Chapter 4

Romans 4:1-3

Paul continues to act as an attorney to further his point of the law going to the first patriarch of the house of Israel, Abraham. He mentions that if Abraham was righteous because of his own deeds and works, then he would have obtained his own glory. But that will never be the case in the likes of men. The scripture says that Abraham believed in God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. Righteousness is like a badge of honor in the Heavenly realm for men.

Romans 4:4:8

As we are reading the Book of Romans, we are laying down a foundation of what faith is and why it is so important. This is why Jesus stated that if you build your house on a rock that it will not fall. And the faith comes from believing in Jesus (and hearing about Jesus) who is the progenitor of our faith. When we work on the earth there is something we are supposed to earn for our labor in the form of currency or an exchange of value. So, Paul helps us understand that where there is work there is a reward, and by us doing the deed of the law, by making sacrifices and giving offerings to the high priests, those things no longer are rewarded by grace, but of a debt that you must pay. Back in ancient times, they didn’t trade paper for currency. In some civilizations, they just traded coins in the form of precious metals. You had to either barter livestock or trade it with precious metals worth of value. The high priests were given money from those who needed to make an atonement for their sins because most people could not afford the sacrifices, and in some cases, some high priests largely exploited those sinners, because being in the temple was very profitable to them. Christ paid the heavy debt that the whole world owed to God for ungodliness and unrighteousness, becoming the High Priest for all, but also, for his chosen people the Israelites for continuing in their sins. The Israelites, by a covenant set by YAH and Abraham, were supposed to be fulfilled. But since the children of Israel were captivated in Egypt and made to serve them, the children of Israel adopted ways and customs that were not like their fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). So, to redeem His people and get them back to the blessings of God, he sent Moses to extract His people out of the land of Egypt and gave them a covenant in the form of laws that was given to Moses and from Moses to the Israelites. Jesus Christ came to complete that covenant by laying down his life and then when He came back to life, there was a new covenant, because obviously we were going to keep in our sins and increase in it. That is why Paul states that even the person who had a life of sin, if he believes in Jesus Christ’s life and resurrection, and the Heavenly Father, then that man is very blessed, because his iniquities are forgiven and covered.

Romans 4:9-12

This is where we get the title of Abraham being the Father of Faith. Paul helps us understand that Abraham was counted for righteousness before his circumcision because he believed in God. So, it didn’t take him making circumcision in his foreskin to become a righteous man before God, it took his belief and trust in the LORD first and foremost. The circumcision came as a badge of honor here on earth to recognize, I am a friend to God and have been chosen to carry His promise(s). I believe the keyword in between these verses is the word “seal”. We all know that a seal is like a trademark. That is why I keep mentioning a badge of honor, because it is the most honorable and blessed thing to be counted as righteous in the sight of God. That means that God recognizes you, even in your sin, and loves you enough to account you as one of his own. And for the act of circumcision, Abraham became the father of faith, being the example of those who come after him believing in God wholeheartedly.

Romans 4:13-15

Paul brings up a really great way to look at why a law is established in the first place. In the third chapter of the Book of Romans, Apostle Paul acknowledges that the law is the knowledge of sin. So, in verses thirteen through fifteen, he explains that Abraham was told by YAH that his seed carried nations and that the nations would be the quantity of the stars in Heaven. Abraham, being the heir of the world, inheriting the earth, because of his seed, was not a promise inside the Law that was given to Moses, but it was a promise given because of Abraham’s faith, which then was counted as righteousness in Heaven when Abraham believed God despite his shortcomings. To further push Paul’s point, if a father tells his first-born son that he will give him the company that he built that is to be worth $150 million dollars, the son would be ecstatic and would have complete belief and trust that his father would deliver on his promise. But did the father give his son a contract to sign saying that this will surely happen, or did the father say it would? And when the son inherits the company, did the son receive because of a contract, or by the will and promise of his father? Paul continues to express that faith is not needed if all God ever did was make covenants with every promise that he gave to Men. That is not how faith works, that is how law works. And the law is there for God to send out judgments and display his wrath for ungodliness and unrighteousness, by boundaries He placed on all men. And that is because God knew in His infinite and divine wisdom that there will always be Men and creatures on earth who want nothing to do with Him and want to destroy everything that He has created, and as a God of justice, recompence (perfect measure), and of War, he cannot go against His nature, and overlook the iniquities of lawlessness. That is why Jesus stated in the Matthew 24, that the Son of Man will not return until the Gospel is preached throughout the whole earth, so there will not be an excuse to those who did not believe or never heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Romans 4:16-22

Through faith by grace, there is no law, and wherever there is no law, there is no transgression to be accounted for. And where there is no transgression, there is no wrath of God, which then comes peace. Amen. Paul explains the faith that Abraham had. We remember in Genesis that when he received his promise from YAHWEH that he was over a hundred-year-old and Sarah his wife being around the same age. We all know that at that age our body does not work like it used to at a younger stage in our life. But one thing that is important is that his faith was strong in the Lord, despite his circumstances. I believe that Abraham stored up so much faith that his promise was delivered, even when he was not around to see it. If a man’s soul is like a house, do you make your house out of straw or bricks? King Solomon created the first temple of God out of pure gold, because His faith was great, just like His father David. Your soul (house) is supposed to be built on the faith of Jesus Christ. Faith is also work. You build it day and night, just like you build a house or a tower or a boat from incoming flood. Abraham believed in God that He would do this for him, and it was imputed to him as righteousness in Heaven.

Romans 4:23-25

The reason for this example of faith is to show us how God will step in and act on accordance to us believing in Him. The belief is in Jesus Christ being your Lord and Savior, and his resurrection. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice so there won’t be a need to exploit a person’s finances because they couldn’t afford oxen, goats, and sheep to give up as offerings. Jesus became the high priest, so you won’t have to go to a Pharisee to communicate with God, because he sits at the right hand of God. You receive these benefits if you are tired of living in sin and want redemption from it. You receive these benefits if you want to be renewed in spirit and mind.