Romans 4:18-21 - Exposition

Who against hope in hope believed ( παρ ἐλπίδα ἐπ ἐλπίδι —an oxymoron. For a similar use of ἐπ ἐλπίδι , see 1 Corinthians 9:10 ; also below, Romans 5:2 . Its position in the Authorized Version might suggest its dependence on "believed," which is grammatically possible (cf. Romans 9:33 ; Romans 10:11 ), but unallowable here, since hope cannot well be regarded as the object of belief) to the end he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be ( Genesis 15:5 , viz. "as the stars"). And being not weak in faith, he considered not ( i.e. paid no regard to as a hindrance to faith. The codices relied on by our recent Revisers omit ου) before κατενόησεν , and they accordingly translate, "he considered his own body," thus making the idea to be that he was fully aware of the apparent impossibility of his having a son, but believed notwithstanding. But the reading of the Textus Receptus has good support, and especially that of the Greek Fathers, and gives the best sense) his own body now dead ( already deadened— νενεκρώμενον —i.e. with respect to virility. So, with the same reference, Hebrews 11:12 ), when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb; but he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong (rather, was strengthened ) in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform . With regard to the construction of Romans 5:20 , we may observe that, though in the Authorized Version, which is followed above, the prepositions put before "unbelief'' and "faith" are varied, both words are datives without a preposition in the Greek, and apparently with the same force of the dative in both cases, the sense being, "With regard to the promise, etc., unbelief did not cause him to waver ( οὑ διεκρίθη τῇ ἀπιστία ) , but faith made him strong ἐνεδυναμώθη τῇ πίστει )." The purport of the whole passage is to show, with reference to Genesis 17:15-22 ; Genesis 18:9-16 , how Abraham's faith in the promise of a seed through Sarah, which seemed impossible in the natural course of things, corresponded in essence to our faith in "him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead" ( Genesis 18:24 ). It was faith in a Divine power above nature, able to quicken into supernatural life that which humanly is dead. And as Abraham's faith in this promised birth of Isaac involved a further faith in the fulfilment through him of all the promises, so our faith in the resurrection of Christ involves faith in all that is signified and assured to us thereby—in "the power of a Divine life" in him, to bring life out of death, to regenerate and quicken the spiritually dead, and finally in "eternal redemption'' and the "restitution of all things" (cf. John 3:6 ; John 5:25 ; Romans 6:3-12 ; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23 ; Ephesians 1:18-23 ; Ephesians 2:4-8 ; Revelation 1:18 ; to which many other similarly significant passages might be added). It may be observed that, not only in the instance here adduced, but in his whole life as recorded in Genesis, Abraham stands forth as an exemplification of habitual faith in a Divine order beyond sight, and trust in Divine promises. In this consists the religious meaning of that record for us all. Notably so (as is especially set forth in Hebrews 11:17 , etc.) in his willingness to sacrifice the son through whom the promise was to be fulfilled, retaining still his faith in the fulfilment.