Romans 4:17-25 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Reader Related Verse
Bible Comments

Romans 4:17 b - Romans 4:25. Faith in God the Life-Giver.

Romans 4:17 associates with the scope the quality of Abraham's faith. The patriarch's world-fatherhood was his in the sight of God whom he believed: God acknowledged and made good that paternityHe who makes alive the dead and summons things non-existent as though in being!

Romans 4:18-23. Abraham's trust in the power yoked to God's promise made his belief efficacious: against hope, he believed in hope; spiritual hope conquered natural despair. He accepted the assurance respecting Isaac's birth, though perfectly aware of its physical impossibility (Romans 4:19). His unhesitating faith honoured God (Romans 4:20), and brought righteousness to himself (Romans 4:22). In James 2:21-23 and Hebrews 11:17-19, the climax of Abraham's faith is his consent to Isaac's death; here his anticipation of Isaac's birth.

Romans 4:24. In this phase of it the patriarch's faith specifically resembles that of Christian believers. Isaac was, in effect, be gotten out of the dead (Romans 4:19; Hebrews 11:12; cf. Colossians 1:18); and the faith which now brings justification is trust in the life-giving power revealed on Easter Day.

Romans 4:25 a, alluding to Isaiah 53:4 f., presents our Lord's death in its vicarious character manwards (cf. Romans 8:3; Romans 8:32, 2 Corinthians 5:21); Romans 3:24 f., in its propitiatory character Godwards. Read prospectively, the for (because of) of Romans 4:25 b signifies to effect our (individual) justification; retrospectively, because our (collective) justification had been effected, potentially, in Christ's death (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:19): the former construction is preferable as in keeping with Romans 4:24, to whom it is to be reckoned.

Related Commentaries of Romans 4:17

Romans 4:17-25

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.