Page 30 - Romans Student Textbook.doc

Study Section 5: Chapter 4 – Abraham Demonstrates Faith
5.1 Connect

Many people believe that they are in good favor with God because they go to church, give
money in the offering, help with other charities, and over all, don’t do a lot of bad things. In the
future judgment, they expect that God will see how they did all kinds of good things and will let
them into Heaven.

The Jews in Paul’s day felt that they were a specially chosen people by God, and their standing as a special
people gave them status with God. They were of the seed of Abraham and therefore they were assured a
future in the Kingdom of God. They practiced the Law and were obedient to circumcision. In Chapter 3
we learned that everyone is a sinner. In this next chapter, we find that that includes self-righteous Jews.
Abrahams standing before God was because of his faith in a coming Messiah. The point of the passage is
that no external work a person can do will resolve his sin issue. It is only in an act of faith in the work of
Christ on our behalf that we can be saved.

Let’s find out why…

5.2 Objectives

1. Students should be able to share and explain how Abraham is the example for all people of
what it means to be justified before God by faith in God’s promises.

2. Students should be able to explain how, like Abraham, we are saved by faith and not by works
of obedience to the Law.

5.3 The Passage: Romans 4:1-25
Therefore, what will we say Abraham our forefather according to the flesh found? For if
Abraham out of works was made righteous he has something to boast about, but not toward
God. For what does the Scripture say? “But Abraham believed God and it was credited to him
unto righteousness.” Now to the one who is working the reward is not credited according to a
gift but according to an obligation, but to the one not working but trusting upon the one who
makes the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited unto righteousness; just as also David speaks of the
blessing of the man toward whom God credits righteousness without works,

“Blessed are those to whom the transgressions are forgiven and to whom the sins are covered over;
blessed is the man to whom the Lord never credited sin.”

Therefore, was this one blessed upon the circumcision or also upon the uncircumcision? For we say, “The
faith was credited unto Abraham for righteousness.” Therefore, how was it credited? Being in circumcision
or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision but in uncircumcision; and as a sign he received circumcision — a
seal of the righteousness of faith which was in uncircumcision — so that he might be father of all those
believing by uncircumcision so that to them might be credited the righteousness, and father of
circumcision to those not of circumcision only but also to the one who were walking in the footsteps of the
in uncircumcision faith of our father Abraham.

Abraham is the example for all people of what it means to be justified before God by faith in God’s
promises.

For not through law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed, for him to be the heir of the world, but
through a righteousness from faith. For if those out of law inherit, the faith is made empty and nullified is

29