# 19: 1-13-12

Romans 4:9-12; Genesis 17

In his letter to the Roman assemblies, Paul is purposing to strengthen the Jewish and Gentile believers there
by opening the eyes of their understanding to the unity and the equality contained within the gospel
message.
Paul has already made his case that both Jew and Gentile are inherently unrighteous, and that they cannot
make themselves righteous through good works. And Paul has made it plain that both Jew and Gentile can
only become righteous by putting their faith in Jesus Christ.
God put the sin of the world upon Jesus it was imputed to His account by which mankind can be
justified freed of all charges of sin and guilt. And God puts the righteousness of Jesus on mens account
the sole way by which men can become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21).
But this can only be put into effect for the man who is in Christ; a position that is attained through faith in
Him, faith in the work that He has done on our behalf apart from any work of our own.
As we have studied through the first three chapters of Romans, we can clearly see an imbalance in Pauls
argument to the Jews and the Gentiles concerning sin and righteousness. To whom does Paul devote the
great majority of his argument to the Jews, or the Gentiles? To the Jews. Why? Because the Jew was
more deceived, concerning himself.
It was the Jew who had the tendency to view himself as superior to the Gentile; even as acceptable to God,
just as he was. The Jew had been deceived, through his religion of Judaism, to think that his physical birth
as a son of Abraham qualified him for the kingdom of heaven; after all, the Jews were Gods covenant
people, werent they? Didnt the mark of circumcision in their flesh show that?
And Israel had been given the Law by God. The Jew was deceived into thinking that as long as he tried
as well as he could to obey the Law, surely God would receive him. Surely God would see his effort, to
be good, to uphold the Law, and look the other way concerning his sin. Surely the Jews good works would
outweigh his occasional sins, and in the balance, God would certainly accept him.
So Paul has taken great pains in this letter to convince the Jew of the error of this thinking. And Paul
makes his argument by moving between two truths which a Jew cannot contest: the immutable character of
God, and the absolute integrity of Gods Word the Jews Scriptures.
In this way, Paul removes the veils of deceit behind which the Jew hid himself his heritage, his
ceremonies, and his works leaving him exposed as a sinner, under the wrath of God right next to the
Gentile.
Having shown the utter holiness and the righteous judgment of God, by which Paul pointed out the equality
of both Jew and Gentile in condemnation, Paul next moves onto the mercy and the grace of God, as seen in
Jesus.
Paul makes it clear that men can be justified by faith in Christ alone the only way which God provides for
men to be made righteous. And Paul stresses that both Jew and Gentile are justified in this way, on an
equal basis.
Again, we see Paul making his argument about this to the Jews for Judaism had led Jews to think that
faith meant being faithful to doing the deeds of the Law which is to say, to be justified by works.

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But Paul is adamant: faith and doing the works of the Law or any other works are two completely
separate ways of justification. Faith in Christ will always justify a man; the works of the Law never can.
And as long as a man insists on working for his justification, he is not trusting in the work of Christ to
justify him. In terms of justification, faith and works are completely and mutually exclusive.
Paul uses a piece of inspired reasoning here to show that a man cannot be justified by the works of the Law.
If God is the God of the Gentiles as well as the Jews, how could He only give the Jews the means to be
justified the Law? That would be unjust; and God is always just; He shows no partiality (Rm 3:11).
In order to act according to His just character, God must give both Jew and Gentile the same opportunity to
be made righteous which He does through faith in Jesus Christ. As Paul said, there is one God who will
justify the circumcised by faith that is, the Jew and the uncircumcised by faith the Gentile (Rm 3:30).
Once again, we see the just character of God, and the equality of the Jew and the Gentile before Him.
But it would take more than this simple point of reasoning to convince a Jew that he would be saved on the
same basis as a Gentile; for the Jews always thought themselves as superior to the Gentiles. So Paul
continues his proof in chapter 4, where he calls two witnesses from the Jews Scriptures that they would
consider irrefutable: Abraham, the father of the nation, according to the flesh; and David, Israels most
renowned king.
The verse that Paul quotes from Genesis concerning Abraham decisively states that Abraham was justified
by his faith; he believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Rm 4:3; from Genesis 15:6).
We have gone back to the record in Genesis a few weeks ago and seen that what Abraham specifically
believed into was the LORD Himself, the Coming Christ, as the LORD revealed Himself to Abraham, through
the gospel in the stars.
Likewise, Paul shows Davids understanding that God accounts righteousness to men through their faith.
The psalm of David which Paul quotes in vv. 7-8 reflects Davids own personal experience, which will in
the end be the experience of the remnant of Israel: that the man who is justified who is forgiven his sins
is the man who puts his trust in God (Ps 32:1-2, 10); that is, the one who believes in Him, for His Christ,
apart from works.
Now we will continue with Pauls argument to the Jews, aimed at convincing them that the Jew and the
Gentile are made righteous on the same basis: through faith in Christ. Paul drives home this point through
a second visit to Abraham.
Now, Paul has just been writing of David noting the blessedness the Divine favor of the man who has
had righteousness imputed to him, through his faith.
[Read Romans 4:9-12]
So what Paul is doing here is drawing upon the chronology of events in Genesis to demonstrate to the Jews
that righteousness was accounted to Abraham before he was circumcised. The fact that Abraham became
righteous before he was circumcised, and the fact that Paul has already brought out that Abraham did so by
faith, shows that circumcision is not a basis by which a man can be made righteous.
In addition, the fact that Abraham was made righteous before he was circumcised implies that any and all
uncircumcised men can be made righteous, by faith which thereby includes any Gentile who believes.

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Then, after revealing the true significance of circumcision, Paul goes even further, stating that a
circumcised Jew can only claim Abraham as his father if he imitates his example by placing his faith in
Jesus to be made righteous.
Pauls point is that Abraham is the father of the Jews only according to the flesh (Rm 4:1); but according to
the spiritual reality, Abraham is the father of all who believe both Jew, and Gentile. This is truly an
inspired argument.
I think its important for us to see the chronology of events as laid out in Genesis, because it will help us to
understand Pauls argument better. Lets go back to Genesis chapter 17, where God establishes His
covenant with Abraham.
[Genesis 17]
Now, I just want to refresh your memory of what has happened in the life of Abraham, up until this point.
The LORD had called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees; a call of separation from the world. And Abram
was willing to be separated, drawn to the LORD by the promises that the LORD had made to him.
Abram became more and more enlightened to the God of glory, until that night when the LORD revealed
Himself to Abram through the gospel story as told by the names that the LORD had given the stars when He
created them (Gen 1:14-18, Is 40:26).
It was when Abraham took in this light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2
Cor 4:6) that he believed in the LORD; and the LORD accounted it to Abram for righteousness (Gen 15:6).
The Christ was to be Abrams most illustrious Seed Abrams heir through whom all the families of the
earth will be blessed (Gen 12:3). But at the same time, Abram learned that he would receive his inheritance
of the land that the LORD promised him through the Christ; Abram would be Christs heir.
The LORD showed Abram this through the blood covenant that He cut with Abram, the day after the
revelation was made to Abram in the stars. Each animal of that covenant represented an aspect of the
person and work of the Coming Christ, as the Redeemer.
It was also shown to Abram that the covenant was conditioned upon the work of Christ, alone; it was a
covenant that the LORD made with Himself, not with men. So what does that leave, for men to do? To
believe God, for what He will do.
The LORD had given Abram a prophecy at that time, making it clear that Abram would not receive the land
during his natural life (Gen 15:15-16). But Abram understood that he would still receive his inheritance,
after his death when he was raised up in a glorified body, in the resurrection of Life. Abram had learned
of the resurrection in the story in the stars.
So it was clear to Abram that he would not receive his inheritance in the land in his lifetime. But in order
for Abram to have the Seed Christ as his descendant, he must reproduce at least one son, from his own body
during his lifetime. Still, time went on, and no son, for Sarai was barren; nothing had changed, there.
And meanwhile, Abram was getting older and older.
Sarai may have had a barren womb, but she had a fertile imagination. She suggested a worldly solution to
the problem; a surrogate birth, through her handmaid, Hagar. And Abram heeded the voice of his wife
and nine months later, Hagar bore Ishmael.

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Im sure it all seemed perfectly logical to Abram, as he reasoned it through in his own mind. After all, the
LORD had said that an heir would come from Abrams own body; He had never said it would come from
Sarais body, as well. And nothing was happening; surely, if more time went by, Abram would be unable to
reproduce an heir; he was 85 already! In fact, perhaps the LORD was just waiting for Abram to take the
initiative.
But then, why didnt Abram ask the LORD? Would He not have shown Abram that nothing is too wonderful
for God; that He would accomplish what He had promised, in His own perfect time? Although Abram had
believed God for His Christ, he was still learning to wait on God, for His timing and His ways. Abram had
not yet learned to let the LORD have the say over his body.
That is what Abram learned over the next thirteen years. By then, he was 99 years old. Sarais womb had
always been barren; and by this age, Abram knew his body was dead, as well reproductively speaking.
But we read of no further attempt on Abrams part to bring forth his own heir. Abram now understood that
his part was to wait on God to believe the LORD for doing it in His time, in His way even when it
seemed impossible in the natural.
It was then that the LORD appeared to Abram again.
[Genesis 17:1-27]
v. 1 The LORD had appeared to Abram when he was in Ur of the Chaldees as the God of glory (Acts 7:2),
and His glory began to draw and to enlighten Abram. Then the LORD had appeared to Abram as the
preincarnate Christ, revealing Himself in the stars, and Abram received the Life that is the light of men (Jn
1:4).
Now the LORD appears to Abram as Almighty God, El Shaddai, the All-Sufficient God; sufficient to
accomplish all of His purposes. It is He who commands Abram to walk before Him, and be blameless; that
is, complete.
The idea is for Abram to walk in the newness of the Life that he has already received when he believed; to
conduct himself as the completed son of God that he already is. How will Abram do this? By yielding
himself to God, as alive from the dead, and the members of his body to God, as instruments of
righteousness (Rm 6:13).
v. 2 The word make in the Hebrew means a giving of the hand. The LORD had already cut a covenant
with Abram for seed and for the land; now He is giving the covenant to Abram. What would be Abrams
part? To receive it, by faith. This will result in great fruitfulness, as Abram yields his body to the LORD,
and the LORD accomplishes His purposes through Abram.
v. 3a Abram places himself in the position of complete submission to God.
v. 3b-6 Abrams name means exalted father. When Abram had believed, God had blessed him
personally in accounting righteousness to him, as well as indicating that Abram would be the father of the
nation Israel exalted father.
But in this revelation, God expands on His promises to Abram. As Abram yields his body to God, God will
bring about all of His purposes for Abram, including the Seed Christ, through whom Abram will become
the father of many nations well discuss this next week in Romans. So God prophetically changes
Abrams name to Abraham father of a great multitude.

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v. 7 the word establish literally means to cause to stand. God is confirming to Abraham the covenant
that He had cut with him; it stands, in a sense, between God and Abraham and his seed after him, meaning
here the nation of Israel.
And what does God call this covenant? The everlasting, or eternal covenant the covenant for Life
everlasting, through faith in Christ. It will be ratified in the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world (Rev 13:8).
As seen in type when the LORD cut the covenant with Abraham, the covenant is Christ Himself; a covenant
that Abraham had already entered into many years ago, through his faith. It is Christ who stands between
God and Abraham and his seed, binding them to God through the union of faith.
v. 8 So God again mentions the land, which Abraham knows he will possess in the resurrection of Life,
along with his believing seed. Notice that God calls the land an everlasting possession; the word
possession is used in conjunction with inheritance. Abraham and believing Israel will inherit the land
through Christ, in the kingdom age.
Notice that the covenant is conditioned upon God alone; He will accomplish all that He promised in it.
Now God tells Abraham what his part is.
v. 9 Gods part is all the doing. What is the part of Abraham and his seed? To keep the covenant; to watch
over it carefully, so as to preserve the truth of it; the way to Life everlasting, through faith in Christ. And
God specifies exactly how Abraham is to keep the covenant.
v. 10-11 So the way that the covenant is to be kept the truth of it preserved is through circumcision,
which God said is a sign of the covenant, that is, a picture of it. How is this so?
Circumcision is the cutting away of the foreskin of the male reproductive organ. And it cannot be done
without the shedding of blood, can it? Paul says in his letter to the Colossians that this pictures the putting
off of the body of flesh (Col 2:11).
Thats what we do when we believe into Christ. Through faith, we are united to Christ in His death,
through His shed blood on the cross; that how we put off the body of flesh, which is a body of death (Rm
7:24).
It was after Abraham obeyed God, taking the sign of circumcision in his flesh, that God carried out His
purposes to bring forth living seed from Abraham life, from his reproductively dead body.
Here we see the other part of the picture. The foreskin of the reproductive organ had to be cut away, in
obedience to the truth, in order for God to bring forth the new life.
Likewise, when we unite ourselves to Christ by faith, we are baptized into Christs death, buried with Him,
and then raised to walk in the newness of life (Rm 6:3-4) as glorified sons of God we put on the new
man (Eph 4:24).
So the sign of circumcision life out of death, through faith in Christ gives the perfect picture of the
eternal covenant. In this way, Israel could preserve the truth of the covenant to keep the covenant, as God
had commanded. But Judaism changed this picture of the covenant into a meaningless ritual of religion
which makes it no more than an act of mutilation (Phil 3:2).

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The details of Gods instructions concerning circumcision are highly significant, as well.
v. 12-14 Although the initial recipients of circumcision included adults such as Abraham himself, and older
children such as Ishmael, the instructions thereafter for the nation was for their eight-day old infants to be
circumcised.
What does the number eight signify, in Scripture? A new beginning. In the picture of circumcision, the old
man has been put off, and the new man put on (Col 3:9-10). The new beginning is the new life as a
glorified son of God.
Now, can an eight-day old infant circumcise himself? Of course not. Who would do the circumcision? A
father would naturally circumcise his son, just as Abraham circumcised Ishmael and later Isaac. So we
have the idea here that life out of death is the Fathers work; the son simply receives it, by faith.
Abraham was to circumcise both those born in his house his sons; and those bought with money from
foreigners that is, his slaves. In the picture, who would those of Abrahams house represent? The Jews.
And the foreign slaves? The Gentile nations, enslaved in their idolatry. So God made it clear when the
covenant was given, through this picture, that both Jew and Gentile were welcome to enter into it, through
faith in Christ.
But the uncircumcised male child the man who does not enter into the covenant through faith in the shed
blood of Christ that is, one who has not put off the old man, who is still in Adam he shall be cut off
from the people of God; he has broken Gods covenant.
If one does not keep the covenant, one is a covenant-breaker. Either you believe, and receive the new life
of Christ, a glorified body or you remain unfit for the presence of God, and must be cut off in everlasting
destruction, in the second Death.
Now God spoke of Sarai, as well.
v. 15-17 God changed Sarais name as well, to Sarah; from my princess to just princess. Abraham
must understand that Sarah belonged to God, not to him, and that God had purposes for her, as well.
Part of Abrahams laughter might have been at himself, thinking that he had to help God out, to bring forth
the son. But here God is showing Abraham that not only would He give life to Abrahams reproductivelydead body, but to Sarahs dead womb as well and she had always been barren. So Abrahams laughter is
certainly not the laughter of doubt, but of a marveling delight, at what God is doing.
Is anything too wonderful for God? In fact, God had been waiting all of this time for this very reason; so
that both Abraham and Sarahs bodies were dead so that all would know that the son they would bring
forth was Gods doing alone.
And this was part of the lesson to Abraham in the sign of circumcision, as well. That sign said, no
confidence in the flesh (Phil 3:3) something Abraham would agree with, by now.
Abraham was delighted with the news concerning himself and Sarah, and the son that they would bear. But
he could not help but think of his other son the one he had had with Hagar through his plan in the flesh.

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v. 18-22 What Abraham was expressing to God came out of his natural affection for his son Ishmael, that
Ishmael might be the son through whom God would carry out His purposes.
But what is Gods answer? No. The son of promise cannot be a son that came through a plan in the flesh.
This must be a son the only son that God gives. There are many reasons for this, but the most
significant is that Isaac is a type of Christ the Son that Gods gives; the only begotten Son of God. He
will be born from Sarahs womb, a womb that never bore picturing the virgin birth of Christ.
But God heard Abraham, concerning Ishmael heard his love for his son. And God had plans for Ishmael.
Ishmael himself will become a believer; but he will also become the progenitor of the Arab nations the
bitter enemies of Israel, the nation that will come through Isaac.
Then God had finished making His revelation to Abraham.
v. 23-27 We see Abrahams ready obedience to the command of God; he circumcised himself and his
household that very same day. Abraham was walking before El Shaddai, as the completed son of God that
he was.
[Return to Romans 4]
So Paul is using this chronology of events in the life of Abraham to demonstrate to his Jewish readers that
circumcision does not make a man righteous, or give him favor, with God. Lets look at what he says in
more detail. Remember, Paul was speaking of the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes
righteousness, through faith.
v. 9-10 Paul is posing this question, which a Jew might ask, based on the psalm Paul quoted. The idea is
that since David, a circumcised Jew, wrote the psalm, perhaps the blessing of righteousness that he speaks
of is only for those who are circumcised that is, for Jews, only.
But Paul points back to Abraham, who like David, had also been made righteous. When Abraham believed
God, and was made righteous that night under the stars, was he at that time circumcised, or uncircumcised?
He was uncircumcised. In fact, Abraham was not circumcised until over 13 years later. This is an inspired
stroke, by Paul, demonstrating that circumcision did not make Abraham righteous.
Paul has already posed and answered the question of the advantage of circumcision to the Jew (Rom
3:1-2); it is in the meaning behind the act; what it pictures, as we have just reviewed in Genesis 17. But
Paul recognizes that his Jewish readers need to see exactly how it relates to righteousness in the case of
Abraham, their revered father for they held him up as their example. So Paul explains this, in Abrahams
case.
v. 11a We have seen how circumcision was a sign of the covenant; the way in which the covenant was to
be kept by Abraham and his seed after him. Then Paul says it was also a seal. A seal of what? Of the
righteousness of the faith of Abraham, which he had while still uncircumcised as we said, more than
thirteen years prior to when he was circumcised.
Are a seal and a sign the same thing? No. The word sign means an indicator or a mark by which
something is made known, like a picture or symbol. A seal is something that confirms the truth of
something, authenticating the reality of it.

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So in what way did Abraham receiving the sign of circumcision confirm his righteousness, which was
accounted to him for his faith prior to this time? Quite simply, Abrahams circumcision was an outward
demonstration of obedience that reflected Abrahams inner belief, having taken God at His word; his
obedience confirmed his faith, proving it to be real.
In Genesis 17, we have seen that God confirmed His eternal covenant with Abraham, giving it to him.
Through his circumcision, Abraham received the sign of that covenant, confirming his belief in Gods
Christ; it was a seal of authenticity of his righteousness through faith.
In Jewish thinking, Abraham was actually considered a Gentile before he was circumcised. This is true, in
a sense, because Abraham was called out from the idolatrous Sumerian culture. There was no nation of
Israel at that time; only the nations that had collectively rejected the LORD. So Pauls Jewish readers would
certainly track with his thinking here, relating the uncircumcised Abraham with the uncircumcised Gentiles,
as Paul continues.
v. 11b-12 The Jews considered Abraham to be their father, according to the flesh, and as such, they
presumed that they would experience Abrahams blessings; his favor, with God. But Paul shows that this is
not the case. Paul indicates that in the Divine plan, Abraham is the father of all those who believe.
This includes the uncircumcised Gentiles, for in like manner, Abraham was uncircumcised when he was
made righteous. And it includes the circumcised Jews; but not all of them.
Paul indicates that only those who follow in Abrahams example of faith can genuinely claim Abraham as
their father. But in what sense can Paul claim Abraham as the father of all who believe?
When a person believes whether Jew or Gentile they become the seed of Christ; and Christ is the seed
of Abraham. Therefore, if you are Christs, you are Abrahams seed (Gal 3:29); he is your father. And it is
those who are of faith who are blessed with believing Abraham (Gal 3:9) and receive the promise of Life
everlasting.
Pauls statement that Abraham is the father of only those Jews who walk in his steps of faith is wrought
with meaning for his Jewish listeners. Abraham believed to be made righteous, and later learned that no
work of his flesh could accomplish the purposes of God; thats how he got Ishmael. This served to
strengthen his faith, as we see in him waiting on God for the next 13 years, and then authenticating his faith
through his obedience to circumcision.
The question Pauls Jewish readers must ask themselves is if they have truly laid aside the works of their
flesh, to walk in the steps of the faith of Abraham. Then they too can walk before El Shaddai, as the
completed sons of God that they are.
Next week: Read the rest of Romans 4. Heb 11:8-19.