Romans 4 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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431Earlier, in our comments on Romans 4:4, we have described Paul's general observationconcerning human experience with reference to "labor-contracts." Under such contractedagreements, wages that are paid to the laborer are not in any way considered as a "gift," or asan expression of the "grace" of the employer. Paul insists that Abraham's (and our)relationship with God is not based at all on a "labor-contract" model, but rather, on a model of"gift" and "gracious favor,” in which the person involved responds in thankful, obedient trust toa divine call and blessing, which has been neither earned nor merited.Here, Paul envisions a similar matter in human experience; it has to do with religiouscodes of law, and human fulfillment of those codes. There is a widely held religious view ofhumanity's relationship with God as being one of "legalism." Under such an arrangement,God announces his code of laws, with all of the divine "rules" for human behavior. Humanbeings respond to that legal code by "keeping the rules," by obeying the manifold laws. If theysuccessfully fulfill the divine code of laws, they are granted divine blessing, which they have"merited" by their performance. If they fail to obey the divinely given code of laws, they will notbe given the divine blessing, but will instead be subjected to divine punishment for their failurein performance.Under this legalistic way of envisioning religion, it was thought that on "Judgment Day,"each individual would be called into the divine court-room, and there have all deeds weighedin the balances. If the good deeds outweighed the bad deeds, the person would be saved,and allowed to enter into the future City of Jerusalem. If the bad deeds outweighed the gooddeeds, that person would be thrown into the Valley of Hinnom (meaning, certain destruction).Everything hinges on obedience to laws, to divinely given rules.This is quite different from another way of viewing humanity's relationship with God.This alternative view (which Paul holds) sees even the best, most religious of human beingsas weak and needy, and as incapable of fully obeying divinely-given codes of law--andtherefore as being deserving of divine wrath rather than as deserving of divine declarations /promises, if all that counts is obedience to rules.But Paul holds that the very nature of God is that of unfailing love and gracefulforgiveness of the undeserving, and that what human beings cannot possibly accomplish forthemselves by their good deeds, or by their observance of divinely given codes of law, such asthe Ten Commandments, or the 613 commandments found by legalistic Jews in the JewishBible, God himself has accomplished in his continual forgiveness throughout Jewish history,and which has now been wondrously fulfilled and affirmed in the gracious gift of his own Son,who offered up himself as an eternal sacrifice for human sinfulness.The one is a religion of legalism, based primarily on human performance rather than ontrust; the other is a religion of grace, based totally on divine love and goodness, which impartsstrength to fulfill the divine will through obedient trust. The one rejoices in the observance ofrules and codes of law, and leads to boasting in human ability; the other rejoices in graciousfavor and forgiveness of the unworthy, of those who have failed in their performance, andleads to humility before God, and boasting in the goodness of God. The one is based onworks of obedience, and leads inevitably to failure, because of human weakness and inability237(continued...)
434 435has been made worthless, and the promise has been made ineffective. 4.15 For the Law431(...continued)to fulfill the Law; the other is based on trust in divine goodness and gracious favor, and leadsto the joyful fulfilment of the divine teaching, out of thankfulness for mercy received.432Moo comments on verse 14 that “Paul now explains (‘for’) why the promise cannot beattained ‘through the law’: if those who are of the law were heirs, faith would be emptied andthe promise would be nullified.” (Pp. 274-75)433New Revised Standard has “If it is the adherents of the law”; New International andNew Jerusalem have “For if those who live by (the) law.” Moo comments that the phrase‘Those who are out of the law’ is a literal and rather awkward translation of a phrase thatappears to mean something like ‘those who are basing their hope for the inheritance on thelaw.” (P. 275)434If right relationship with God is achieved by human performance of divinely-given codesof law, then the statement that Abraham was placed in right-relationship with God throughtrust is inadequate and mistaken. How can a sinful individual be in right-relationship with Godthrough trust--if the basis for right-relationship is a life-long fulfillment of rules and laws?435Paul is absolutely right. If the divine word for the future, concerning Abraham and hisseed inheriting a world, and thereby the families of the earth receiving divine blessing, hadbeen based on the correct performance of a divinely-given code of laws--specifically the Lawand teachings given by Moses--then such a future would never have come to be--becauseAbraham himself failed in significant ways (again we refer to his lying about Sarah to Pharaohand Abimelech, in order to cause them to take Sarah as their wife, and in order to secure hisown safety and wealth). And if Abraham did not perfectly fulfill every divine requirement, howmuch less have his descendants--whose failures to fulfill the Mosaic legislation wereresponsible for their Assyrian (723 / 22 B.C.) and Babylonian (587 / 86 B.C.) captivities, andare drawn large in the writings of the great Spokespersons of Israel!The divine promise has been given--no doubt. But if its fulfillment is predicated onAbraham's, and Israel's performance in terms of all the divinely-given rules contained in theMosaic legislation, the promise has certainly become ineffective. There might as well be nopromise, if these are the conditions for its fulfillment. Moo comments concerning “the inherentimpossibility of any person adhering to the law to the extent necessary to gain the inheritance,”that “Paul is arguing: ‘If it is the case that the inheritance is to be based on adherence to thelaw, then there will be no heirs, because no fallen human being can adequately adhere to thelaw–and that means that faith is exercised in vain and the promise will never be fulfilled.” (P.275)Father Abraham was no perfect saint (even though oftentimes so described in laterJudaism), and Israel, in spite of her claim to be able to fulfill all that YHWH commands, hasnever lived up to that proud claim, but has constantly denied its truth by her actions (seeespecially Exodus 32-34).238
Page 1 and 2: ABRAHAM: RIGHT RELATIONSHIP THROUGH
Page 3 and 4: 385 386 387has found? 4.2 For if Ab
Page 5 and 6: 389(...continued)The Book of Jubile
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Page 9 and 10: 393(...continued)he adopted, accord
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Page 13 and 14: 398 399 400 401placing trust in the
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Page 21 and 22: 417(...continued)Romans 4:11 (here,
Page 23 and 24: 422father of (those who are) circum
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Romans 4 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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