After three chapters of exposition and many quotations from the Septuagint, Paul returns to "the promise of God" which he first mentions in Romans 1.
ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις,
which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures (Romans 1:2).
Here, this "promise" was the gospel of the Lord. That is, through the passion and resurrection of Jesus, God and sinners have reconciled.
Today, in Romans 4, Paul discusses the nature of God's promise to Abraham.
ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις,
which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures (Romans 1:2).
Here, this "promise" was the gospel of the Lord. That is, through the passion and resurrection of Jesus, God and sinners have reconciled.
Today, in Romans 4, Paul discusses the nature of God's promise to Abraham.
Οὐ γὰρ διὰ νόμου ἡ ἐπαγγελία τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἢ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ, τὸ κληρονόμον αὐτὸν εἶναι κόσμου, ἀλλὰ διὰ δικαιοσύνης πίστεως
The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith (Romans 4:13).
God made a promise to Abraham. According to the interpretation of Paul, this promise came through the righteousness of faith and not from the law. Paul worked hard to prove that righteousness did not come as a result of keeping all the laws because it was impossible to keep all the laws. Rather, righteousness came from faith. This is a key feature of the theology of Paul --- justification by faith.
In his epistle to the Galatians, which was written earlier, Paul discussed the same question. Are we justified by faith or by the works of the law? He made his position clear that we are justified by faith. How could he be so sure about this? It was because of the Holy Spirit Christians received at their baptism.
Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? (Galatians 3:2-3)
Paul reasoned that before Christians were baptised, they had done nothing that deserved this wonderful gift from God. The Holy Spirit was given them not because of their good works. It was a matter of God's grace and on our part, our faith in God.
Of course, God can give the Holy Spirit to us for many other reasons. Perhaps our father has found favour in God's sight, or for some reasons, God has chosen us to accomplish a certain mission and therefore He empowers us with His Spirit. Such incidents have happened in the Old Testament where the recipients of the Holy Spirit might not even have declared their faith in God. In the New Testament, especially for Paul, he explained God's gift solely in terms of our faith in Jesus Christ.
Here in the epistle to the Romans, Paul saw Abraham as the father of all who believed.
He received circumcision as a sign or seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them (Romans 4:11).
That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants -- not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all (Romans 4:16).
In Abraham's time, the Torah was not yet given. There was no law to keep and thus no such thing as gaining favour through the works of law. But there was still the custom of circumcision. In order to overthrow the works of the law, Paul argued that Abraham believed in God before circumcision. He had been justified because of his faith, not because of his circumcision. Circumcision came later. It is only a sign of God's covenant with Abraham because of his faith. Therefore, Abraham was a model, an example for Christians. So, once more, Paul proved that justification comes from faith, not the works of law.
Paul had argued very well. In the epistle to the Galatians, Paul made use of the believers' experience of the Holy Spirit. In the epistle to the Romans, Paul argued from the historical Abraham. However, I am afraid Paul has not done his job of abolishing the works of law completely. He had argued the priority of faith over circumcision, but he had not yet argued the same over the keeping of the Sabbath. Paul still kept the Sabbath. So have Christians ever since. Paul could not completely cut his root off Judaism. So don't Christians.
The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith (Romans 4:13).
God made a promise to Abraham. According to the interpretation of Paul, this promise came through the righteousness of faith and not from the law. Paul worked hard to prove that righteousness did not come as a result of keeping all the laws because it was impossible to keep all the laws. Rather, righteousness came from faith. This is a key feature of the theology of Paul --- justification by faith.
In his epistle to the Galatians, which was written earlier, Paul discussed the same question. Are we justified by faith or by the works of the law? He made his position clear that we are justified by faith. How could he be so sure about this? It was because of the Holy Spirit Christians received at their baptism.
Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? (Galatians 3:2-3)
Paul reasoned that before Christians were baptised, they had done nothing that deserved this wonderful gift from God. The Holy Spirit was given them not because of their good works. It was a matter of God's grace and on our part, our faith in God.
Of course, God can give the Holy Spirit to us for many other reasons. Perhaps our father has found favour in God's sight, or for some reasons, God has chosen us to accomplish a certain mission and therefore He empowers us with His Spirit. Such incidents have happened in the Old Testament where the recipients of the Holy Spirit might not even have declared their faith in God. In the New Testament, especially for Paul, he explained God's gift solely in terms of our faith in Jesus Christ.
Here in the epistle to the Romans, Paul saw Abraham as the father of all who believed.
He received circumcision as a sign or seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them (Romans 4:11).
That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants -- not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all (Romans 4:16).
In Abraham's time, the Torah was not yet given. There was no law to keep and thus no such thing as gaining favour through the works of law. But there was still the custom of circumcision. In order to overthrow the works of the law, Paul argued that Abraham believed in God before circumcision. He had been justified because of his faith, not because of his circumcision. Circumcision came later. It is only a sign of God's covenant with Abraham because of his faith. Therefore, Abraham was a model, an example for Christians. So, once more, Paul proved that justification comes from faith, not the works of law.
Paul had argued very well. In the epistle to the Galatians, Paul made use of the believers' experience of the Holy Spirit. In the epistle to the Romans, Paul argued from the historical Abraham. However, I am afraid Paul has not done his job of abolishing the works of law completely. He had argued the priority of faith over circumcision, but he had not yet argued the same over the keeping of the Sabbath. Paul still kept the Sabbath. So have Christians ever since. Paul could not completely cut his root off Judaism. So don't Christians.
Dear Lord, You have been very generous in granting us Your grace. Allow us to explore better ways to actualize Your promise in this modern world. Amen.
Appendix:
ὅτι πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν τέθεικά σε
I have made you the father of many nations (Romans 4:17, Genesis 17:5)
οὕτως ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου
So shall your descendants be (Romans 4:18b, Genesis 15:5b).
ὅτι πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν τέθεικά σε
I have made you the father of many nations (Romans 4:17, Genesis 17:5)
οὕτως ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου
So shall your descendants be (Romans 4:18b, Genesis 15:5b).
No comments:
Post a Comment