Chapter IV.
(Vers. 1.)
(Verse 1.) What then shall we say that Abraham, our father according to the flesh, has found? After showing that no one can be justified before God by works of the law, he added that Abraham could not have earned anything according to the flesh. By saying 'according to the flesh,' he signified circumcision, because Abraham sought nothing through circumcision. For he was justified before he was circumcised.
(Vers. 2.)
(V. 2.) But if Abraham was justified by the works of the Law, he has glory, but not before God. This is the argument of the one proposing it. For Abraham was justified by faith, which is beyond doubt: therefore, he has glory before God. But because those who observe the law, whether of Moses or of nature, are presently justified, so as not to be blamed in the present judgment; therefore, he says: If Abraham was justified by the works of the law, he does not have glory before God; because whoever has made the law, said he, will live by it, that is, will not die as guilty: yet, he will not have merit before God because of this, but for the sake of faith.
(Vers. 3.)
(Ver. 3.) What does Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (Gen. XV, 6). It is clear that Abraham did not have glory before God because he was circumcised or because he abstained from wickedness; but because he believed God, he was justified, and he will receive the reward of his praise in the future.
(Vers. 4.)
(Verse 4.) However, to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation. To the one who performs works according to the law, that is, Moses, he is subject, either by nature or by the law; merit is not credited as a reward, so that he may have glory before God. For it is necessary to fulfill the law, because an obligation is imposed by the law; whether one wishes or not, he must fulfill the law, lest he be condemned, as it is said elsewhere: But those who despise, they bring damnation upon themselves; because they are presently subject to the thing (Rom. 13:2). To believe or not to believe is a matter of will. For no one can be compelled to that which is not evident, but is invited; since it is not extorted, but persuaded. Therefore, the one who assents should be rewarded, just like Abraham, who believed what he did not see.
(Vers. 5.)
(Verse 5.) But to him who does not work, that is, to him who is guilty of sin; to him who does not work, what the law commands. But to him who believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. He says this because to the ungodly believer, that is, the Gentile, in Christ, his faith is reckoned as righteousness, just as it was for Abraham. So how do the Jews think they are justified by the works of the law, when they see that Abraham was justified not by the works of the law, but by faith alone? Therefore, the law is not necessary when the ungodly is justified before God by faith alone.
According to the purpose of God's grace. Thus, God decreed that with the cessation of the law, salvation would be sought solely through faith by the grace of God.
(Vers. 6.)
(Verse 6.) As David also says. He fortifies this very thing by the example of the prophet. The blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works. God pronounces blessed those of whom He has said that without any labor or observance, they are justified by faith alone before God. Therefore, He preaches the blessedness of the time in which Christ was born, as the Lord Himself says: Many righteous men and prophets have desired to see what you see and have not seen, and to hear what you hear and have not heard (Matthew 13:13).
(Vers. 7 et 8.)
(Verses 7 and 8.) Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin (Psalm 32:1 and following). Clearly blessed are those whose sins are forgiven without any work or effort, and their sins are covered, with no acts of repentance required except to believe. This man is also blessed, to whom the Lord does not impute sin. To forgive, and to cover, and not to impute, are one reason and one meaning; all things are obtained and given in the same way.
However, it seems that there is a threefold reason in these statements: because he used different words from different prophets, and because he descends from the plural to the singular. For when he wants to enumerate the names of sins through the words of God, because sins have different names, he speaks more extensively; however, the words are of one form and significance, because when he covers, he forgives, and when he forgives, he does not impute. For he speaks more extensively to praise the grace of God, in order to amplify grace. For he made three degrees on account of the variety of sins: the first degree is injustice or impiety, when the Creator is not acknowledged; the second, in the works of grave sins; the third, however, of light sins; yet all of these are wiped away in Baptism. By these three degrees he signified the entirety of the body of sin.
However, how can it pertain to the person who repents when it says: Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven; when it is well-known that penitents acquire the remission of sins through labor and groaning? Or how does it fit with martyrdom, which says: Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin; when we know that the glory of martyrdom is acquired through sufferings and afflictions?
But the prophet, foreseeing the blessed time in the coming of the Savior, calls those blessed who are forgiven and covered and whose sins are not imputed to them, without any labor or work through baptism. However, the Apostle, because of the fullness of time and because there is more grace in the apostles than there was in the prophets, testifies to greater things which we obtain through the gift of baptism. For he declares that we not only receive the forgiveness of sins, but also justification and becoming children of God, so that this blessedness may have perfect security and glory.
(Vers. 9.)
(Verse 9.) Therefore, does this blessedness remain only in circumcision, or also in uncircumcision? That is, is this blessedness granted only to the descendants of Abraham, or also to those who are uncircumcised? For if at that time the Gentiles were not prohibited from entering into the law and the promise of Abraham, how could it be that in the time of Christ, those who came to grace would be prohibited? When did God fully extend His grace?
For we say, that is, if we speak in terms of the law, that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. It begins from the beginning, in order to exclude all caviling objections; for he who is excluded from the head has no ground on which to raise a question.
(Vers. 10 et 11.)
(Vers. 10 et 11.) How then was it reckoned? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. Abraham believed in God when he was still uncircumcised. What did he believe? That he would have offspring, that is, a son, in whom all nations would be justified by faith, just as Abraham was justified. For circumcision is a sign that he received as a seal of the righteousness of faith; for he believed that he would have a son, and he received the sign of this thing that he believed, so that he might be seen as justified. Therefore, circumcision has no dignity in itself, but is only a sign. This sign was given to the sons of Abraham so that they would be known as his children, who, believing in God, received this sign, so that they would be imitators of their father's faith and believe in Jesus, who was promised to Abraham and from whom Isaac was born in a symbolic way. For not all the nations are blessed in Isaac, but in Christ: For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12), says the apostle Peter.
(Vers. 12.)
(Verse 12) And let him be the father of circumcision not only to those who are of the circumcision, but also to those who follow the steps of the faith, which is in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham. This he says, because Abraham believed, and he became the father of circumcision, not only to those who are of his origin, but also to those who believe in the same way from the Gentiles. For he is the father according to the flesh of the Jews, but according to faith of all believers.
(Vers. 13.)
(Verse 13) For the promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. It is clear, then, that the law had not yet been given, nor had circumcision been instituted when the promise was made to Abraham and his seed, which is Christ, who would cleanse the sins of mankind. Hence, John the Baptist says: Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:19). Therefore, Abraham did not become heir of the world through the observance of the law, but through faith. He became heir of the world as the heir of the land, which he obtained in his descendants. However, Christ is the heir of the Gentiles, as David sings: I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession (Psalm 2:8). For we will die and live with Him.
(Vers. 14.)
(Verse 14.) For if those who are of the law are heirs, that is, if those who are of the law or under the law are heirs, then faith is made void, and the promise is nullified (Rom. XIV, 8). It is evident that if inheritance is by the law, then the promise made by faith to Abraham has been nullified. But the promise was not made through the law, but through the righteousness of faith; for the Apostle shows what harm it is to hope for inheritance through the law.
(Vers. 15.)
(Verse 15.) For the law produces wrath. It is meant to demonstrate that no one can be justified by the law before God, and that the promise was not made through the law: For the law produces wrath; it was given for the purpose of making sinners guilty. But faith is a gift of God's mercy, so that through the law of being guilty, they may obtain forgiveness; therefore, faith produces joy. It does not speak against the law, but rather places faith before it; because those who could not be saved by the law are saved by God's grace through faith. Therefore, the law does not justify, but it works wrath on the sinner, that is, punishment; for it does not forgive, but it seeks revenge. Indeed, punishment is generated through wrath, and wrath arises from sin; and for this reason, the law is intended to be left behind, so that one may take refuge in faith, which forgives sins, in order to be saved.
For where there is no law, there is no transgression. This is said because with the removal of the subjects from the power of the law, with permission granted, there is no transgression; for those who were sinners by transgressing the law have been justified. For the law of works ceases, that is, the observance of the Sabbath, the new moon, circumcision, the distinction of foods, the observance of dead animals or the blood of a weasel.
(Vers. 16.)
(Verse 16) Therefore, the promise is firm to all the seed, according to faith, so that it may be according to grace. The promise cannot be firm to all the seed, that is, to all mankind from every nation, unless it is from faith. Because the origin of the promise is from faith, not from the law. For those who are under the law are subject to judgment, but the promise cannot be given to those who are subject to judgment. And therefore, they must be purified first through faith in order to become worthy to be called children of God, and for the promise to be firm. For if they who call themselves children of God, while they are subject to the law, are not steadfast, because the children of God are free from sin. Therefore, if those who are subject to the law must be freed from it in order to receive the promise, how much more those who are not subject to the law! Therefore, it is not expedient to subject oneself to the law in order to find a quick remedy for the wound.
Not only to him who is of the law, but also to him who is of the faith of Abraham. This is what he said above: To all the seed, not only to those of the Jews who came from the law, but also to those of the Gentiles who follow the faith of Abraham, which he had while he was still a Gentile, so that he might be righteous. For Abraham believed without the law, and therefore he is more closely joined to the Gentiles; so that the promise might be firm to those who believe, to whom he believed.
(Vers. 17)
(Ver. 17) . He is the father of all of us, as it is written: 'I have made you the father of many nations' (Gen. XVII, 4) . The example of Abraham confirms that he is the father of all, but only of those who believe: and thus the promise is firm if it is separated from the law for the sake of faith. For the promise of the kingdom of heaven is given to the righteous, not to sinners. And those who are under the law are under sin; for all have sinned, and it is not possible for anyone to be under the law and receive grace, as he also says to the Galatians: 'You have fallen away from Christ, you who are justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace' (Gal. V, 4) .
Before him whom you believed in, God. That he may teach all the Gentiles to believe in one God, he speaks to the Gentiles that Abraham believed in God and was justified before him, in whom the Gentiles also believe, so that they may be justified, so that there is no distinction between Jews and Greeks in faith; because circumcision and uncircumcision are removed, they become one in Christ; because Abraham believed in uncircumcision and was justified.
He who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not exist, as though they do. By saying this, he invites the Gentiles to faith in Abraham, who, when he was still uncircumcised, believed in God, whose faith is now proclaimed in Christ, and he was given life with his wife. For even though they were of old age, they were rejuvenated; so that he did not doubt that he would have a son by Sarah, whom he knew to be barren and in whom the flow of the female nature had already ceased; so that through these things they do not care about circumcision or uncircumcision, and are ready for faith: secure because they believe in him who gives life to the dead and because they believe that no one else has this power, and when he wills things that do not exist, they immediately exist by his will. Therefore, Abraham, even though he was not yet a father, was called the father of many nations, and he believed, confident in the power of God. And so, in order for the Father of Christ to be believed to be the same God, in whom Abraham believed, such a sign was given in Zachariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:13), when the promise was fulfilled in the world, with the impending coming of Christ, just as it had been given to Abraham and Sarah, when the promised was confirmed; so that, in a similar manner, bodies that had died of old age could generate the holy John, just as Isaac was born.
(Vers. 18.)
(Verse 18.) He who believed against hope, in hope (Gen. XV, 5). It is evident that while Abraham had no hope of procreating, he believed in God, having faith to procreate against hope, knowing that God is able to do all things.
In order for him to become the father of many nations, as it is written: 'So shall your offspring be.' (Gen. 15). This is in Genesis; for in showing him the stars of the sky, He said: 'So shall your offspring be,' and he was justified by believing. For he believed what seems impossible to the world, as it does not fit into the nature of things, that old men can generate and their seed can multiply in such abundance that it cannot be counted. Therefore, faith is precious, because it believes in what it does not know or see will happen: with this hope it consoles itself, for it is God who promises; of whom we should have a higher perception than human weakness can comprehend.
(Vers. 19-22.)
(Vers. 19-22.) And he did not weaken in faith: he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. In the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, being fully convinced that what He had promised, He was also able to do. Therefore, it was credited to him as righteousness. This is worthy of praise and is proclaimed about Abraham because even though he knew his own inability, he strengthened his faith and believed that God was able to do what He had promised, even though it was impossible according to the laws of nature. Therefore, it is of great merit before God, he who, against his own knowledge, believes in God, not doubting that He, as God, can do what he knows cannot be done according to the reason of the world. For he is certain that God exists beyond the reason of the world; no one can be said to be within it, that which he created. Therefore, he is to be rewarded by God, because he gives more to his creator than he himself comprehends. Which indeed would be of no value if all thought alike, but the doubt of many commend the faith of those who believe in God. Therefore, it exhorts the nations to embrace this firmness of faith, so that they may receive God's promise and grace without any ambiguity, taking as secure example Abraham, because praise grows for those who believe in what is incredible and seems foolish to the world; for as much as what is believed is considered impossible, so much more honorable will be the believer: and yet it would truly be foolish to believe this, if it were said to happen without God. And therefore, Abraham's faith is all the more praiseworthy than the faith of others; because it was not attracted by any signs or wonders. But since the world is governed by a certain law and power, and is ruled in a defined manner by God: but men, being enamored with the love of the flesh, have neglected God the creator of this world; God, in order to remove error and to show himself as the lord of all, desired that it be preached that he is able and has done what is impossible for the world; so that those who believe this, having been condemned to damnation for neglecting God through their inflated reason of the world, may be saved and made subject to the dominion of God.
(Vers. 23-25.)
(Verse 23-25) However, it was not written for his sake alone that it was reckoned to him, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. He received the form of Abraham for the Jews and Gentiles, so that we may believe in God, and in Christ, and in the Holy Spirit, and be reckoned as righteous. Although what is now believed may differ, faith still has one gift. Therefore, we obtain this by believing: for believing that Christ is the Son of God, we are adopted by God as his children; for nothing more could he give to believers than to be called children of God, renouncing the faithless. For we are called children of God, but they are not even worthy to be called servants. For by his infinite magnificence, God gave this to those who love him, which is worthy of his majesty, not because humans deserve it; because in a gift, the greatness of the giver is considered more than that of the receiver, and from it, the giver receives more praise when he bestows great gifts upon the humble through Christ, who suffered death for our sake; so that, with permission granted, he might deliver us from the second death, that is, from the punishment of hell: and he rose to grant us the grace of justification through the joy of his triumphant victory over death, so that we might be worthy to be called children of God. For before the passion, those who were baptized received only the remission of sins, of which Satan, the enemy, killed the Savior. But after the resurrection, both those who were baptized before and those who were baptized afterwards were all justified by the gift of the faith in the Trinity and the reception of the Holy Spirit, which is the sign of believers, that they may be children of God. And in order to increase our justification to the highest degree, He who rose gave authority to His precepts, so that we may grow by imitating their merits and, having obtained glory, may appear illustrious in the kingdom of God, with this assurance that, being justified, we cannot be held captive by death. For the passion of the Saviour has conquered death, which formerly ruled as the cause of sin, and it dares not hold fast those who have been justified by Him.