the promise of God; and by the strength of it, being not at all weakened by considering, either his own case, or that of his wife's, Romans 4:19, and was so far from being staggered through unbelief at these things, that it was strong in exercise, thereby glorifying God, the object of it, Romans 4:20, nay, it rose up to a plerophory, a full assurance, Romans 4:21, being built upon the power of a promising God; hence, as before observed, his faith was reckoned to him for righteousness, Romans 4:22, And now in the same way that he was justified, all his children, his spiritual seed, are justified, whether they be Jews or Gentiles; for what is said concerning the imputation of the righteousness of faith to him, does not concern him only, Romans 4:23, but all true believers also; whose faith is described by the object of it, him that raised up Christ from the dead, that is, God the Father, Romans 4:24, who is supposed hereby to have been dead, and is represented as the Lord and Saviour of his people; and of whom a further account is given, Romans 4:25, as being delivered into the hands of men, of justice, and of death, for the sins of his people, which he took upon him, and bore, and made satisfaction for, and as being raised again for their justification; so that this is a benefit owing not to the works of men, but to what Christ has done and suffered in the room and stead of his people; which is what the apostle meant to bring this point unto; the blessed effects and consequences of which he relates in the next chapter.

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.

CHAPTER 4

Romans 4:1. Ἀβραὰμ.… εὑρηκέναι] Lachm. and Tisch. (8) read εὑρηκ. Ἀβρ. τὸν προπάτορα ἡμῶν, which Griesb. also approved. This position of the words has indeed preponderant attestation (A C D E F G א, min[941], Copt. Arm. Vulg. It. and several Fathers), but may be suspected of being a transposition intended to connect κατὰ σάρκα with ΤῸΝ ΠΑΤΈΡΑ ἩΜ., as in fact this construction was prevalent among the ancients. ΠΡΟΠΆΤΟΡΑ (Lachm.) though attested by A B C* א, 5, 10, 21, 137, Syr[942] Copt. Arm. Aeth. and Fathers, appears all the more probably a gloss, since ΠΑΤΈΡΑ here is not used in a spiritual sense as it is afterwards in Romans 4:11-12; Romans 4:17-18.

Romans 4:11. ΠΕΡΙΤΟΜῆς] Griesb. recommended ΠΕΡΙΤΟΜΉΝ, which however is only attested by A. C*, min[943], Syr[944] utr. Arm. and some Fathers; and on account of the adjoining accusatives very easily slipped in, especially in the position after ἜΛΑΒΕ.

ΚΑῚ ΑὐΤΟῖς] ΚΑῚ is wanting in A B א*, min[945] Ar. pol. Vulg. ms. Orig. in schol. Cyr. Damasc. Condemned by Mill and Griesb., omitted by Lachm. and Tisch. (8). But after the final syllable NAI the καί, not indispensable for the sense, was very easily overlooked. On the other hand the ground assumed for its addition, by Reiche, that “the copyists would not have the Jews altogether excluded,” cannot be admitted as valid, because in fact the Jews are immediately after, Romans 4:12, expressly included.

The article before ΔΙΚΑΙΟΣΎΝΗΝ, which Tisch. (8) has omitted, has preponderant attestation. Its omission is connected with the old reading (A) ΕἸς ΔΙΚΑΙΟΣΎΝΗΝ (comp Romans 4:9; Romans 5:3). Romans 4:12. Τῆς ἘΝ Τῇ ἈΚΡΟΒ. ΠΊΣΤ.] The reading Τῆς ΠΊΣΤ. Τῆς ἘΝ Τ. ἈΚΡΟΒ., recommended by Griesb. and adopted by Scholz, lacks the authority of most and the best uncials, and seems a mechanical alteration after Romans 4:11. The article Τῇ however is, with Tisch. in accordance with decisive testimony, to be deleted, and to be regarded as having been likewise introduced from ver 11 (not as omitted after Romans 4:10, as Fritzsche thinks).

Romans 4:15. ΟὟ ΓΆΡ] A B C א*, min[947], Copt. Syr. p[948] (in margin), Theodoret, Theophyl. Ambr. Ruf. read ΟὟ ΔΈ. Recommended by Griesb. and adopted by Lachm. Fritzsche, Tisch. (8). An alteration, occasioned by the contrast on failing to perceive the appropriateness of meaning in the ΓΆΡ.

Romans 4:17. ἘΠΊΣΤΕΥΣΕ] F G and some vss[949] and Fathers read ἘΠΊΣΤΕΥΣΑς (so Luther). The ΚΑΤΈΝΑΝΤΙ ΟὟ Κ.Τ.Λ[950] was still regarded as belonging to the passage of Scripture.

Romans 4:19. οὐ] Wanting in A B C א, 67**, 93, 137, Syr[951] Erp. Copt. Chrys. Damasc. Julian. Condemned by Griesb. and deleted by Lachm. and Tisch. (8). But this omission of the οὐ, as well as the very weakly attested ὡς and licet, manifestly arose from incorrectly having regard here to Genesis 17:17 (as is done even by Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 305 f. and Hofmann). See the exegetical remarks.

ἤδη] Wanting in B F G 47 et. al[952] and several vss[953] and Fathers. Bracketed by Lachm. deleted by Fritzsche and Tisch. It is to be regarded as an addition, which suggested itself very easily, whereas there would have been no reason for its omission.

[941] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[942] yr. Peschito Syriac

[943] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[944] yr. Peschito Syriac

[945] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[947] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[948] yr. p. Philoxenian Syriac.

[949] ss. versions. These, when individually referred to, are marked by the usual abridged forms.

[950] .τ.λ. καὶ τὰ λοιπά.

[951] yr. Peschito Syriac

[952] t. al. and others; and other passages; and other editions.

[953] ss. versions. These, when individually referred to, are marked by the usual abridged forms.

Ro 4:1-25.

THE FOREGOING DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ILLUSTRATED FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT.

First: Abraham was justified by faith.

1-3. What shall we say then that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?--that is, (as the order in the original shows), "hath found, as pertaining to ('according to,' or 'through') the flesh"; meaning, "by all his natural efforts or legal obedience."