Romans 4:1-5,Romans 4:13-17,John 3:16,John 3:1-17

Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament - Romans 4:5

4:5 on (d-10) See Note, Acts 9:42 . read more

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 4:1-25

Acceptance by Faith foreshadowed in the old DispensationIn Romans 3:21.; St. Paul set forth the great truth of acceptance by faith. A Jew might object that it was new, and therefore not true. In Romans 3:31; St. Paul answered that in the Law and in faith there is the same moral and religious ideal, which is more completely developed and more perfectly fulfilled by faith. Now he turns to the past, to show that acceptance by faith is not a new idea. It was faith for which Abraham was accepted,... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:1

(1) To come back to the question of Romans 3:1, repeated in Romans 3:9, in what did the superiority of Abraham, the great representative of the Jewish race, really consist?As pertaining to the flesh.—The construction of these words appears to be determined by their position in the sentence. According to the best MSS. they are distinctly separated from “hath found” and joined with “our father.” They would therefore mean simply “our father according to the flesh,” i.e., by natural descent, as in... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:1-25

IV.(1-25) The subject of the chapter is an application of the foregoing to the special (and crucial) case of Abraham, with particular reference to two ideas that are continually recurring throughout the last chapter: (1) the supposed superiority of Jew to Gentile (and, à fortiori, of the great progenitor of the Jews); (2) the idea of boasting or glorying based upon this superiority. Following out this the Apostle shows how even Abraham’s case tells, not against, but for the doctrine of... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:2

(2) We know that he obtained justification. If that justification had been earned by his own works it would then have been something to be proud of; it would be a pride that he might fairly hold both towards men and towards God; for to men he could point to the privileged position that he had gained, and in the sight of God he would be able to plead a certain merit of his own. But he has not this merit. His justification was not earned, but it was bestowed upon him, not for the sake of his... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:3

(3) The Apostle gives a proof of this from Scripture. Abraham was not justified by works, and therefore had nothing to boast of in God’s sight. He was justified by faith. His righteousness was not real, but imputed. His faith was treated as if it had been equivalent to a righteousness of works. It met with the same acceptance in the sight of God that a righteousness of works would have done. But—the argument goes on—faith carries with it no such idea of merit or debt as works. It is met by a... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:4

(4) This, then (the righteousness attributed to Abraham), was an act of grace on the part of God, and not of merit on the part of man. It therefore carries with it no ground of boasting.The proposition is put in a general form. Those who base their claim on works have a right to their reward. It is not conceded to them by any sort of imputation, but is their desert. On the other hand (Romans 4:5), those who rely only upon faith, even though ungodly themselves, have righteousness imputed to... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:5

(5) But to him who puts forward no works, but has faith in God, who justifies men, not for their righteousness, but in spite of their sins, &c.The ungodly.—A stronger word is here used than simply “the unrighteous,” “the impious,” or “ungodly.” Their impiety is condoned to them in virtue of their single exercise of faith. It is characteristic of the Apostle not to flinch from the boldest expression, though, as a matter of fact, the two things, faith and positive impiety, would hardly be... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Romans 4:1-25

Romans 4:3 In this word faith, as used by St. Paul, we reach a point round which the ceaseless stream of religious exposition and discussion has for ages circled.... It will at once appear that while it can properly be said of Abraham, for instance, that he was justified by faith, if we take faith in its plain sense of holding fast to an unseen power of goodness, yet it cannot without difficulty and recourse to a strained figure, be said of him, if we take faith in Paul's specific sense of... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Romans 4:1-12

Chapter 10ABRAHAM AND DAVIDRomans 4:1-12THE Jewish disputant is present still to the Apostle’s thought. It could not be otherwise in this argument. No question was more pressing on the Jewish mind than that of Acceptance; thus far, truly, the teaching and discipline of the Old Testament had not been in vain. And St. Paul had not only, in his Christian Apostleship, debated that problem countless times with Rabbinic combatants; he had been himself a Rabbi, and knew by experience alike the... read more

Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament - Romans 4:5

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 4:1-25

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:1

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:1-25

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:2

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:3

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:4

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:5

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Romans 4:1-25

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Romans 4:1-12

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