Romans 4:18-25: "Transforming Faith"

This section will conclude Paul's use of Abraham as an example of man's being justified by grace through faith. Here Paul will show Abraham's faithfulness and salvation based on God's work, rather than human effort. I think often times we try to figure out our part in the whole "salvation thing". What we need to understand is that in no way are we worthy, or should take credit for any part of our salvation. This is not to say we don't have responsibility, nor to say we have no ability to receive salvation, what we must get away from is the notion that we have accomplished something through our receiving Christ. Or that somehow we chose God, and because of that we have been saved. All along it has not been Paul's goal to get the world to understand how to love a holy God, but rather, explain to us how a holy God has provided a way for us to receive forgiveness of sins through His infinite love. In this section Paul will praise Abraham for his faithfulness to God, yet, we will be reminded in the end that ultimately, even our faithfulness is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9).

Paul begins this section by giving us an insight into the faith of Abraham. He begins with, "In hope against hope he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, "So shall your descendants be". Abraham without the scriptures, without the prophets, without Jewish culture, believed in God. God had promised to make him a "father of many nations" (Gen. 15:5-6), and yet Abraham and his wife were well past child bearing years and they had no offspring. From what looked like an impossibility from a human perspective, Abraham still kept his hope. Abraham still believed what God said was going to happen and he remained unwavering in his faith as Paul explains, "and without becoming weak in faith." MacArthur writes, "As far as we know, Abraham had witnessed no miracle of God. He had never seen God raise a person from the dead or call anything or anyone into being who did not already exist. Yet he firmly believed that the Lord was easily capable of doing such things." It is amazing to think of all the rich texts and proofs we have of God's existence and his plan for redemption clearly laid out in scripture, yet we do not have the faith of some that did not have all these things. Abraham, despite his old age and human understanding that he would physically be unable to have kids, remained faithful in the promises of God. Paul lets us know that Abraham was aware of his physically limitations, "he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb". This fact however, did not diminish his faith. We are told he instead, "with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith". It is often easy for us to believe in God and trust him when all is going well, but when faced with adversity, or seemingly impossible odds as was the case with Abraham, do we vacillate in our faith? MacArthur brings up an interesting point that may have been going through your mind: "It would seem from the Genesis narratives that Paul was mistaken about Abraham's unwavering faith. When "the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great,' . . . Abram said, 'O Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? . . . Since Thou hast given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir'" (Gen 15:1-3). . . . struggling faith is not doubt, just as temptation to sin is not itself sin. They very fact that Abraham was trying to understand how God's promise could be fulfilled indicates he was looking for a way of fulfillment, although he could not yet see a way." Not only did Abraham finally believe God, but "grew strong in faith".

I see Abraham's faith as a progression. The more he lived and the more He got to know of God, the more His faith grew. He had to go through some disobedience as he brought along his father and his nephew Lot even though he was called to go alone to the land that was promised him. He fell to the sinful wishes of his wife to sleep with Hagar, to guarantee that he would have offspring. However, when God had told him he would give him a son when he was 99, he faithfully believed him. And even more amazingly, when faced with the ultimate decision to kill the only son he had, despite God's promise to him that he would be a father of many nations, he trusted God and was willing to give up his only son. In this we can see Abraham's amazing faith and how it grew stronger, all the while, "giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform." This should be a faithful reminder to us to look back and remember all that God has promised us, and remember He is always faithful to perform on what He promises.

Paul then summarizes all that he has said in regards to Abraham as he explains that in response to Abraham's faith, "it was reckoned to him as righteousness". For more on this see previous posts on Ch. 4.

Paul beautifully closes this section w/ the application to us as readers, and that all that has been said about righteousness being reckoned to Abraham through faith also applies to every single person who believes in Christ. Paul says, "Now not for his sake only was it written, that it was reckoned to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." This is the beautiful summation of it all. The very point he had been making from the beginning, that all have sinned, and all are separated from God, and nothing we as humans do can earn us salvation, but ALL Jews and Gentiles alike are able to put their faith in Christ and be reckoned as righteous. He finishes up with proclaiming Christ as he always did. He reminds us that "He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification." Christ was put up on a cross to take the full wrath of our sins, and then was raised from the dead that we might have power over sin, just as He conquered death by raising Himself. What an amazing story of grace that can be true in anyone's life that puts their faith in Jesus Christ.