Rts romans bible study8/27/2023 Some Jews thought that Abraham was perfect in his behavior, and God was obligated to count him righteous, but Paul is saying that, according to the Scriptures, Abraham had to be counted righteous on the basis of faith. Abraham was given his status - if he had earned it through good works, then God would not have to credit his faith as righteousness. He builds the contrast between works and faith: “Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due” (verse 4). Paul then begins to reason what this means. The patriarch, representing the entire nation (and even the world), was declared to be righteous not on the basis of what he did, but on the basis of believing God’s promise. Abraham’s belief was counted as righteousness. Paul finds an answer in the Law: “For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’” (4:3, quoting from Genesis 15:6). What kind of righteousness did Abraham have? He is contrasting two approaches to righteousness - one based on what people do and can take credit for, as opposed to one that depends on faith, which they cannot brag about but merely accept with thanks. Paul has already said that boasting is excluded (3:27). If Abraham was considered righteous because of his works, he would have something he could brag about, even though it would not put him anywhere near to God. He sharpens the focus of the question by saying, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God” (verse 2). He asks in verse 1, “What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh?” In Romans 4, Paul elaborates on the meaning of both justification and faith. The patriarch Abraham is a great example of what Paul is saying - that salvation is given on the basis of faith, not through the law. Paul illustrates this with an example from the Old Testament. Similarly, the gospel fulfills the law, brings it to completion, and accomplishes what the law could only point at. The law was designed to lead people to the gospel, and the gospel does not nullify the law in the same way that the Messiah does not nullify the prophecies that predicted his coming. He began the entire letter by saying that his gospel had been promised in the Scriptures (1:2). Paul began this section by saying the Law and the Prophets testify to this gift of righteousness (3:21). Believers are justified or saved by faith, not by observing the law (3:28).īut some people object: Paul, are you saying that the law is wrong? Paul answers: “By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law” (3:31). In the last section of Romans 3, Paul declares that the gospel of salvation announces a righteousness from God, a righteousness that is given “through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (3:22).
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