6 min
Romans 4 Commuter Bible NT
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- Christianity
The Jews considered their forefather Abraham to be a paragon of virtue, a man with whom no fault could be found. Paul refutes this idea, saying that Abraham, like all other men, was a sinner saved by grace. It is not Abraham’s works that justify him before a holy God, but his faith, for as it says in Scripture, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” In other words, if God serves an accountant, then his books would wipe clean the debt that was owed and his account would credited with a foreign righteousness, that is, the righteousness of Christ. Circumcision does not justify him, because he was credited while still uncircumcised. Paul makes the case that this makes him the father of both circumcised (that is, Israel) and the uncircumcised (that is the Gentile) who have faith in Christ.
The Jews considered their forefather Abraham to be a paragon of virtue, a man with whom no fault could be found. Paul refutes this idea, saying that Abraham, like all other men, was a sinner saved by grace. It is not Abraham’s works that justify him before a holy God, but his faith, for as it says in Scripture, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” In other words, if God serves an accountant, then his books would wipe clean the debt that was owed and his account would credited with a foreign righteousness, that is, the righteousness of Christ. Circumcision does not justify him, because he was credited while still uncircumcised. Paul makes the case that this makes him the father of both circumcised (that is, Israel) and the uncircumcised (that is the Gentile) who have faith in Christ.
6 min