Romans 4 invites us to watch Paul hold up Abraham as the family pattern for everyone who will ever know God—not as a spiritual superstar who earned his way in, but as a sinner who received righteousness as a sheer gift. In this episode, we trace how Paul dismantles religious boasting, exposes our prejudice, and shows that the promise of God rests not on our performance but on grace, received by faith.
In this week’s episode, we explore:
- Why Abraham matters so much to Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, and the New Testament—and what Paul says his true legacy is
- How Paul overturns the rabbinic picture of Abraham as someone who kept the whole Law and didn’t need repentance
- The difference between righteousness as a wage we earn and righteousness as a gift God freely gives
- Why even Abraham and David must be counted “ungodly” if they are to be justified—and what Psalm 32 contributes to this picture
- How circumcision functions as a sign and seal of righteousness by faith, not a requirement for earning God’s favor
- How the gospel ends religious pride and ethnic prejudice by giving Jews and Gentiles the same way in: faith alone
- The purpose of the Law—not to secure the promise, but to expose our sin and drive us to grace
- The shape of Abraham’s faith: trusting the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence what does not exist
- How our faith mirrors Abraham’s as we trust the God who raised Jesus from the dead for our justification
- Why faith itself is part of the gift of salvation, not one last work we muster up for God
By the end of the episode, listeners will see Abraham not as a distant hero to imitate from afar, but as a fellow sinner whose only hope was the God who keeps impossible promises. You’ll be invited to rest more deeply in the finished work of Christ, to let go of both spiritual pride and spiritual despair, and to trust the One who can bring life out of death—in Abraham’s story, in Jesus’ resurrection, and in the ordinary places of your own life.
Three of today’s major religions are rooted in Abraham: Judaism views Abraham as its founding patriarch.
In Islam, Abraham (known as Prophet Ibrahim) is the friend of God and the father of Prophets: Ishmael and Isaac, and the grandfather of Prophet Jacob . He is also one of the ancestors of the Muhammad.
Mormonism — with its emphasis on the priesthood of Melchizedek — also testifies to Abraham’s importance. Standing side by side with the Bible in the Mormon canon are the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Book of Abraham which was an Egyptian manuscript Joseph Smith believed was written by Abraham’s “own hand.”
Given the importance of Abraham’s influence, we should know what the New Testament teaches about him.
The Apostle Paul argues in Romans 4 that everyone who will ever know God must follow the example of Abraham. The question is what is that example exactly?
At the end of Romans 3 Paul made three claims about justification by faith:
- the gospel ends our pride (Romans 3:27);
- the gospel ends our prejudice (Romans 3:29) and
- the gospel fulfills the Law (Romans 3:31).
In Romans 4 Paul illustrates those claims with the life of Abraham and explains what saving faith is.
For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.
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Series: Romans: Justification by Faith
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Season 2, Episode 5
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