“What will we say? We have found Abraham to be our forefather according to the flesh?” (Romans 4:1). This is probably the most easily understood translation of verse 1, which is difficult grammatically (Porter, Romans, 86). Paul is talking to both Jews and Gentiles in the book of Romans. So the question is, how is Abraham our father?
The answer to the question is Abraham is the father of us all, to all who believe, to all who have faith (faith and belief are the same word in Greek). It is not according to flesh, or ethnicity. Jewishness and bearing the badges of Judaism doesn’t make Abraham our father. Paul has just made the point at the end of Chapter 3 that God is the God of both Jew and Gentile, not the Jews only. This is the context of what Paul is doing in Chapter 4 with Abraham. In other words, it is not an argument regarding the worthless of all works, but “works of the law,” which he just discussed in chapter 3. This phrase is a shorthand way to discuss the badges of judaism: circumcision, dietary codes, washings, etc. These things do not justify, faith in Christ does. This has been the consistent point from Romans 1 onward. It fits the thesis: “The just shall live by faith.”
Lessons from the father of faith,,,,
1. Righteousness hinges on faith – Romans 4:3. God promises Abraham he will be the father of all nations, even though he is old and has no children. The fundamental point of this is Abraham believes God.
2. Live fully convinced of God’s power to act. Romans 4:21. Abraham believed that God was able to do what He promised. He left his home not knowing where he was headed, because God told him to. Verse 18, In hope he believed against hope i.e. he believed in the impossible. Even though it didn’t make any sense, even though it was totally illogical, Abraham obeyed because he was convinced God could do what He said.
3. Believe in the unbelievable. Romans 4:18. Does someone dead for three days who is raised up to life again make any sense? Of course not. But God did it. People today say I’ll believe if I can see all the evidence. That’s not what faith is about.
If you have faith like Abraham you will believe in things that make no sense, you will believe in the unbelievable. Do you have that faith?
Sermon by Brent Moody
Porter, Stanley, and David I. Yoon, Romans: A Handbook on the Greek Text. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2023. Porter gives various options for the translation. The one offered above is one of the legitimate possibilities and finds scholarly support from men like Richard B Hays and N.T. Wright.
