Romans 4:1-25
Starting Question:
Have you ever had to wait for something for a long time? How
was / is the experience of waiting?
Background (part 1): Genesis, the first book in the Bible, tells the story of Abraham (called Abram at first). God had promised to make Abram’s family into a great nation, and bless all nations through him. But Abram and his wife Sarah were very old, and they had no children.
The Lord took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky. Count the stars, if you can.” Then he said to him, “That’s how many children will be born into your family.” Abram believed the Lord. The Lord was pleased with Abram because he believed. So Abram’s faith made him right with the Lord. (Genesis 15:5-6)
Later, God gave Abraham and his wife Sarah a son (Isaac),
even though they were both very old. Isaac became the father of Jacob, who was
later named ‘Israel’.
Background (part 2): In Romans, Paul is writing to a church community in Rome, made up of both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews). In chapter 3, Paul has written that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). In chapter 4, Paul now considers the ‘origin story’ of the Jewish people: God’s covenant (promise/agreement) with Abraham, and what that means for the church in Rome.
Romans 4:1-25
What should we say about these things? What did Abraham, the father of our people, discover about being right with God? 2 Did he become right with God because of something he did? If so, he could brag about it. But he couldn’t brag to God. 3 What do we find in Scripture? It says, “Abraham believed God. God accepted Abraham’s faith, and so his faith made him right with God.” (Genesis 15:6)
4 When a person works, their pay is not considered a gift. It is owed to them. 5 But things are different with God. He makes ungodly people right with himself. If people trust in him, their faith is accepted even though they do not work. Their faith makes them right with God. 6 King David says the same thing. He tells us how blessed people are when God makes them right with himself. They are blessed because they don’t have to do anything in return. David says,
7 “Blessed are those
whose lawless acts
are forgiven.
Blessed are those
whose sins are
taken away.
8 Blessed is the person
whose sin the Lord
never counts against them.” (Psalm 32:1,2)
9 Is that blessing only for those who are circumcised? Or is it also for those who are not circumcised? We have been saying that God accepted Abraham’s faith. So his faith made him right with God. 10 When did it happen? Was it after Abraham was circumcised, or before? It was before he was circumcised, not after! 11 He was circumcised as a sign of the covenant God had made with him. It showed that his faith had made him right with God before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the father of all believers who have not been circumcised. God accepts their faith. So their faith makes them right with him. 12 And Abraham is also the father of those who are circumcised and believe. So just being circumcised is not enough. Those who are circumcised must also follow the steps of our father Abraham. He had faith before he was circumcised.
13 Abraham and his family received a promise. God promised that Abraham would receive the world. It would not come to him because he obeyed the law. It would come because of his faith, which made him right with God. 14 Do those who depend on the law receive the promise? If they do, faith would mean nothing. God’s promise would be worthless. 15 The law brings God’s anger. Where there is no law, the law can’t be broken.
16 The promise is based on God’s grace. The promise comes by faith. All of Abraham’s children will certainly receive the promise. And it is not only for those who are ruled by the law. Those who have the same faith that Abraham had are also included. He is the father of us all. 17 It is written, “I have made you a father of many nations.” (Genesis 17:5) God considers Abraham to be our father. The God that Abraham believed in gives life to the dead. Abraham’s God also creates things that did not exist before.
18 When there was no reason for hope, Abraham believed
because he had hope. He became the father of many nations, exactly as God had
promised. God said, “That is how many children you will have.” (Genesis 15:5)
19 Abraham did not become weak in his faith. He accepted the fact that he was
past the time when he could have children. At that time Abraham was about 100
years old. He also realized that Sarah was too old to have children. 20 But
Abraham kept believing in God’s promise. He became strong in his faith. He gave
glory to God. 21 He was absolutely sure that God had the power to do what he
had promised. 22 That’s why “God accepted Abraham because he believed. So his
faith made him right with God.” (Genesis 15:6) 23 The words “God accepted
Abraham’s faith” were written not only for Abraham. 24 They were written also
for us. We believe in the God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. So God
will accept our faith and make us right with himself. 25 Jesus was handed over
to die for our sins. He was raised to life in order to make us right with God.
Questions:
