Rom. 4 Rom. 4:1–8 Abraham himself was justified by faith, Rom. 4:9–12 which was imputed to him for righteousness before circumcision, that he might be the common father of believers, whether circumcised or not. Rom.

The apostle proceeds to prove his main conclusion, Rom. 3:28, which is, that a sinner is justified by faith without works, from the example of Abraham.

He hath whereof to glory; he hath cause or matter of glorying and boasting; he hath something from whence he may take occasion of so doing. But not before God; something must be supplied to fill up the sense, i.e. he hath nothing whereof to glory before God.

The scripture referred to is in Gen. 15:6. The apostle a little varies the words; in Genesis it is he believed in God, but here he believed God: again, in Genesis it is expressed actively, he counted it to him for righteousness; but here passively, it was counted to him for righteousness.

He proceeds to prove, that Abraham was not justified by works, but by faith, and free grace, and so had no cause of boasting. This he illustrates by a comparison betwixt one that worketh, and one that worketh not, but believeth. To him that worketh; i.e.

To him that worketh not; i.e. to him that worketh not to the end or intent before mentioned, or with respect to justification, but takes the other way to be justified and saved, and that is, the way of believing.

To the example of Abraham taken from Moses, he adjoins the testimony of David, that so he might more fully prove what he had asserted, Rom. 3:21; both the one and the other were of great authority amongst the Jews.

This testimony is taken out of Ps. 32:1, and it is well enough accommodated to the occasion, for those two, to remit sin, and to impute righteousness, are inseparable. The one is put here figuratively for the other.

The same thing is expressed three several ways; there are three things in sin to be considered: 1. There is an offence against God, which is said to be forgiven. 2. There is a filthiness in sin, which is said to be covered. 3. There is guilt in it, which is said not to be imputed.

This word cometh is not in the original, but it is aptly inserted by our translators. Circumcision again is put for the circumcised, and uncircumcision for the uncircumcised: see Rom. 2:28. For we say; q.d.

And if this be the question, the way to resolve it, is, to consider in what circumstances Abraham was when his faith was thus reckoned to him for righteousness; it was a long time before he was circumcised.

The sign of circumcision; or, circumcision, which is a sign. Two things are here affirmed of circumcision: 1. That it was a sign. Of what? Of the circumcision of the heart, of original sin and its cure. 2. That it was a seal.

The former verse tells you he was the father of the believing Gentiles, for the covenant was made with him, for all his believing seed, when he was uncircumcised, which shows, that righteousness is and may be imputed to them also without any outward circumcision: and then he is the father of the…

Some by the world do understand, the world of the faithful, or believers dispersed over all the world: and so in effect it is the same which he said before, that Abraham should be the father of all that believe, whether of the circumcision or uncircumeision.

i.e. If they that trust to the fulfilling of the law, be heirs of the promise of God, and so the inheritance come by works; then faith is to no purpose, neither is there any use of it; and so also the promises which are made to believers are vain and useless.

The law worketh wrath; i.e. the wrath of God: and this it doth not of itself, but occasionally, in respect of our disobedience. This is a confirmation of what was said in the foregoing verse, that the inheritance is not by the law, and the works thereof; he proves it from the effect and work of the…

Here are two new arguments to prove that the inheritance is not of the law, but of faith. It is of faith, that it might be by grace; for to he justified by faith and by grace are all one with the apostle.

Before him whom he believed; i.e. in the sight or esteem of God. He was not the father of many nations by carnal generation in the sight of men, but by spiritual cognation in the sight of God.

Here the apostle digresseth a little from his principal argument, and falls into a commendation of Abraham’s faith. Who against hope believed in hope: Abraham, when he had no natural or rational grounds of hope, either in respect of himself or Sarah his wife, did yet believe and hope he should have…

He regarded not the impotency of his own body, which was as it were dead, because of his age, in respect of any desires or powers of generation. Abraham several years after married Keturah, by whom he had divers children; how then doth the apostle say his body was now dead, or unable for…

The promise of God; viz. in Gen. 15:5, Gen. 17:16. Giving glory to God; as all do that rely upon the power and promise of God, setting to their seals that he is true.

He looked upon God as one that was perfectly able to do whatever he had promised, and as one that was most faithful, and sure never to fail in the performance; collecting nothing else from the difficulty and improbability of the matter, but that it was the fitter for an Almighty power to effect.

See Rom. 2:3. By reason of his faith he was as sufficiently disposed and qualified for the obtaining of the promise, as if he had had all the righteousness required by the law.

Here it may be inquired, If Abraham’s faith did justify him, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, what doth this concern us? The apostle answers, it was recorded of him for our sakes; see Rom.

Who was delivered; he saith delivered rather than crucified, to lead us by the hand to the first cause thereof, the determinate counsel of the blessed Trinity: see Acts 2:23, Acts 4:27–28, Rom. 8:32. For our offences; i.e. for the expiating of them, Isa. 53:10.