Page 31 - Romans Student Textbook.doc

the promise; for the law brings about wrath but where there is not a law there is neither transgression.
Because of this out of faith, so that according to grace, so that the promise would be confirmed to all the
seed, not to the one out of the law only but to the one out of the faith of Abraham, who is father of all of
us, just as it written that, “A father of many nations I have placed you,” in the sight of which he believed
God who gives the dead life and calls the things not being into being; who from hope upon hope he
believed he would become “a father of many nations” according to what was spoken; “Thus will be your
seed,” and by faith, not his weakness he considered his own body being almost 100 years old, and the
deadness of the womb of Sarah; but into the promise of God not doubting through unbelief but being
strengthened by faith gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what he promised he was able also
to do.

Therefore, also it was credited to him unto righteousness. Now it was not written for him only that “it was
credited to him” but also for us, to whom it is about to be credited, to the ones who are believing upon the
One who raised Jesus our Lord our of the dead, who was given over because of our sins and raised for our
justification.

As Abraham appropriated the promises of God to him by faith in God, so we are delivered from sin by our
faith in Christ.

I. Know the Wonder of Your Salvation in Christ. (Foundation for the Instructions
that follow.) (1:18-11:39)

A. Salvation expounded and explained. (1:18-8:39)

1. The Context for Christ’s Redeeming Ministry. (1:18-4:24)

a) Man’s sin deserves God’s wrathful, impartial judgment. (1:18-2:16)
b) God’s law to Israel revealed sin but did not save from sin. (2:17-3:31)
c) Abraham as the example of faith in God’s promises. (4:1-24)

2. The Explanation of Christ’s Redeeming Ministry. (5:1-8:39)

a) The big picture of what Jesus has done. (5:1-12)
b) How Jesus compares to Adam. (5:13-21)
c) Questions about the relationship between sin and grace. (6:1-23)
d) Questions about the relationship between sin and law. (7:1-25)
e) How the Holy Spirit works with Christ in the word of salvation. (8:1-30)
f) A Concluding Doxological Homily. (8:31-39)

5.4 Chapter 4 – Abraham Demonstrates Faith

Paul was a master teacher and communicator. He systematically laid one idea or principle
after another since he began the body of his letter to lead his readers to understand that the
proper context for knowing the wonder of salvation in Jesus Christ is their helplessness in
doing anything to free themselves from the domination of sin in their lives and in their world.
As he came to chapter 4, he used the story of Abraham to illustrate and reinforce everything
that he had taught up to this point in the letter. He did this because he knew that narrative
communicates truth differently than exposition and that the two modes of communicating used properly

30