Romans 4:13-25
Chapter 4
The Promise of Descendants
If God promised Abraham, or rather his descendants, that the world would belong to him, this was not because of his obeying the law, but because he was just and a friend of God, through faith.If the promise is now kept only for those who rely on the law, then faith has no power and the promise is no longer effective.
It is proper for the law to impose punishment, and only when there is no law can one live without breaking it.
For that reason, faith is the way, and everything is given by grace; the promises of Abraham are fulfilled for all his descendants, not just his children according to the law, but also for everyone who has believed. Abraham is the father of all of us,
as it is written: I will make you the father of many nations. He is our father in the eyes of Him who gives life to the dead, and calls into existence what does not yet exist, for this is the God in whom he believed.
Abraham believed and hoped despite all odds, thus becoming the father of many nations, as he was told: See how numerous your descendants will be.
He did not doubt, even though his body could no longer give life—he was about a hundred years old—and the dead womb of Sarah.
He did not doubt or distrust God’s promise, and by being strong in faith, he gave glory to God
and was convinced that he who had given the promise had the power to fulfill it.
Therefore, his faith was credited to him as righteousness.
Now the words, it was credited to him, were written not for him alone
but for us too, because we believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead,
who was delivered for our sins and raised for our justification.
Commentaries
The Promise of Descendants.
Paul broadens Abraham’s “fatherhood” beyond narrow nationalistic limits, which the Jewish people had imposed through the Law and circumcision—the Jews called Abraham “our father.” Paul expands it to a universal scope; from “patriarch of Israel,” he becomes “father of all who believe.”