Who was delivered for our offences— See chap. Romans 3:25 Romans 5:6-10. Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 1:14; 2 Chronicles 1:14. Col 1:14; Colossians 1:20-22. 1 Timothy 2:6. Titus 2:14. 1 Corinthians 15:17. In these several texts of St. Paul may be seen his own explication of what he says here; namely, that our Saviour, by his death, atoned for our sins, and so the justified believer is made innocent of his past transgressions, and thereby freed from the punishment due to them; and yet still on the condition of persevering faith and love. But he rose again to ascertain eternal life for the faithful; for the reward of righteousness is eternal life, to which inheritance we have a title by adoption in Jesus Christ. But if he himself had not possessed that inheritance, if he had not risen into the possession of eternal life, we, who hold by and under him, could not rise from the dead; and so could never come to be pronounced righteous, and to receive the reward of it, if faithful, even everlasting life. Hence St. Paul tells us, that if Christ be not raised, our faith is vain; we are yet in our sins: that is, as to the attainment of eternal life, it is all the same as if our sins were not forgiven. And thus he rose for our justification, not only as his resurrection affords the most solemn confirmation of the whole new covenant, but also enables him consistently with the divine perfections to raise us from the dead, and to give us, dying in faith and holiness, eternal life. John 14:19. See Locke.
Inferences.—It is the corrupt inclination of the heart of man to seek for something to justify himself in his own good works, and in his own will; which does not come from God, and which is owing only to himself. The sincere Christian, on the contrary, places all his joy in owing every thing to God, through Jesus Christ: and whoever is desirous to glory in any thing independently of Him, will meet with nothing but shame and confusion at the last. In this view Abraham is the first witness to grace, and the righteousness of faith before the law, ver. l, 2 and the pattern of right conduct to every truly faithful person.
We are saved by a divine scheme, which allows us not to mention any works of our own, as if we had whereof to glory before God, but teaches us to ascribe our acceptance before God to the belief in Him who justifieth the ungodly. Nor need we be ashamed of flying to such a method: Abraham, the father of the faithful, had recourse to it himself, Romans 4:3-5 and built on it his eternal hope. May we share his disposition of mind, that so we may inherit the same promises: and thus we also, walking in the steps of our father Abraham, shall be called like him the friends and children of God; and sit down with the patriarchs and prophets of old in his heavenly kingdom!
If there be indeed any such thing as happiness to be enjoyed by mortals, it is the portion of that man of whom David speaks,—of him whose iniquity is pardoned, whose sin is covered, and who enjoys the manifestation of that pardon, Romans 4:7-8. Well may such endure the greatest afflictions of life with cheerful submission, and look forward to death with comfort,—to that awful yet transporting day, when the sting of all these evils shall be taken out, and returning tokens of the divine favour convert them into blessings. How earnestly should we then supplicate the throne of grace, that this happiness may become ours! that the great and glorious Being, whom by our sins we have so offended, and in whom alone the right and power of pardon resides, would spread the veil of his mercy over our provocations, and blot them out of the book of his remembrance! Let us only, on the one hand, fix it in our minds, that it is the character of the man to whom this blessedness belongs, that in his spirit there is no guile: and on the other reflect, that it is in consequence of the righteous obedience of Christ unto the death of the cross and his infinite merit which faith receives and applies.
How common is it for men to glory in the piety and holiness of those to whom they bear any relation; but how rarely do they walk in their-steps, by imitating their example! see Romans 4:12. The faith which does not dispose us to forsake all for the sake of God, and to sacrifice every thing to his known will, is not the faith of a son of Abraham; not such a faith as can ever be accounted for righteousness.
Though by our manifold transgression of the perfect law of God, we can never inherit by any claim from that, which only worketh wrath and condemnation, in consequence of our breach of it (Romans 4:14-15.); yet shall we, by believing and obeying the Gospel of our Redeemer, find the promise sure to us, as the spiritual seed of Abraham, (Romans 4:16.) and be for ever happy in the enjoyment of that better Canaan, where every earthly inheritance shall be no more.
Let us then bear continually in our minds the great, the venerable example of Abraham our father; labour to the utmost to trace his steps, and have faith in that omnipotent God, who at his pleasure quickeneth the dead, and calleth the things which are not, as if they were, Romans 4:17. If sense were to judge, it would pronounce many of those difficulties insurmountable, which seem to oppose the accomplishment of his promises;—but we have the truth of God pledged as our security, that they shall all be fulfilled to the faithful in their season. Surely no argument should be so effectual as this to render us strong in faith, and thus dispose our hearts to glorifying God, Romans 4:20. He hath promised, and he is able also to perform; for with him all things are possible. Already has he done that for us, which we had much less reason to expect or conceive, than we now have to hope for any thing remaining. He that delivered up his Son Jesus for our offences (Romans 4:25.), to redeem us by his blood from final and everlasting ruin;—How shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Be it our daily joy, that this mighty Saviour was raised again for our justification. A belief of the resurrection of Christ comprehends every thing, since it includes the belief of all the mysteries and truths of Christianity, whether antecedent or subsequent; the resurrection being in fact the seal of every thing which the blessed Jesus did, suffered, taught, and promised. Let it therefore be continually considered as the noblest argument to establish our faith in him who performed this illustrious work of mercy and of power. So shall it be accounted to us likewise for righteousness, Romans 4:22-23. Yea, so shall the righteousness of God be revealed to our souls from faith to faith to all the blessed purposes of our justification (see chap. Romans 1:17.); and, if we perseveringly cleave to this adorable Saviour, we shall be accepted through his blood to all eternity.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, Abraham was the renowned ancestor, on their descent from whom the Jews so highly prided themselves. If therefore it can be made to appear, that he who was so eminent for his obedience was justified not by works but by faith, then surely none of his descendants, who came so short of his excellent character, may expect to be justified in any other way.
What shall we say then that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? Did he obtain justification by the efforts of his natural wisdom and strength, or by circumcision, or his other outward privileges and performances? No, in no wise. For,
1. If he were justified by works, he might have had room for boasting; but whatever excellence there was in his character before men, he had nothing whereof to glory before God. Therefore, when speaking of Abraham, the Scripture expressly observes, Genesis 15:6. Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness; that which he believed respecting the promised seed, who should suffer in his stead, was reckoned to his account, as the ground of his justification before God, and not any doings or duties of his own.
2. If Abraham were justified by works, his reward would have been of debt, not of grace; for perfect obedience would have entitled him to eternal life: but God called Abraham when he was (ασεβη) an ungodly person, and justified him through faith in the promised Messiah. And to him that worketh not, who is utterly unable to perform that immaculate obedience which the law requires, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, conscious that this is his character, and perceiving the absolute necessity of an infinitely meritorious sacrifice for his sins, even that which God hath provided in his Son; his faith is counted to him for his justifying righteousness and title to God's favour. If Abraham then must be justified as an ungodly sinner, as one that worketh not, it would be strange presumption in his descendants, or any others, to expect justification in any other way.
3. He argues the necessity of free justification from the declarations of the Psalmist, who describes him as the truly blessed man, not who has no sins to answer for, but who has them not counted or imputed to him, being justified from them all by the free grace of God, without any works of his own, of whatever kind, to recommend him to the divine regard.
2nd, The blessedness above described is, no doubt, most desirable; the question is, to whom it belongs? Is it peculiar to the circumcised Jews, or common to the uncircumcised Gentiles? The former would fain monopolize it as the sole privilege of those who were within the pale of circumcision; but the Gospel declares the uncircumcised Gentiles alike capable of receiving it.
It was faith, not circumcision, which was Abraham's justifying righteousness, as we have before shewn. This was imputed to him, and in consequence thereof he was a justified man, fourteen years before he was circumcised. It is evident therefore that when he afterwards submitted to this instituted ordinance of God, and received the sign of circumcision, it was not in order to his being justified, since that he had been long before, but as a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, being yet uncircumcised; a visible token that God had taken him and his seed into the bond of the covenant, and an assurance to him, if faithful, of all the blessings which were to be procured by that Redeemer in whom he had believed. Thus, in this eminent instance of him who bore the distinguished title of father of the faithful, and from whom the Messiah should spring in whom all nations were to be blessed, the Gentiles, though uncircumcised, might behold the way of justification freely opened to them, and stand in the nearest relation to Abraham, whose faith they followed, as his spiritual children; and, though they were not his natural descendants, might share in all his most distinguished blessings, and righteousness be reckoned or imputed unto them also, in like manner as it was to him during his uncircumcised state.
And herein also God shewed to the Jews, that it was not their being the natural descendants of Abraham, and partakers of circumcision with him, which entitled them to pardon; but that the distinguishing privileges of that covenant of grace into which Abraham was admitted, belonged only to those who walked in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham which he had, being yet uncircumcised: and without which, circumcision, and all their other duties and performances, would never procure for them justification to life.
3rdly, As circumcision was not a justifying righteousness to Abraham, nor to any of his seed; neither was the law, in which the Jewish people trusted. For the promise, that he should be heir of the world, was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law of Moses, which was not yet given, nor in virtue of any personal obedience of his or theirs, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, and the title to the blessings promised arose from the fulfilling the law, whether that of Moses or any other, then faith is made void; there is no place for the exercise of it; and the promise is of no effect, since the blessings of it would depend on our perfect and immaculate obedience: if that were not perfect and immaculate, the promise would be useless, which must necessarily be the case in our present corrupted state; because the law worketh wrath, and can only deliver over every man to the righteous judgment of God, as transgressors. Had there indeed been no law given, had no notice of God's will, traditionary or revealed, been afforded, there would have been no conscience of sin, for where no law is, there is no transgression: but now that there is a law, the offender is obnoxious to the curse, which is the sanction annexed to the transgression of it. Therefore, since none by their obedience to any law, moral or ceremonial, could possibly be entitled to the promised blessings, God so ordained, that it should be of faith, that it might be of grace; that the promise, and all the blessings contained in it, might appear to be given of God's mere goodness, without the least desert on our part, faith stretching out its empty hand to receive the inestimable treasure, to the end the promise might be sure to every persevering believer, even to all the seed, to the spiritual seed of Abraham, even to every faithful soul; not to that only which is of the law, who live under the Mosaical dispensation, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, though Gentiles by birth and profession, yet who through faith become, in God's account, the children of this eminent patriarch, who is the father of us all, whether believing Jews or Gentiles; as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations. In a spiritual sense, before him whom he believed, even God, was he thus reputed as the father of nations; even before him who quickeneth the dead; Abraham and his wife, whose bodies were now as good as dead; or the Gentiles dead in trespasses and sins; or the bodies of the deceased in the last day: and who, in virtue of his almighty power, calleth those things which be not as though they were, since whatever he wills, at his word starts into being. Persuaded of this, notwithstanding all the difficulties which his faith had to encounter, Abraham against hope, if reason were consulted, believed in hope; and against all arguments which sense or experience urged, he rested satisfied in the fulfilment of the promise, that he should become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, Genesis 15:5 when, pointing him to the stars, God assured him, so shall thy seed be, so numberless, so illustrious. Having this divine promise, he staggered not a moment through any improbabilities which unbelief might suggest, from the consideration of his own great age, which, with regard to his having children, rendered his body as if already dead, nor at the deadness of Sarah's womb, long since past child-bearing; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, with the fullest assurance expecting the fulfilment of what God had promised, and was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness; and what he saw about to be done by the promised seed, Christ Jesus, was now reckoned to his account, and he stood thereby justified before God. Note; Where God has promised, whatever objections carnal reason and unbelief may make, it is our wisdom to turn a deaf ear to every suggestion, and confidently wait the accomplishment of his word; and this gives God the highest glory.
4thly, Great was the faith of the patriarch, great the honour put upon him thereby! But this record borne to him of his acceptance before God was not written for his sake alone, historically to inform us of that which rendered him so eminent; but for us also, as a pattern, comfort, and encouragement to us, and an assurance that the same righteousness shall be counted to us, for our justification, if we, as true sons of this father of the faithful, believe as he did, on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who, as our substitute and surety, was delivered for our offences, to bear our sins in his own body on the tree; and, having so done, was raised again for our justification.