SCRIPTURE: Romans 4

INTRODUCTION:

Paul had previously shown that "the doers of law will be justified [forensically];"(Romans 2:13b). but that, nevertheless, "by the works of the Law no flesh will be made righteous, (Romans 3:20). and "a man is made righteous apart from works of Law."

Romans 3:28 and notes on vv. 24, 26, 28, 30). Note that the great Apostle moves in sweeping transition to take up legal/forensic righteousness to establish righteousness in Christ that is by faith, that makes the believer righteous in the regenerative sense, not merely reckoned as in the systems of the "sinning Christian."

Accordingly, it is shown that this righteousness moves from law to grace, from Moses to Christ; thus, from forensic righteousness to infused or regenerative righteousness.

Divine inspiration thus draws from the experience of Abraham, who was said to be both justified by works (James 2:21. and that he "believed…God and it was counted to him for righteousness."

Consistent with his day, it must be noted that all righteousness or justification was declared or legal, looking forward to the cross; but after the shedding of the blood of the Son of God, righteousness consists in a new creation in Christ by the transforming power of the blood.

Abraham is an ideal man of faith. Yahweh, Christ, appeared to him in the first The ophany, a visible appearance of God to man in a form or way that accommodates the invisible God to the limitations of humankind. An account of the appearance and message is preserved through a human being.

(Genesis 12:7.) Jesus noted that Abraham saw His day and was glad.

(John 8:56.) So then, from afar Abraham had placed faith in Yahweh, the Christ, and "it [his faith] was counted (elogisthe) to him for righteousness." Accordingly, the transition is under way to the mighty realities of that day which Abraham saw from afar, the righteousness which is by faith in Christ. Thus, by a most worthy example in Abraham, the point on faith is made; for he is representative of both the uncircumcision and the circumcision–declared righteous before circumcision, before the Law, before grace.

(Romans 4:10-12) and discussion under 4:3-24 at Fact seven & Fact eight.

4:2 if…was justified by works: Since the blood of Christ had not been shed, Abraham was not made righteous in the New Testament sense; he "was forensically justified" or "declared righteous."

WORD STUDIES:

Was justified translates edikaiothe, the aorist passive form of dikaioo. This term should be translated in a forensic or declarative sense–justified, declared righteous, etc.–when the context refers to pre law or law times; but when the context is a reference to the New Testament, it should be translated in a regenerative sense: to make righteous, righteousness, etc., not justified or a legal sense. In pre New Testament times this is a legal term and has nothing to do with regenerative change in the spirit of man, wrought by the creative power of the Holy Spirit.

Reformation and Calvinistic thinkers, insisting on a legal sense, have thus destroyed the salvation vocabulary of the New Testament.

4:2-5 justified….justifies: Both these terms are from dikaioo, to justify, to declare righteous and should be understood in this context in a declarative or forensic sense. It is not to be thought that this legal terminology is in any sense a fiction, for it speaks of an act of God as He legally/righteously "passed over the sins" (3:25b).

This He did in the days before Christ’s shed blood because sin could not be removed, nor could anyone be made righteous.

See note on 3:20; cf. Hebrews 10:4, 11; but Calvary ushered in a new dispensation in which those dead in sin may be restored to holiness, righteousness, and true knowledge.

Genesis 1:26-27; 5:3; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:9-10.

Life is given to the dead; sinners are made righteous. This is not justification [that can only be legal], declared righteousness, or acquittal. This is the righteousness of God at work, bringing into being a new creation in Christ–in the sphere of His holiness, free from sin. Sin is thus abolished through the effectual verdict of the shed blood. Tragically, Reformation and Calvinistic advocates are in unbelief that the shed blood of Christ makes righteous in the here and now. They have effectually robbed the Church of this truth.

The Lamb is robbed of the reward of His sufferings if His blood is no more efficacious than that of a Levitical animal.

So, the Judaizers still work the law under the guise of grace.

Note that faith always believes the truth, error never does.

WORD STUDIES:

Counted translates elogisthe, from logizomai, an arithmetical term, meaning to count, calculate, enumerate, take into account, to consider, etc. So, the word connotes a certain sum, total, essence, or reality of whatever is reckoned or considered and is never a fiction as in Calvinistic circles in which what is not true in fact is looked upon as if it were, i.e., Christ’s righteousness imputed to "sinning Christians." But in Scripture the sum or reckoning always has a real result:

(1) "Abraham believed…and it [his faith] was considered/reckoned for [forensic] righteousness" (Romans 4:3).

(2) "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11).

Two things are considered or reckoned–the realities of death to sin and life in Christ. And both are equally true. The Calvinist argues but we are in Christ.

The Phrase, in Christ, is a locative of sphere; this Sphere cannot admit any person with his/her sin. Sin must be removed before entrance into this Sphere.

4:3-22: The noun dikaiosune, righteousness, is used in this chapter 8 times. As already noted, before Calvary, righteousness was legal: declared, forensic, etc., but was never imputed in any dispensation in the sense that a moral quality is transferred from one person to another, nor did imputation ever involve reckoning which was a non-fact.

This Chapter makes a reference to (Genesis 15:6) three times, at 4:3, 9, and 22.

"Abraham believed God and it was counted, elogisthe, to him for righteousness" (v. 3). There is here a great overshadowing fact–the certainty of Calvary looms in the distance. Legal righteousness then exists in three essential events:

(1) the certainty of the shed blood at Calvary;

(2) faith/obedience toward God;

(3) God passed over their sins on these conditions.

So, legal righteousness always exists on facts/conditions necessary to the dispensation, never apart from fact in some sense.

The finished work at Calvary ushered in a new dispensation of grace.

The great Apostle Paul yet cries: "But now righteousness apart from law [so not legal] has been manifested from God is an ablative of source, from God, not genitive…even righteousness…by faith from Christ Jesus."

(Romans 3:21-22); (translation mine) Righteousness is "apart from law" because law could not remove sin in the here and now and give life; Galatians 3:21; Hebrews 10:4, 11. Accordingly, righteousness in Christ is infused, restoring the believer from the death in Adam.

Note that the death in Adam and the life in Christ are an antithesis and cannot exist together in the same life.

4:3-24 Logizomai, translated reckon, account, impute, etc. and occurs 11 times in this chapter.

It is a word of precise calculation and not a presupposition of something that does not exist in fact.

Whatever is reckoned or accounted exists in fact. Note the facts reckoned:

Fact One: it was reckoned (v. 3).

Fact Two: wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due (v. 4).

Fact Three: Faith is counted as righteousness (v. 5).

Fact Four: God imputes righteousness [forensic] apart from works (v. 6).

Fact Five: …lawless deeds…covered (v. 7)…sin… not taken into account/imputed [because covered; not removed…passed over] (v. 8).

Fact Six: Faith was credited (v. 9).

Fact Seven: How…was it credited? i.e., faith (v. 10).

Fact Eight: that righteousness might be credited to them (v. 11), i.e., all who believe whatever the dispensation in which they lived; hence, righteousness is trans-dispensational and may be legal or infused, sins not reckoned/passed over or removed.

Thus, the method of dealing with sin accords with the requirements of the dispensation–pre law, law, or grace.

Fact Nine: it was…credited, i.e., faith (v.22; cf. vv. 20-21).

Fact Ten: it was credited, i.e., faith (v. 23).

Fact Eleven: to whom it will be credited, i.e., faith (v. 24).

So then, these facts were set down and credited, reckoned, imputed, in accordance with the facts/requirements of the dispensation–law, grace, etc.

Not on a single instance was the act of a person credited/imputed to another; not once was there a credit or imputation contrary to fact.

In every instance that which was imputed belonged to the person to whom imputed. Morality, good or bad, is nontransferable.

4:7 lawless deeds have been forgiven: Better: were forgiven. In the Majority Text, Paul is represented as quoting the LXX verbatim. Under the Law people were forgiven, i.e., their lawless deeds were passed over (Romans 3:25) because they could not be changed and their sins removed.

Since sin could not be removed (Hebrews 10:4, 11), and no flesh could be made righteous (See notes at Romans 3:20); they were justified (See notes at 2:13).

So, sin was dealt with in a declarative or forensic sense until Christ came.

Forgiveness is a legal term, meaning simply that the offended party passes over the offenses of the offender, drops the penalty, and so there is pardon or forgiveness, but no regenerative change; thus, the sinner/criminal is at heart the same. But under the Law blessed is this one.

WORD STUDIES:

Were forgiven translates aphethesan, from apo and hiemi, to send away, etc. Note that in the New Testament sin is removed because the believer is transformed by the power of God and the Holy Spirit abides within. Sinners are not dealt with as simply forgiven or pardoned and the penalty dropped, while sin remains as in the Judaizing tent of Reformation and Calvinistic thinkers.

Whose sins have been covered: Better: were covered. Sinful acts were covered in Old Testament times and dealt with in ways already noted. But it is significant that epekaluphthen, were covered, aorist passive, is used only here in the New Testament–and for good reason! Since the cross, sins are no longer covered, pardoned, passed over; the efficacious blood of God’s Lamb removes them. Nevertheless, in Calvinistic positional, or declarative righteousness, the blood of the Levitical animal and the blood of Christ are equal in RESULT–neither one removes sin in this life.

4:8 whose sin the Lord will not take into account: Better: will by no means translates ou me, an emphatic double negative. take into account….

4:17-21 It is here shown that Abraham not only had faith, he was obedient. In the period prior to the manifestation of that for which he believed, he walked in obedience and faith with respect to the things that were not as yet, as though they were (v. 17); in hope he believed contrary to hope (v.18), not weakening in the faith (v. 19). Simply put, he saw the impossible, saw the promises and acted on them, and in that did not deny what was (vv.20-21). To believe God then is to be obedient; to be in unbelief is to be disobedient. Thus, obedience is the condition for faith, and the absence of disobedience; and so it (faith) was reckoned to him for righteousness. Accordingly, the very nature of faith is synergistic–God and man in cooperation with His purpose.

The cure for unbelief is obedience/faith and understanding the character of God; that God is good, wise, able, and faithful.

4:25 He who was delivered over: On the one hand Christ actively offered Himself (Heb 7:27b), and on the other, He was here, acted upon, i.e., was delivered. This doubtlessly recalls: Whom [Christ] God, and no other, set forth an atonement (Romans 3:25a), where redemption through the blood is emphasized.