Romans 4:13 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

The heir of the world— Abraham and his seed together are the heir of the world; for the promise is made to both; and the original word αυτου includes both: and his seed, in the next verse, are called heirs as well as he; that is to say, heirs of the world, not lords and possessors of it, as some suppose. The world, we conceive, must here be considered as a great family, and Abraham and his seed as the heir or heirs, to whom, by the free donation of God, belonged the birth-right, the double portion of the father's goods, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power, Genesis 43:33; Genesis 49:3. Deuteronomy 21:15-17. Agreeably to this sentiment, the Lord styles the whole body of the Israelites his son, his first-born, or heir; Exodus 4:22.Jeremiah 31:9. Hence the Christian church or congregation is called the church of the first-born, Hebrews 12:23 which is the thing the Apostle demonstrates in this chapter; namely, that we are heirs, or the first-born of the world, as we are by faith the seed of Abraham, to whom the promise was made, at the same time that it was made to him. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise; Galatians 3:29. This is a very just as well as a very beautiful way of representing the extraordinary privileges and blessings vouchsafed to the peculiar congregation and people of God: for, first, this gives us a clear idea in what sense the Apostle is here speaking of the justification both of Abraham and his seed; for the promise to Abraham and his seed, that he should be the heir of the world, is manifestlythat justification, about which the Apostle is arguing from the beginning of the chapter. This, secondly, shews in what light we are to view the Gentiles, or those parts of the world who are not taken into the congregation of God; namely, not as wholly excluded from his favour and blessing, but as enjoying a less degree of advantage. The heir in the family possessed a double portion of the father's goods, but the rest of the children had some share of the substance: so it is with the heathen; they have their part of God's blessing, though we, as the first-born, enjoy the double portion. This also, thirdly, shews with how much propriety the Apostle uses the instance of Esau, Hebrews 12:16-17 to caution Christians against the contempt and abuse of their present privileges. Esau, as Jacob's heir or first-born, had a birth-right, an invaluable blessing, which for one morsel of meat he sold, and lost for ever; and we also, as the first-born, or heirs of our heavenly Father, have a birthright, even the revelation and promises of all the blessings of the Gospel-covenant. This is our great happiness above the heathen, who have not the promises and grace of this covenant revealed to them: but we may forfeit this birth-right, and shall certainly lose it for ever, if we prefer the pleasures of sin before the favour of God, and that eternal life which he has given us in Jesus Christ our Lord; and then the virtuous heathen, who, through the secret influences of the Spirit of God, sincerely improves his lesser share of the divine goodness, shall, in the life to come, be received into the kingdom of God, through the alone merits of the Saviour of the world, while the profane and wicked Christian, who receives the grace of God in vain, shall be cast into outer darkness.