Welcome to another installment of “Well That’s Interesting” (you can find the first post with a detailed explanation of the series here, or bookmark this page to keep track of the whole series).
Paul’s letter to the Romans has got to be one of the most beloved books of the Bible. My guess is that many people reading this post can quote or recognize at least one passage from Romans (even if you don’t know it’s from Romans), and perhaps you were even led to the Lord through its straightforward explanation of the gospel, the so-called “Romans Road”. But for all its loved and memorable verses, the book of Romans is also incredibly dense and theologically rich. And if I’m being completely honest, I find the idea of teaching on it in any meaningful capacity to be somewhat intimidating. But part of the point of this blog series is to encourage us all to not to shy away from Bible passages that are difficult. So let’s start by reading Romans 4:13–16.
For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the Law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation. For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
Romans 4:13–16 NASB
Context
Today’s passage exists as a tiny fragment of a much larger section, where Paul is detailing justification through faith. Specifically in this part he is explaining salvation by grace through faith as something that is for both Jews and Gentiles, and pointing back to the Old Testament to support his claims. In fact, in one of my Bibles the heading for this section is noted as “Justification By Faith Evidenced in Old Testament”. In the verses directly preceding our passage today, Paul demonstrates that Abraham’s “faith was credited to [him] as righteousness” (4:9; cf. 4:3; Gen. 15:6), and that this took place before the sign of circumcision was given (4:10). In fact, circumcision was given in part as “a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised” (4:11a); an outer demonstration of an existing inner reality. In other words, he wants to make undeniably clear, it was faith that justified Abraham, not circumcision.
This is obviously important to Paul’s discourse for a number of reasons, not least of which is that if Abraham could be justified by faith before being circumcised, that must be relevant in determining whether or not believing Gentiles need to be circumcised (a major sub-theme in many of his letters). Even more importantly, it’s clearly relevant to the discussion on whether or not Gentiles (the uncircumcised) can even be justified (4:11b). Furthermore, it’s really the basis for the argument that Paul makes in the following verses, which is our passage today. Allow me to paraphrase: Abraham was justified by faith before he was circumcised, so that he could be the father of all who believe with that same faith. Circumcision was given as a sign to demonstrate that inner faith, but that does not mean that circumcision is what justifies future generations any more than it justified Abraham (which it didn’t). It was always about faith.
What we’re going to see in verse 13 and following is that Paul is going to use the same train of thought and apply the same logic to the entirety of the Mosaic Law. But just before we go back there, look with me for a moment at a similar passage in his letter to the Galatians (who were also struggling with these issues a lot), which I found helpful in wrapping my head around all this.
What I am saying is this: the Law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.
Galatians 3:17–18 NASB
Not Through the Law
Let’s go back and take it verse by verse.
For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Romans 4:13 NASB
This verse is somewhat transitional, a bridge connecting the previous thread with the direction he’s going to take us. The promises made to Abraham, which came along with the sign of circumcision, were based on Abraham’s faith, not the act of circumcision itself. In the same way, those promises were not based on the keeping of the Law. Even from a simple logic perspective, God’s promises to Abraham couldn’t have been based on the Law, which didn’t come for another 430 years, unless the Law completely superseded and erased everything that had been promised before.
Imagine a father who promises his kindergartener, “If you graduate from University some day, I’ll buy you a sports car”, then years later, halfway through the degree, he adds the addendum “…but only if you get straight A’s”. If that was the case, his original promise, and his word in general, is useless. Even more-so if the requirement he added was physically impossible to achieve. That is sort of the idea that Paul transitions to in verse 14:
For if those who are of the Law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise is nullified;
Romans 4:14 NASB
Put another way, imagine if God’s promises to Abraham, that he would be the father of many nations and the whole world would be blessed by his seed, were originally based on Abraham’s faith but centuries later God added the addendum “…but only if your descendants follow this Law”. His promises to Abraham would mean nothing, not only because Abraham and his descendants couldn’t possibly meet those conditions, but because it’s changing the terms of the original covenant!
Paul’s point here, or at least part of it, is that if someone suggests that God’s promise of salvation through the seed of Abraham is only for those under the Law, they have seriously misunderstood that promise! Furthermore, that should be good news for everyone, since for even those under the Law, no one but Jesus has actually kept it! Look at what James writes:
For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all.
James 2:10 NASB
So therefore, if justification is through the Law, no one can be justified (cf. Gal. 2:16; Rom. 3:20).
for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.
Romans 4:15 NASB
But here Paul reminds that the Law was never about justification. Later in the book in Romans 7 he explains that it exists to show us what sin is. Like a mirror held up to show us just how far from perfect we really are; just how opposed to a holy God we really are. Without law, there is no violation, since how can you disobey commands that don’t exist? But when justification is left up to obedience, we will fail every time. It was a violation for Adam and Eve to take of the tree in the garden because God told them not to.
In contrast, justification has always, from the very beginning, been about faith. Look again at our last verse today:
For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
Romans 4:16 NASB
The only way a promise could be guaranteed for all of Abraham’s descendants, those under the Law and those not, is if that promise was not based on the ability of all of those descendants to keep and unkeepable Law. Instead, it was made on the basis of faith; faith in God, faith in his promises, and faith in the One descendant who would come and fulfill that Law (cf. Matt. 5:17). It is through that same faith that we too can be counted righteous.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8–9 NASB
Why Does it Matter?
Passages like this, and the much larger section it is a part of, matter a great deal, because they clarify against an illogical nuance that seeks to condemn. That is to say, I’m willing to bet that the majority of those reading this are, like me, not Jewish, and have never been under the Law. If righteousness and justification before the Lord comes though the Law, we have no hope, since the promise of salvation through the seed of Abraham would not be achievable for us (or anyone). But as Paul points out so clearly here, that is a gross misrepresentation of the promises God made.
Now, this isn’t to say that every promise God made is for all of us, or to suggest that he didn’t make promises specifically for the people of Israel. Maybe we’ll touch on more of those some day. But the gift of justification: salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, is for all people. That’s why, in his most famous verse, John writes that whoever believes in Christ will have eternal life. And that is the best news for all of us!