Lessons # 117 and 118
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Abraham’s credited righteousness (Romans 4:1-3)
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
The third major division of this epistle to the Romans that we have been considering is concerned with appropriating God’s righteousness by faith that the apostle discoursed in Romans 3:21-4:25. In the introduction of this epistle, we indicate that this third major division of the epistle is concerned first with the revealed righteousness through faith that the apostle discoursed in Romans 3:21-31 that we have considered where the apostle made three declarations. The first declaration concerned the fact of revealed righteousness with other facts and reasons for the revealed righteousness given in verses 21 to 24. The second is the apostle’s declaration that God set forth Christ as our expiation/propitiation in verses 25 and 26. The third declaration given in Romans 3:27-31 is that that revealed righteousness or justification by faith excludes any form of boasting as he makes his conclusion based on the facts he marshalled out in the section. The second concern of the third major division is Abraham as an example of a recipient of faith-righteousness. Hence Apostle Paul discoursed on Abraham as an example of faith righteousness or someone who obtained God’s righteousness by faith and so he is considered the father of all those who attain righteousness by faith as the apostle developed in Romans 4:1-25. He first indicated that Abraham’s faith was credited to him for righteousness in Romans 4:1-3. The apostle then argued in Romans 4:4-8 that faith, and not works, is what is credited to anyone as righteousness. In keeping with Abraham being an example of one who obtained righteousness by faith, the apostle described him in Romans 4:9-12 as the father of all who believe. This he followed in verses 13 and 14 by stating the limitation of the Law as it pertains God’s promise of heirship. He rounds up his discourse on the way of appropriating God’s righteousness with the point that faith secures God’s promise for all believers as he penned in Romans 4:15 -25. Our study this morning is concerned with Abraham’s credited righteousness as given in verses 1 to 3.
An attentive Jew in Rome who hears the reading of this epistle so far as it pertains to justification by faith would immediately think of Abraham. There are three possible reasons the person would think of Abraham. The first is that Apostle Paul had indicated that there is such a thing as faith righteousness, that is, righteousness that is obtained by faith in Jesus Christ as the apostle declared in Romans 3:22:
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
A problem a Jew might have is that the title “Jesus Christ” was not used in the OT Scripture in describing Abraham’s faith righteousness. A Jew at that time knew that Abraham believed in Yahweh but in the apostle’s teaching he mentioned Jesus Christ. A Jew who has not heard the apostle teach that Yahweh is Jesus Christ would have a problem with what the apostle stated since Abraham received righteousness not by believing in the One described with the term “Jesus Christ” in then NT but one described as Yahweh. Of course, Jesus Christ and Yahweh of the OT are the same person. We asserted this because the apostle had identified Yahweh that led Israel in the desert as Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 10:4:
and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
We have expounded this passage when we studied 1 Corinthians, so if you want to refresh your mind about this identification of Jesus Christ as the rock I suggest you go to the website of Berean Bible Church at Bay Springs, Mississippi, to the lesson on 1 Corinthians and listen to lessons number 313 and 314. That aside, a Jew who has not heard the apostle identify Yahweh as Christ would have problem with the fact that it was not stated that Abraham believed in Jesus Christ for faith righteousness. The second reason, though not as strong as the first, that a Jew would think of Abraham as the person listened to the apostle’s teaching of justification by faith in Christ is that he had stated that justification by faith in a sense upholds the law as we considered in Romans 3:31:
Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
The Jew would probably wonder how this would apply to Abraham who existed before the law was given and who in early Judaism was looked upon as one that has exemplified faithfulness to the Mosaic law. The third is that early Judaism taught that Abraham was justified by his deeds because he obeyed God in attempting to offer his son, Isaac as we read in 1 Maccabees 2:51–52 (NRSV):
51 “Remember the deeds of the ancestors, which they did in their generations; and you will receive great honor and an everlasting name. 52 Was not Abraham found faithful when tested, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness?
The reasons we have given were probably in the apostle’s mind when he introduced Abraham in the fourth chapter of Romans. The apostle begins the introduction of Abraham with a rhetorical question in Romans 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?
The expression what then is part of the formula the apostle uses in a question in certain circumstances. The word “then” is translated from a Greek particle (oun) that is used in two general ways. It may be used as a marker of continuation of a narrative so that it may be translated “then, so, now.” It may also be used as a marker of inference, denoting that what it introduces is the result of or an inference from what precedes in which case it may be translated “therefore, then.” This meaning “then, therefore” can also apply to questions referring back to a previous assertion, supposition, circumstances or where it is asked of how something that is true or regarded as true, or what someone does, can be reconciled with what has been previously said or done. In our passage of Romans 4:1, the word has the sense of “then” to state questions that refer to what the apostle stated previously about righteousness obtained by faith in Christ, but with focus on the last part of Romans 3:31, regarding upholding of the law. The Greek English lexicon of Thayer says that its meaning is something like “If everything depends on faith, what shall we say that Abraham gained by outward things, i.e. by works?” The implication is that the focus is probably on what the apostle had been teaching in Romans 3:27-31. Anyway, the apostle wrote What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?
The word “say” is translated from a Greek verb (eipon) that may mean “to answer, reply” to a question as the word is used in the reply of the disciples to the question of the Lord Jesus regarding who people think He is as narrated in Matthew 16:14:
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
The word may mean “to say, tell” as Apostle Paul used it to rebuke the Corinthians for their failure during the fellowship meal that preceded the Lord’s Supper as recorded in 1 Corinthians 11:22:
Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!
In our passage of Romans 4:1, the word has the meaning of “to conclude,” that is, “to reach a conclusion by reasoning.” So, the question of the apostle is what is to be concluded about Abraham.
The word Abraham is translated from a Greek noun (Abraam) translated from a Hebrew noun (ʾǎḇrāhām) that means “father of a multitude.” Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldeans, and his name was originally Abram. Yahweh called him to leave his country to go to Canaan with a promise of blessing him and his descendants. It was later that his name was changed to Abraham as described Genesis 17:4–6:
4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
Abraham was certainly a man blessed by Yahweh as attested in Genesis 24:1:
Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
He was certainly a great believer in the OT times that Yahweh described him as His friend as we gather, for example, from Isaiah 41:8:
“But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend,
This passage also reveals that Israelites are descended from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. Of course, the promise that he would be the father of many nations is the basis Arabs trace their descent to him through Ishmael. There is much we could say about Abraham, but we do not have the time to do so in this study, so we limit what we say about him at this point to things stated about him in the passage we are studying.
Apostle Paul described Abraham in the phrase of Romans 4:1 our forefather. The word “forefather” is translated from a Greek noun (propatōr) that appears only here in Greek NT, it means “ancestor, forefather.” Some Greek manuscripts contained a Greek word (patēra) that means “father,” implying the reading our father. That aside, the apostle used either of the Greek word to refer to Abraham as the ancestor of the Jews. This implies that the pronoun “our” the apostle used refers to himself and others who are Jews in Rome but specifically who are members of the local church in Rome.
Our interpretation that the pronoun “our” is reference to the apostle and the other Jews, especially in the local church of Rome, is supported by the Greek phrase the apostle wrote next. This Greek phrase appears to have been translated in NIV84 with the phrase in this matter although the Greek literally reads according to flesh as reflected in the NIV2011 that then added the phrase in this matter that is not directly in the Greek text. The expression “according to” is translated from a Greek preposition (kata) with several usages. For example, it may be used as a marker of opposition so that it may be translated “against.” It may be used as a marker to introduce the norm which governs something and so may mean “in accordance with” but it can also mean “because of, as a result of, on the basis of.” In our passage, it is used as a marker that denotes relationship, so it means “with respect to” or “in relation to.” It is associated with the word “flesh.”
The word “flesh” is translated from a Greek noun (sarx) with a range of meanings, but we will briefly mention some of these in this study. The word may refer to the material that covers the bones of a human or animal body, hence means “flesh” as it is used for the ritual of circumcision in Galatians 6:13:
Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.
The word may mean “nature” as it is used to describe what will be involved in the spiritual law of sowing and reaping in Galatians 6:8:
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
The word may mean “physical” as it is used to describe Christ’s body in Colossians 1:22:
But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
The word may mean “person, human being” as the word is used in the priestly prayer of our Lord Jesus to refer to His authority over humans in John 17:2:
For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
The phrase over all people is literally over all flesh. The word may refer to human or ancestral connection and so means “human/mortal nature, earthly descent” as it is used to indicate that human ancestry of the Lord Jesus is connected to Israel as we read in what the apostle stated as he narrated the privileges of Israel in Romans 9:5:
Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
The phrase the human ancestry of Christ is literally the Christ, according to the flesh. The word may refer to “the outward side of life as determined by normal perspectives or standards” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the status of most of the Corinthians prior to their salvation, as we read in 1 Corinthians 1:26:
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
The phrase by human standards is literally according to flesh. Although our Greek word is often understood as “sinful human nature,” that is, the seat of sin and rebellion to God but in our passage of Romans 4:1, the word has the sense of “ancestral connection” or “earthly descent.” This meaning indicates that Apostle Paul described physical relationship to Abraham as the ancestor or forefather of the Jews. This is important because Abraham is described later in a way that implies that he is forefather of those who are justified by faith as he was.
Anyway, the apostle’s question that introduced Abraham as the forefather of the Jews again is What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? Or literally, What then shall we say (that) Abraham, our forefather according to flesh to have found? The word “discovered” is translated from a Greek verb (heuriskō) that may mean “to find, discover” something after seeking as it is used in Apostle Paul’s description of his failed effort to locate Titus as we read in 2 Corinthians 2:13:
I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.
The word may mean “to find, discover” intellectually through reflection, observation, examination, or investigation as Apostle Paul used it to describe what he found or discovered after a careful reflection about what was taking place within him as we read in Romans 7:21:
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
The word may mean “to obtain,” that is, to attain a state or condition, as it is used to describe what Jesus Christ obtained for us through His sacrificial death on the cross described in Hebrews 9:12:
He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
The word may mean “to prove” as it is used by Apostle Peter to describe what trials do for the believer’s faith in 1 Peter 1:7:
These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
In our passage of Romans 4:1, the word has the sense of “to find,” that is, “to arrive at.” The apostle used a perfect tense in the Greek implying that he was concerned not merely to state what happened to Abraham in the past but that the result of what happened is still true today.
The apostle did not specify directly what Abraham arrived at in the past, but the context suggests that it is justification by faith or being in good standing with God by faith that the apostle was concerned. It is probably to convey this interpretation that the translators of the NIV used the phrase in this matter that is not in the Greek text. That aside, the apostle’s rhetorical question implies that he introduced Abraham’s status with God in that he had and continues to have good standing with God being a believer in the Lord Jesus.
We are sure that the apostle in the rhetorical question of Romans 4:1 introduced Abraham’s status with God as one that has been justified or one that is in good standing with God because he associated Abraham with the concept of boasting regarding justification that he introduced in the preceding section with rhetorical question he gave in Romans 3:27:
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
The apostle in the rhetorical questions of Romans 3:27 conveyed that no one could boast about justification or being in good standing with God since that is attained by faith in Christ. So, the fact that the apostle associated Abraham with boasting in what he stated in Romans 4:2 implies that in verse 1 he indirectly introduced the issue of justification as he introduced Abraham as the forefather of the Jews.
We asserted that Apostle Paul indirectly introduced the subject of justification in Romans 4:1 because he referenced Abraham that was uncalled for unless the apostle had in mind the matter of justification. The apostle signaled that he was indeed concerned with the subject of justification as he mentioned Abraham because of the Greek conjunction (gar) the apostle used in verse 2 that is translated in the NIV with the phrase in fact. As we have already mentioned, the phrase in fact is translated from a Greek conjunction (gar) that has several usages. For example, it can be used as a marker of inference with the meaning “so, then, by all means” or it can be used as a marker of cause or reason for something in which case it may be translated “for, because.” It may also be used as a marker of explanation in which case it may be translated “for, you see.” In our passage of Romans 4:2, it is used to signal an important point so that it may be translated “well, then” or “you see.”
The important point the apostle wants to focus the attention of the reader is the subject of justification, but he did so with a conditional clause that he tied to Abraham that he mentioned in verse 1 since he wrote in the NIV of Romans 4:2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works. The word “if” is translated from a Greek particle (ei) that is used in different ways in the Greek. For example, the Greek particle is used as a marker of condition that exists in fact or hypothetical so that it is translated “if.” On the one hand, if a writer presents an action associated with a verb as real, although the writer may or may not believe the action to be real, there is the implication there is no doubt or uncertainty about what is stated when our Greek particle is used. Thus, in some context, the word “if” may be understood to mean “since”, especially if the action has already taken place. On the other hand, if a writer presents the action associated with a verb as possible, the implication is that the thing in question is possible but uncertain, though assumed probable. In our passage of Romans 4:2, the apostle used it to express something that is contrary to fact as though it were a fact so he could make his point.
The thing that is contrary to the fact is Abraham being justified by works since the apostle wrote in Romans 4:2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works. The word “justified” is translated from a Greek verb (dikaioō) that may mean “to render a favorable verdict,” that is, “to vindicate” as it is used by Apostle Paul to indicate that Jesus Christ was vindicated by the Holy Spirit as we read in 1 Timothy 3:16:
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
The word may mean “to be free” as it is used of believers in connection with sin as we read in Romans 6:7:
because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
The word may mean “to declare, pronounce, righteous and therefore acceptable” as it is used negatively in Romans 3:20:
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
In our passage of Romans 4:2, the word has the sense of “to be justified,” that is, “to be or become judicially vindicated as having complied with the requirements of the law (of God).”
The word “works” in the sentence of Romans 4:2 Abraham was justified by works is translated from a Greek noun (ergon) that may mean “work” in the sense of that which one does as regular activity as Apostle Paul used it to describe the activity of Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:30:
because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
The word may mean “deed” as that which displays itself in activity of any kind as Apostle Paul used it to describe sinful activities that believers should reject in Ephesians 5:11:
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
In our passage of Romans 4:2, the word has the sense of “deeds,” that is, “work that a person is obliged to perform for moral reasons.”
Anyway, the apostle assumes something he knows is not true to be true for the sake of his declaration that Abraham was justified by his deeds. His declaration is that if that were to be true, Abraham could not boast before God as in the sentence of Romans 4:2 he had something to boast about—but not before God. A literal translation reads he has (a) boast, but not before God.
The expression “something to boast about” is translated from a Greek noun (kauchēma) that may mean “boast,” that is, the act of taking pride in something or that which constitutes a source of pride as Apostle Paul used it to convey to the Corinthians when he wrote them about his rights to be supported by them as he preached the gospel to them although he did not want them to support him because he would not want anyone to deprive him of his boast of preaching the gospel to them without charge as stated in 1 Corinthians 9:15:
But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast.
The word may refer to an expression of pride, and so means “what is said in boasting, boast,” as the word is used by the apostle to caution the Corinthians not to allow what he said in boasting about them to be false, as recorded in 2 Corinthians 9:3:
But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be.
In our passage of Romans 4:2, it has the sense of “boast,” that is, that which constitutes a source of pride or reason for boasting.
The apostle did not say to whom Abraham could boast about his deeds probably because he assumed something that is not true. If Abraham could boast, it is conceivable that it would be to humans, but the apostle is clear that it is not to God as in the phrase of Romans 4:2 but not before God. The apostle did not elaborate on this phrase. It seems that when the apostle wrote this that the Holy Spirit brought to his mind the interactions of Job and his friends during his testing. First, Eliphaz had answered Job’s complaint that imply that God is neither harmed by people’s sinfulness nor helped by their goodness as we may gather from Job 22:2:
“Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise man benefit him?
Second, Elihu answered Job’s complaint of his innocence by similar thought that Eliphaz expressed in Job 35:6–8:
6 If you sin, how does that affect him? If your sins are many, what does that do to him? 7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand? 8 Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness only the sons of men.
If the Holy Spirit brought the concept of these two passages in Job to the mind of the apostle, he would be saying that Abraham could not boast before God because his good deeds in no way benefited God only humans to whom he could boast about his deeds. Nonetheless, the apostle’s concern is simply to convey that Abraham was not justified by works.
That the apostle was concerned to convey that Abraham was not justified by works, he provided an explanation that supports this. We say that he provided an explanation because he used a Greek conjunction (gar) we considered previously, in the question he posed in verse 3. As we stated previously, the Greek conjunction has several usages but in verse 3, it is used with the meaning “for” to introduce an explanation that is first presented with a question as we read in Romans 4:3 What does the Scripture say? Literally, the Greek reads For what says the Scripture?
The word “scripture” is translated from a Greek noun (graphē) that means “writing,” that is, “a brief piece of writing.” It is as a reference to our sacred scripture that the word is used in one of two ways. The apostle used it as a reference to a specific passage of the OT Scripture as he did in referencing Prophet Elijah in his defense of the doctrine of election as we read in Romans 11:2:
God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel:
Another usage of the Greek word by the apostle is as a reference to “scripture in its entirety” as he used it in stating a purpose of what was written in the OT Scripture in Romans 15:4:
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
In our passage of Romans 4:3, it means “scripture” with emphasis on a specific passage of the OT Scripture.
The apostle is concerned with a quotation from the Scripture because of the rhetorical question of Romans 4:3 What does the Scripture say? The word “says” is translated from a Greek verb (legō) different from the one (eipon) used in verse 1, it may mean “to express oneself orally or in written form” and so may mean to “tell” as Apostle Paul used it to communicate to the Thessalonians regarding the implied order of resurrection of believers in Christ as stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:15:
According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
The word may mean “to inform about / tell of something” so that it may mean “to mention” as Apostle Paul used it to assert regarding the nature of things unbelievers do in secret as recorded in Ephesians 5:12:
For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
The word may mean “to express oneself in a specific way” and so, for example, it may mean “to declare as in what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in His interaction with her as recorded in John 4:21:
Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
In our passage of Romans 4:3, the word is used with the sense of “to say,” that is, “to have or contain a certain wording or form.”
The rhetorical question of Romans 4:3 What does the Scripture say? no doubt was intended to quote a specific passage of the Scripture but it has an important principle that we all should adhere to whenever we make statements that are truthful that we want to get across to others. This principle is that we should strive to support our statement or arguments from the Scripture as the apostle did here. In fact, we should be careful that practices we get involved with can be truly supported n the Scripture. That aside, the apostle stated the contents of the specific scriptural passage he had in mind in the next sentence of Romans 4:3 “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”.
The word “believe” is translated from a Greek verb (pisteuō) that its predominant meaning in the Greek NT is “to believe”, that is, “to think something to be true” as Apostle Paul used it to describe what he thought about the report of division in the church of Corinth that he received as we read in 1 Corinthians 11:18:
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.
The Greek word may also mean “to trust”, with the implication of total commitment to the one who is trusted, as it is used in Apostle Paul’s instruction through Titus regarding the conduct of those who have trusted God in Titus 3:8:
This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
The word may have the sense of “putting something to the care of another,” that is, “to entrust” as Apostle Paul used it to indicate that the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles is a task given to him, as we read in Galatians 2:7:
On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews.
In our passage of Romans 4:3, the word has the sense of “to believe or trust,” that is, “to have faith.” Thus, the apostle meant that Abraham trusted or believed God in the sentence Abraham believed God
The result of Abraham’s trust in God is that he received righteousness as in the sentence of Romans 4:3 and it was credited to him as righteousness. The word “credited” is translated from a Greek verb (logizomai) that may mean “to determine by mathematical process” and so may mean “to count, take into account” as the word is used to describe a blessed individual as one that God does not hold the individual’s sin against the person as per the quotation from the OT Scripture by Apostle Paul that is recorded in Romans 4:8:
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.
Under the concept of determining by mathematical process is the meaning of “to evaluate, estimate, look upon as, consider” as a result of a calculation. It is in the sense of “to consider” that Apostle Paul used it in his quotation from OT Scripture in support of his teaching that the love of God for us cannot be changed as we read in Romans 8:36:
As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
The word may mean “to hold a view about something,” that is, “to think, believe, be of the opinion” as the apostle used it to describe himself to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 11:5
But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”
The word may mean “to give careful thought to a matter” and so may mean “to consider, to ponder, think about, let one’s mind dwell on something” as the apostle used it to caution those who are superficial in spiritual matters, to recognize that he and his apostolic team belong to Christ as we read in 2 Corinthians 10:7:
You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he.
In our passage of Romans 4:3, the word has the sense of “to be credited,” that is, “to be or become attributed or reckoned as an asset in someone’s account.” What is credited is “righteousness”.
The word “righteousness” is translated from a Greek noun (dikaiosynē) that may mean “righteousness” in the sense of doing what God requires or doing what is right, as the word is used to describe those who are persecuted to whom belongs God’s kingdom in Matthew 5:10:
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What God requires should not be thought only in terms of moral actions, but what is in accordance with His plan. This point is important since there is no morality involved in the use of our Greek word when it is used in the mouth of the Lord Jesus during His water baptism, but it is simply used in the sense of conforming to God’s plan, what He has decided, what is pleasing to Him in the Lord Jesus’ reply to John who was hesitant to baptize Him, as we read in Matthew 3:15:
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
Our Greek word may refer to the practices required by religion such as charitable giving so that it has the meaning of “religious observances,” as in Matthew 6:1:
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
The phrase acts of righteousness may be translated “religious observances.” Our Greek word may refer to the quality, state, or practice of judicial responsibility with focus on fairness hence means “justice, equitableness, fairness.” Thus, it is used to describe the manner of God’s future judgment in Acts 17:31:
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
The word may refer to quality or state of juridical correctness with focus on redemptive action and so means “righteousness.” It is used to describe the executive privilege that belongs to God in conferring a benefit. For example, the offering of Jesus Christ on the cross is described as a demonstration of righteousness on the part of God in Romans 3:25:
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
The 1984 edition of the NIV translated our Greek word with “justice” in this passage, but the 2011 edition used the meaning “righteousness” that is found in majority of our English versions. Each of these meanings could be justified in this passage, but it is probably the meaning of “righteousness” that is intended since the passage is concerned with how God puts persons right with Himself. Our Greek word may mean “being put in right relationship with God”, as that is the sense of the word in Romans 5:17:
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
The phrase the gift of righteousness may be understood either as the gift that comes from God because He is righteous or the gift of being put into a right relation with God. Though it is difficult to separate these two interpretations, but it is probably the second interpretation that is intended so that our Greek word is given the meaning of “being put into right relation with God.” Our Greek word in some contexts may approach the meaning of “salvation.” This we can see from its use in the Septuagint of Isaiah 51:5:
My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.
Here Yahweh’s righteousness is near, so is salvation; hence, there is a parallel between the two that we can say that “righteousness” in certain context refers to “salvation.” In our passage of Romans 4:3, the word has the sense of “righteousness,” that is, “a status of legal rectitude that satisfies the moral requirements of God’s character.” In other words, it is “the state acceptable to God which becomes a sinner’s possession through that faith by which the sinner embraces the grace of God offered to the individual in the expiatory death of Jesus Christ.”
Be that as it may, the scripture the apostle quoted in Romans 4:3 is Genesis 15:6:
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
The context of the declaration of Genesis 15:6 is Yahweh’s promise to Abraham that he would have a son. It is this promise that Abraham believed that was credited to him for righteousness as described in Genesis 15:4–5:
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Clearly, the context indicates that there was nothing that Abraham did other than believe Yahweh’s promise to him and his faith was counted for him as righteousness. Thus, the point of the apostle that Abraham did nothing that he could boast before God for his righteousness. Anyhow, the apostle indicates that justification or being in good standing with God is through faith and not by works. Of course, it is known that later Abraham confirmed his faith righteousness through his attempt to offer his son Isaac as Yahweh asked him. It is this that as we have previously stated is taught in early Judaism as one of the bases of Abraham’s justification. This fact is also echoed by James in James 2:21–24:
21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In any event, the apostle, by bringing up Abraham, intended to support his point that justification is by faith and not by work and that no one has any basis to boast before God regarding this subject.
05/22/26