The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
July 17
Romans 4:1-12
Commentary by Nick Boork
July 17
Romans 4:1-12
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July 17 ~ Romans 4:1-12
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
OKAY HERE’S MY COMMENTARY
Don’t get the cart before the horse.
Let’s look at Abraham the father of our faith as our example.
In this portion of scripture, the Apostle Paul is expounding on the true nature of the Gospel. He goes all the way back to a man named Abraham as an example to teach us what it means to have faith in God for salvation contrasted to our own self efforts. The Bible says that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Abraham came to this place of faith before the Mosaic law was even given. Actually, God instructed Abraham to circumcise himself and all of the men in his family as an outward sign that he was in covenant with the Almighty God. However, before he was circumcised he came to a place of having faith in God to be saved.
How did Abraham get this faith?
It came through God revealing his word and purpose to Abraham. Genesis 12:1-3 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
We know that when God communicated this message to Abraham he showed him that one of his descendants would be the Savior of the world. This is what it means when God said that in you all the families of the earth would be blessed. The first blessing is salvation, the total forgiveness of our sins by the grace of God through Jesus Christ apart from our self-efforts!
Galatians 3:8-9 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
Abraham believed this message and the Bible says God imputed or counted his faith for righteousness because in the mind of God he already planned to send Jesus Christ as our Savior. Abraham believed this and God was pleased with his faith even though the coming of Jesus was a promise to be realized in the future!
Remember what Jesus said about Abraham?
John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” This means that Abraham saw by revelation of the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ would be born into this world as one of his descendants in the flesh and become the Savior of the world! So Abraham had faith in the promise of God for the future salvation that would come through Jesus and God counted his faith for righteousness. Now for us living in the New Testament, after Christ has fulfilled this promise dying on the cross for our sins and rising again the third day, the Bible teaches that water baptism should be followed but only after we come to faith in Jesus Christ. So, water baptism serves as an outward sign that we have inward faith.
This is what Paul writes in Colossians 2:11-13 “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him having forgiven you all trespasses”
However, water baptism should follow our faith not proceed it! When I was only about 11 years old I heard the gospel from a preacher that showed me a film. After I saw the film, the preacher asked me if I believed. I said “sure”. However, it wasn’t really faith inspired by conviction of my sins by the work of the Holy Spirit but rather saying yes to please the preacher. Upon my apparent confession of faith, he immediately took me to the church and baptized me in water. I have to tell you, I don’t think I was really born-again at that moment because there was zero fruit after this experience. I actually got worse becoming an addict of marijuana. No, it was not until I responded to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in jail about four years later that I believe I was truly born-again.
I believe that there are literally multitudes of people out there that have had religious experiences but are not saved. Why do I say this? Because you have to have faith in Jesus first just like Abraham then the outward seal of the New Covenant which for Christians is water baptism. Just because someone leads you in a prayer that you are not ready to pray, with no conviction of the Holy Spirit, with no true repentance from sin will also equal no true salvation. After I received Jesus Christ for myself and came to know him when I was 15 years old I later was re-baptized by immersion in water while attending Christ for the Nations Institute. This time I did it not to please a preacher but for myself out of faith obeying God from my heart like our father in the faith, Abraham.
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1) Faith vs. self efforts are contrasted in these Scriptures
2) God revealed to Abraham that Jesus Christ would come from his descendants as the Savior or our sins. Abraham believed this and God counted his faith for righteousness.
3) Abraham is an example of someone that came to have faith before any religious outward ceremonies like circumcision in the Old Testament.
4) Circumcision was the O.T. outward sign that you were in covenant with Almighty God.
5) In the N.T., water baptism is the outward sign that you are in covenant with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
6) Don’t get the cart before the horse! It’s true faith first then water baptism.
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
OKAY HERE’S MY COMMENTARY
Don’t get the cart before the horse.
Let’s look at Abraham the father of our faith as our example.
In this portion of scripture, the Apostle Paul is expounding on the true nature of the Gospel. He goes all the way back to a man named Abraham as an example to teach us what it means to have faith in God for salvation contrasted to our own self efforts. The Bible says that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Abraham came to this place of faith before the Mosaic law was even given. Actually, God instructed Abraham to circumcise himself and all of the men in his family as an outward sign that he was in covenant with the Almighty God. However, before he was circumcised he came to a place of having faith in God to be saved.
How did Abraham get this faith?
It came through God revealing his word and purpose to Abraham. Genesis 12:1-3 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
We know that when God communicated this message to Abraham he showed him that one of his descendants would be the Savior of the world. This is what it means when God said that in you all the families of the earth would be blessed. The first blessing is salvation, the total forgiveness of our sins by the grace of God through Jesus Christ apart from our self-efforts!
Galatians 3:8-9 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
Abraham believed this message and the Bible says God imputed or counted his faith for righteousness because in the mind of God he already planned to send Jesus Christ as our Savior. Abraham believed this and God was pleased with his faith even though the coming of Jesus was a promise to be realized in the future!
Remember what Jesus said about Abraham?
John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” This means that Abraham saw by revelation of the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ would be born into this world as one of his descendants in the flesh and become the Savior of the world! So Abraham had faith in the promise of God for the future salvation that would come through Jesus and God counted his faith for righteousness. Now for us living in the New Testament, after Christ has fulfilled this promise dying on the cross for our sins and rising again the third day, the Bible teaches that water baptism should be followed but only after we come to faith in Jesus Christ. So, water baptism serves as an outward sign that we have inward faith.
This is what Paul writes in Colossians 2:11-13 “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him having forgiven you all trespasses”
However, water baptism should follow our faith not proceed it! When I was only about 11 years old I heard the gospel from a preacher that showed me a film. After I saw the film, the preacher asked me if I believed. I said “sure”. However, it wasn’t really faith inspired by conviction of my sins by the work of the Holy Spirit but rather saying yes to please the preacher. Upon my apparent confession of faith, he immediately took me to the church and baptized me in water. I have to tell you, I don’t think I was really born-again at that moment because there was zero fruit after this experience. I actually got worse becoming an addict of marijuana. No, it was not until I responded to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in jail about four years later that I believe I was truly born-again.
I believe that there are literally multitudes of people out there that have had religious experiences but are not saved. Why do I say this? Because you have to have faith in Jesus first just like Abraham then the outward seal of the New Covenant which for Christians is water baptism. Just because someone leads you in a prayer that you are not ready to pray, with no conviction of the Holy Spirit, with no true repentance from sin will also equal no true salvation. After I received Jesus Christ for myself and came to know him when I was 15 years old I later was re-baptized by immersion in water while attending Christ for the Nations Institute. This time I did it not to please a preacher but for myself out of faith obeying God from my heart like our father in the faith, Abraham.
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1) Faith vs. self efforts are contrasted in these Scriptures
2) God revealed to Abraham that Jesus Christ would come from his descendants as the Savior or our sins. Abraham believed this and God counted his faith for righteousness.
3) Abraham is an example of someone that came to have faith before any religious outward ceremonies like circumcision in the Old Testament.
4) Circumcision was the O.T. outward sign that you were in covenant with Almighty God.
5) In the N.T., water baptism is the outward sign that you are in covenant with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
6) Don’t get the cart before the horse! It’s true faith first then water baptism.
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
