‘What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, has found according to the flesh?'
Paul now relates what he has demonstrated, to the Scriptures concerning the life of Abraham. The unbelieving Jews (as opposed to the believing Jews who were Christians) saw Abraham's life as the perfect example of the man who was acceptable to God because of his works, and this especially because of his willingness to offer up his son Isaac. In so far as they made any effort at all they thus strove to be like him. Paul now intends to dispute their position, and he begins with a question, as he does so often in Romans (Romans 2:3-5; Romans 3:1-9; Romans 3:27-31; Romans 4:9-10; Romans 6:1; Romans 6:15; Romans 7:1; Romans 7:7; Romans 7:13; Romans 8:31; Romans 8:33-35; Romans 10:18-19; Romans 11:1; Romans 11:11; often accompanied by ‘let it not be so'). His question is, ‘What then has Abraham our forefather found?'
Our first problem here is as to whether ‘according to the flesh' should be attached to ‘our forefather', or to ‘has found', or should be omitted altogether. Different manuscripts suggest differing alternatives. The first alternative, ‘Has found according to the flesh' (that is, ‘what has Abraham found as a human being in accordance with his natural powers without the grace of God being active?') is the reading of K, L, P, Theodoret etc. The second alternative, ‘Abraham our forefather according to the flesh', (contrasting Abraham's fatherhood with that of God's), is the reading of Aleph, A, C, D, E, F, G etc. The third alternative is to omit it altogether. That is the reading of B, 47*, 1739 and possibly Chrysostom. Fortunately, whichever way we take it, it does not greatly affect the argument in Romans 4:2.
Accepting the text as we have it above the question is, ‘what has Abraham found if we just consider him according to his natural abilities without the grace of God being active?' And he concedes that, looking from a human point of view, Abraham could in fact have been recognised as ‘in the right' by men, as they saw the tenor of his life. They might well, as the Jews had done, have concluded that he was blessed because of his works. That indeed is always man's tendency, for man, especially in religious matters, almost always thinks of doing service and getting rewarded. He sees God as he sees himself.