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Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry |
R O M A N S.
CHAP. IV.
The great gospel doctrine of justification by faith without the works
of the law was so very contrary to the notions the Jews had learnt from
those that sat in Moses’ chair, that it would hardly go down with them;
and therefore the apostle insists very largely upon it, and labours
much in the confirmation and illustration of it. He had before proved
it by reason and argument, now in this chapter he proves it by example,
which in some places serves for confirmation as well as illustration.
The example he pitches upon is that of Abraham, whom he chooses to
mention because the Jews gloried much in their relation to Abraham, put
it in the first rank of their external privileges that they were
Abraham’s seed, and truly they had Abraham for their father. Therefore
this instance was likely to be more taking and convincing to the Jews
than any other. His argument stands thus: “All that are saved are
justified in the same way as Abraham was; but Abraham was justified by
faith, and not by works; therefore all that are saved are so
justified;” for it would easily be acknowledged that Abraham was the
father of the faithful. Now this is an argument, not only à
pari–from an equal case, as they say, but à
fortiori–from a stronger case. If Abraham, a man so famous for
works, so eminent in holiness and obedience, was nevertheless justified
by faith only, and not by those works, how much less can any other,
especially any of those that spring from him, and come so far short of
him in works, set up for a justification by their own works? And it
proves likewise, ex abundanti–the more abundantly, as some
observe, that we are not justified, no not by those good works which
flow from faith, as the matter of our righteousness; for such were
Abraham’s works, and are we better than he? The whole chapter is taken
up with his discourse upon this instance, and there is this in it,
which hath a particular reference to the close of the foregoing
chapter, where he has asserted that, in the business of justification,
Jews and Gentiles stand upon the same level. Now in this chapter, with
a great deal of cogency of argument,
I. He proves that Abraham was justified not by works, but by faith,
II. He observes when and why he was so justified,
III. He describes and commends that faith of his,
IV. He applies all this to us,
And, if he had now been in the school of Tyrannus, he could not have
disputed more argumentatively.
| The Case of Abraham. | A. D. 58. |
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1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining
to the flesh, hath found?
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to
glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace,
but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that
justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man,
unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Here the apostle proves that Abraham was justified not by works, but by
faith. Those that of all men contended most vigorously for a share in
righteousness by the privileges they enjoyed, and the works they
performed, were the Jews, and therefore he appeals to the case of
Abraham their father, and puts his own name to the relation, being a
Hebrew of the Hebrews: Abraham our father. Now surely his
prerogative must needs be as great as theirs who claim it as his seed
according to the flesh. Now what has he found? All the world is
seeking; but, while the most are wearying themselves for very vanity,
none can be truly reckoned to have found, but those who are justified
before God; and thus Abraham, like a wise merchant, seeking goodly
pearls, found this one pearl of great price. What has he found,
kata sarka—as pertaining to the flesh, that is,
by circumcision and his external privileges and performances? These the
apostle calls flesh,
Phil. iii. 3.
Now what did he get by these? Was he justified by them? Was it the
merit of his works that recommended him to God’s acceptance? No, by no
means, which he proves by several arguments.
I. If he had been justified by works, room would have been left for
boasting, which must for ever be excluded. If so, he hath whereof to
glory
(v. 2),
which is not to be allowed. “But,” might the Jews say, “was not his
name made great
(Gen. xii. 2),
and then might not he glory?” Yes, but not before God; he might deserve
well of men, but he could never merit of God. Paul himself had
whereof to glory before men, and we have him sometimes glorying
in it, yet with humility; but nothing to glory in before God,
1 Cor. iv. 4; Phil. iii. 8, 9.
So Abraham. Observe, He takes it for granted that man must not pretend
to glory in any thing before God; no, not Abraham, as great and as good
a man as he was; and therefore he fetches an argument from it: it would
be absurd for him that glorieth to glory in any but the
Lord.
II. It is expressly said that Abraham’s faith was counted to him for
righteousness. What saith the scripture?
v. 3.
In all controversies in religion this must be our question, What
saith the scripture? It is not what this great man, and the other
good man, say, but What saith the scripture? Ask counsel at this Abel,
and so end the matter,
To the law, and to the testimony
thither is the last appeal. Now the scripture saith that Abraham
believed, and this was counted to him for righteousness
(Gen. xv. 6);
therefore he had not whereof to glory before God, it being purely of
free grace that it was so imputed, and having not in itself any of the
formal nature of a righteousness, further than as God himself was
graciously pleased so to count it to him. It is mentioned in Genesis,
upon occasion of a very signal and remarkable act of faith concerning
the promised seed, and is the more observable in that it followed upon
a grievous conflict he had had with unbelief; his faith was now a
victorious faith, newly returned from the battle. It is not the perfect
faith that is required to justification (there may be acceptable faith
where there are remainders of unbelief), but the prevailing faith, the
faith that has the upper hand of unbelief.
III. If he had been justified by faith, the reward would have been
of debt, and not of grace, which is not to be imagined. This is
his argument
(v. 4, 5):
Abraham’s reward was God himself; so he had told him but just before
(Gen. xv. 1),
I am thy exceeding great reward. Now, if Abraham had merited
this by the perfection of his obedience, it had not been an act of
grace in God, but Abraham might have demanded it with as much
confidence as ever any labourer in the vineyard demanded the penny he
had earned. But this cannot be; it is impossible for man, much more
guilty man, to make God a debtor to him,
No, God will have free grace to have all the glory, grace for grace’s
sake,
And therefore to him that worketh not–that can pretend to no
such merit, nor show any worth or value in his work, which may answer
such a reward, but disclaiming any such pretension casts himself wholly
upon the free grace of God in Christ, by a lively, active, obedient
faith–to such a one faith is counted for righteousness, is
accepted of God as the qualification required in all those that shall
be pardoned and saved. Him that justifieth the ungodly, that is,
him that was before ungodly. His former ungodliness was no bar to his
justification upon his believing: ton asebe—that
ungodly one, that is, Abraham, who, before his conversion, it
should seem, was carried down the stream of the Chaldean idolatry,
No room therefore is left for despair; though God clears not the
impenitent guilty, yet through Christ he justifies the ungodly.
IV. He further illustrates this by a passage out of the Psalms, where
David speaks of the remission of sins, the prime branch of
justification, as constituting the happiness and blessedness of a man,
pronouncing blessed, not the man who has no sin, or none which deserved
death (for then, while man is so sinful, and God so righteous, where
would be the blessed man?) but the man to whom the Lord imputeth not
sin, who though he cannot plead, Not guilty, pleads the act of
indemnity, and his plea is allowed. It is quoted from
where observe,
1. The nature of forgiveness. It is the remission of a debt or a crime;
it is the covering of sin, as a filthy thing, as the nakedness and
shame of the soul. God is said to cast sin behind his back, to hide
his face from it, which, and the like expressions, imply that the
ground of our blessedness is not our innocency, or our not having
sinned (a thing is, and is filthy, though covered; justification does
not make the sin not to have been, or not to have been sin), but God’s
not laying it to our charge, as it follows here: it is God’s not
imputing sin
(v. 8),
which makes it wholly a gracious act of God, not dealing with us in
strict justice as we have deserved, not entering into judgment, not
marking iniquities, all which being purely acts of grace, the
acceptance and the reward cannot be expected as debts; and therefore
Paul infers
(v. 6)
that it is the imputing of righteousness without works.
2. The blessedness of it: Blessed are they. When it is said,
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, blessed is the man that
walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, &c., the design is to
show the characters of those that are blessed; but when it is said,
Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, the design is
to show what that blessedness is, and what the ground and foundation of
it. Pardoned people are the only blessed people. The sentiments of the
world are, Those are happy that have a clear estate, and are out of
debt to man; but the sentence of the word is, Those are happy that have
their debts to God discharged. O how much therefore is it our interest
to make it sure to ourselves that our sins are pardoned! For this is
the foundation of all other benefits. So and so I will do for them; for
I will be merciful,
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9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only,
or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was
reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in
uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which he had yet being
uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that
believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might
be imputed unto them also:
12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the
circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith
of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world,
was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but
through the righteousness of faith.
14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made
void, and the promise made of none effect:
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there
is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to
the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that
only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith
of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
17a (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many
nations,)
St. Paul observes in this paragraph when and why Abraham was thus
justified; for he has several things to remark upon that. It was before
he was circumcised, and before the giving of the law; and there was a
reason for both.
I. It was before he was circumcised,
His faith was counted to him for righteousness while he was in
uncircumcision. It was imputed,
and he was not circumcised till
Abraham is expressly said to be justified by faith fourteen
years, some say twenty-five years, before he was
circumcised. Now this the apostle takes notice of in answer to the
question
(v. 9),
Cometh this blessedness then on the circumcision only, or on the
uncircumcision also? Abraham was pardoned and accepted in
uncircumcision, a circumstance which, as it might silence the fears of
the poor uncircumcised Gentiles, so it might lower the pride and
conceitedness of the Jews, who gloried in their circumcision, as if
they had the monopoly of all happiness. Here are two reasons why
Abraham was justified by faith in uncircumcision:–
1. That circumcision might be a seal of the righteousness of
faith,
v. 11.
The tenour of the covenants must first be settled before the seal can
be annexed. Sealing supposes a previous bargain, which is confirmed and
ratified by that ceremony. After Abraham’s justification by faith had
continued several years only a grant by parole, for the confirmation of
Abraham’s faith God was pleased to appoint a sealing ordinance, and
Abraham received it; though it was a bloody ordinance, yet he submitted
to it, and even received it as a special favour, the sign of
circumcision, &c. Now we may hence observe,
(1.) The nature of sacraments in general: they are signs and
seals–signs to represent and instruct, seals to ratify and confirm.
They are signs of absolute grace and favour; they are seals of the
conditional promises; nay, they are mutual seals: God does in the
sacraments seal to us to be to us a God, and we do therein seal to him
to be to him a people.
(2.) The nature of circumcision in particular: it was the initiating
sacrament of the Old Testament; and it is here said to be,
[1.] A sign–a sign of that original corruption which we are all
born with, and which is cut off by spiritual circumcision,–a
commemorating sign of God’s covenant with Abraham,–a distinguishing
sign between Jews and Gentiles,–a sign of admission into the visible
church,–a sign prefiguring baptism, which comes in the room of
circumcision, now under the gospel, when (the blood of Christ being
shed) all bloody ordinances are abolished; it was an outward and
sensible sign of an inward and spiritual grace signified thereby.
[2.] A seal of the righteousness of the faith. In general, it
was a seal of the covenant of grace, particularly of justification by
faith–the covenant of grace, called the righteousness which is of
faith
(ch. x. 6),
and it refers to an Old-Testament promise,
Now if infants were then capable of receiving a seal of the covenant of
grace, which proves that they then were within the verge of that
covenant, how they come to be now cast out of the covenant and
incapable of the seal, and by what severe sentence they were thus
rejected and incapacitated, those are concerned to make out that not
only reject, but nullify and reproach, the baptism of the seed of
believers.
2. That he might be the father of all those that believe. Not
but that there were those that were justified by faith before Abraham;
but of Abraham first it is particularly observed, and in him commenced
a much clearer and fuller dispensation of the covenant of grace than
any that had been before extant; and there he is called the father
of all that believe, because he was so eminent a believer, and so
eminently justified by faith, as Jabal was the father of shepherds and
Jubal of musicians,
The father of all those that believe; that is, a standing
pattern of faith, as parents are examples to their children; and
a standing precedent of justification by faith, as the liberties,
privileges, honours, and estates, of the fathers descend to their
children. Abraham was the father of believers, because to him
particularly the magna charta was renewed.
(1.) The father of believing Gentiles, though they be not
circumcised. Zaccheus, a publican, if he believe, is reckoned a son
of Abraham,
Abraham being himself uncircumcised when he was justified by faith,
uncircumcision can never be a bar. Thus were the doubts and fears of
the poor Gentiles anticipated and no room left to question but that
righteousness might be imputed to them also,
(2.) The father of believing Jews, not merely as circumcised, and of
the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, but because believers,
because they are not of the circumcision only (that is, are not
only circumcised), but walk in the steps of that faith–have not
only the sign, but the thing signified–not only are of Abraham’s
family, but follow the example of Abraham’s faith. See here who are the
genuine children and lawful successors of those that were the church’s
fathers: not those that sit in their chairs, and bear their names, but
those that tread in their steps; this is the line of succession, which
holds, notwithstanding interruptions. It seems, then, those were most
loud and forward to call Abraham father that had least title to the
honours and privileges of his children. Thus those have most reason to
call Christ Father, not that bear his name in being Christians in
profession, but that tread in his steps.
II. It was before the giving of the law,
The former observation is levelled against those that confined
justification to the circumcision, this against those that expected it
by the law; now the promise was made to Abraham long before the law.
Compare
Now observe,
1. What that promise was–that he should be the heir of the
world, that is, of the land of Canaan, the choicest spot of ground
in the world,–or the father of many nations of the world, who sprang
from him, besides the Israelites,–or the heir of the comforts of the
life which now is. The meek are said to inherit the earth, and
the world is theirs. Though Abraham had so little of the world in
possession, yet he was heir of it all. Or, rather, it points at Christ,
the seed here mentioned; compare
To thy seed, which is Christ. Now Christ is the heir of the
world, the ends of the earth are his possession, and it is in him that
Abraham was so. And it refers to that promise
(Gen. xii. 3),
In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
2. How it was made to him: Not through the law, but through the
righteousness of faith. Not through the law, for that was not yet
given: but it was upon that believing which was counted to him for
righteousness; it was upon his trusting God, in his leaving his own
country when God commanded him,
Now, being by faith, it could not be by the law, which he proves by the
opposition there is between them
(v. 14, 15):
If those who are of the law be heirs; that is, those, and those
only, and they by virtue of the law (the Jews did, and still do, boast
that they are the rightful heirs of the world, because to them the law
was given), then faith is made void; for, if it were requisite
to an interest in the promise that there should be a perfect
performance of the whole law, then the promise can never take its
effect, nor is it to any purpose for us to depend upon it, since the
way to life by perfect obedience to the law, and spotless sinless
innocency, is wholly blocked up, and the law in itself opens no other
way. This he proves,
The law worketh wrath–wrath in us to God; it irritates and
provokes that carnal mind which is enmity to God, as the damming up of
a stream makes it swell–wrath in God against us. It works this, that
is, it discovers it, or our breach of the law works it. Now it is
certain that we can never expect the inheritance by a law that worketh
wrath. How the law works wrath he shows very concisely in the latter
part of the verse: Where no law is there is no transgression, an
acknowledged maxim, which implies, Where there is a law there is
transgression and that transgression is provoking, and so the law
worketh wrath.
3. Why the promise was made to him by faith; for three reasons,
(1.) That it might be by grace, that grace might have the honour
of it; by grace, and not by the law; by grace, and not of debt, nor
of merit; that Grace, grace, might be cried to every stone,
especially to the top-stone, in this building. Faith hath particular
reference to grace granting, as grace hath reference to faith
receiving. By grace, and therefore through faith,
Eph. ii. 8.
For God will have every crown thrown at the feet of grace, free grace,
and every song in heaven sung to that tune, Not unto us, O Lord, not
unto us, but unto thy name be the praise.
(2.) That the promise might be sure. The first covenant, being a
covenant of works, was not sure: but, through man’s failure, the
benefits designed by it were cut off; and therefore, the more
effectually to ascertain and ensure the conveyance of the new covenant,
there is another way found out, not by works (were it so, the
promise would not be sure, because of the continual frailty and
infirmity of the flesh), but by faith, which receives all from
Christ, and acts in a continual dependence upon him, as the great
trustee of our salvation, and in whose keeping it is safe. The covenant
is therefore sure, because it is so well ordered in all things,
(3.) That it might be sure to all the seed. If it had been by
the law, it had been limited to the Jews, to whom pertained the
glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law
(ch. ix. 4);
but therefore it was by faith that Gentiles as well as Jews might
become interested in it, the spiritual as well as the natural seed of
faithful Abraham. God would contrive the promise in such a way as
might make it most extensive, to comprehend all true believers, that
circumcision and uncircumcision might break no squares; and for this
(v. 17)
he refers us to
where the reason of the change of his name from Abram–a high
father, to Abraham–the high father of a multitude, is thus
rendered: For a father of many nations have I made thee; that
is, all believers, both before and since the coming of Christ in the
flesh, should take Abraham for their pattern, and call him
father. The Jews say Abraham was the father of all proselytes to
the Jewish religion. Behold, he is the father of all the world,
which are gathered under the wings of the Divine
Majesty.–Maimonides.
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17b — Before him whom he believed, even God, who
quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they
were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the
father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So
shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body
now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the
deadness of Sara’s womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was
able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Having observed when Abraham was justified by faith, and why, for the
honour of Abraham and for example to us who call him father, the
apostle here describes and commends the faith of Abraham, where
observe,
I. Whom he believed: God who quickeneth. It is God himself that
faith fastens upon: other foundation can no man lay. Now observe
what in God Abraham’s faith had an eye to–to that, certainly, which would
be most likely to confirm his faith concerning the things promised:–
1. God who quickeneth the dead. It was promised that he should
be the father of many nations, when he and his wife were now as
good as dead
and therefore he looks upon God as a God that could breathe life into
dry bones. He that quickeneth the dead can do any thing, can give a
child to Abraham when he is old, can bring the Gentiles, who are
dead in trespasses and sins, to a divine and spiritual life,
Compare
2. Who calleth things which are not as though they were; that
is, creates all things by the word of his power, as in the beginning,
The justification and salvation of sinners, the espousing of the
Gentiles that had not been a people, were a gracious calling of things
which are not as though they were, giving being to things that were
not. This expresses the sovereignty of God and his absolute power and
dominion, a mighty stay to faith when all other props sink and totter.
It is the holy wisdom and policy of faith to fasten particularly on
that in God which is accommodated to the difficulties wherewith it is
to wrestle, and will most effectually answer the objections. It is
faith indeed to build upon the all-sufficiency of God for the
accomplishment of that which is impossible to anything but that
all-sufficiency. Thus Abraham became the father of many nations
before him whom he believed, that is, in the eye and account of
God; or like him whom he believed; as God was a common Father,
so was Abraham. It is by faith in God that we become accepted of him,
and conformable to him.
II. How he believed. He here greatly magnifies the strength of
Abraham’s faith, in several expressions.
1. Against hope, he believed in hope,
v. 18.
There was a hope against him, a natural hope. All the arguments of
sense, and reason, and experience, which in such cases usually beget
and support hope, were against him; no second causes smiled upon him,
nor in the least favoured his hope. But, against all those inducements
to the contrary, he believed; for he had a hope for him: He believed
in hope, which arose, as his faith did, from the consideration of
God’s all-sufficiency. That he might become the father of many
nations. Therefore God, by his almighty grace, enabled him thus to
believe against hope, that he might pass for a pattern of great and
strong faith to all generations. It was fit that he who was to be the
father of the faithful should have something more than ordinary in his
faith–that in him faith should be set in its highest elevation, and so
the endeavours of all succeeding believers be directed, raised, and
quickened. Or this is mentioned as the matter of the promise that he
believed; and he refers to
So shall thy seed be, as the stars of heaven, so innumerable, so
illustrious. This was that which he believed, when it was counted to
him for righteousness,
v. 6.
And it is observable that this particular instance of his faith was
against hope, against the surmises and suggestions of his
unbelief. He had just before been concluding hardly that he should go
childless, that one born in his house was his heir
(v. 2, 3);
and this unbelief was a foil to his faith, and bespeaks it a believing
against hope.
2. Being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body,
v. 19.
Observe, His own body was now dead–become utterly unlikely to beget a
child, though the new life and vigour that God gave him continued after
Sarah was dead, witness his children by Keturah. When God intends some
special blessing, some child of promise, for his people, he commonly
puts a sentence of death upon the blessing itself, and upon all the
ways that lead to it. Joseph must be enslaved and imprisoned before he
be advanced. But Abraham did not consider this, ou
katenoese—he did not dwell in his thoughts upon it. He
said indeed, Shall a child be born to him that is a hundred years
old?
Gen. xvii. 17.
But that was the language of his admiration and his desire to be
further satisfied, not of his doubting and distrust; his faith passed
by that consideration, and thought of nothing but the faithfulness of
the promise, with the contemplation whereof he was swallowed up, and
this kept up his faith. Being not weak in faith, he considered
not. It is mere weakness of faith that makes a man lie poring upon
the difficulties and seeming impossibilities that lie in the way of a
promise. Though it may seem to be the wisdom and policy of carnal
reason, yet it is the weakness of faith, to look into the bottom of all
the difficulties that arise against the promise.
3. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief
(v. 20),
and he therefore staggered not because he considered not the frowns and
discouragements of second causes; ou diekrithe—he
disputed not; he did not hold any self-consultation about it, did
not take time to consider whether he should close with it or no, did
not hesitate nor stumble at it, but by a resolute and peremptory act of
his soul, with a holy boldness, ventured all upon the promise. He took
it not for a point that would admit of argument or debate, but
presently determined it as a ruled case, did not at all hang in
suspense about it: he staggered not through unbelief. Unbelief
is at the bottom of all our staggerings at God’s promises. It is not
the promise that fails, but our faith that fails when we stagger.
4. He was strong in faith, giving glory to God,
enedynamothe—he was strengthened in faith, his
faith got ground by exercise–crescit eundo. Though weak faith
shall not be rejected, the bruised reed not broken, the smoking flax
not quenched, yet strong faith shall be commended and honoured. The
strength of his faith appeared in the victory it won over his fears.
And hereby he gave glory to God; for, as unbelief dishonours God by
making him a liar
1 John v. 10),
so faith honours God by setting to its seal that he is true,
Abraham’s faith gave God the glory of his wisdom, power, holiness,
goodness, and especially of his faithfulness, resting upon the word
that he had spoken. Among men we say, “He that trusts another, gives
him credit, and honours him by taking his word;” thus Abraham gave
glory to God by trusting him. We never hear our Lord Jesus commending
any thing so much as great faith
therefore God gives honour to faith, great faith, because faith, great
faith, gives honour to God.
5. He was fully persuaded that what God had promised he was able to
perform, plerophoretheis—was carried on with the
greatest confidence and assurance; it is a metaphor taken from
ships that come into the harbour with full sail. Abraham saw the
storms of doubts, and fears, and temptations likely to rise against the
promise, upon which many a one would have shrunk back, and lain by for
fairer days, and waited a smiling gale of sense and reason. But
Abraham, having taken God for his pilot, and the promise for his card
and compass, resolves to weather his point, and like a bold adventurer
sets up all his sails, breaks through all the difficulties, regards
neither winds nor clouds, but trusts to the strength of his bottom and
the wisdom and faithfulness of his pilot, and bravely makes to the
harbour, and comes home an unspeakable gainer. Such was his full
persuasion, and it was built on the omnipotence of God: He was
able. Our waverings rise mainly from our distrust of the divine
power; and therefore to fix us it is requisite we believe not only that
he is faithful, but that he is able, that hath promised. And
therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness,
v. 22.
Because with such a confidence he ventured his all in the divine
promise, God graciously accepted him, and not only answered, but
out-did, his expectation. This way of glorifying God by a firm reliance
on his bare promise was so very agreeable to God’s design, and so very
conducive to his honour, that he graciously accepted it as a
righteousness, and justified him, though there was not that in the
thing itself which could merit such an acceptance. This shows why faith
is chosen to be the prime condition of our justification, because it is
a grace that of all others gives glory to God.
| The Case of Abraham. | A. D. 58. |
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23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was
imputed to him;
24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe
on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for
our justification.
In the close of the chapter, he applies all to us; and, having
abundantly proved that Abraham was justified by faith, he here
concludes that his justification was to be the pattern or sampler of
ours: It was not written for his sake alone. It was not intended
only for an historical commendation of Abraham, or a relation of
something peculiar to him (as some antipædobaptists will needs
understand that circumcision was a seal of the righteousness of the
faith,
v. 11,
only to Abraham himself, and no other); no, the scripture did not
intend hereby to describe some singular way of justification that
belonged to Abraham as his prerogative. The accounts we have of the
Old-Testament saints were not intended for histories only, barely to
inform and divert us, but for precedents to direct us, for ensamples
for our learning,
ch. xv. 4.
And this particularly concerning Abraham was written for us
also, to assure us what that righteousness is which God requireth
and accepteth to our salvation,–for us also, that are man and vile,
that come so far short of Abraham in privileges and performances, us
Gentiles as well as the Jews, for the blessing of Abraham comes upon
the Gentiles through Christ,–for us on whom the ends of the world are
come, as well as for the patriarchs; for the grace of God is the same
yesterday, to-day, and for ever. His application of it is but short.
Only we may observe,
I. Our common privilege; it shall be imputed to us, that is,
righteousness shall. The gospel way of justification is by an imputed
righteousness, mellei logizesthai—it shall be
imputed; he uses a future verb, to signify the continuation of this
mercy in the church, that as it is the same now so it will be while God
has a church in the world, and there are any of the children of men to
be justified; for there is a fountain opened that is inexhaustible.
II. Our common duty, the condition of this privilege, and that is
believing. The proper object of this believing is a divine revelation.
The revelation to Abraham was concerning a Christ to come; the
revelation to us is concerning a Christ already come, which difference
in the revelation does not alter the case. Abraham believed the power
of God in raising up an Isaac from the dead womb of Sarah; we are to
believe the same power exerted in a higher instance, the resurrection
of Christ from the dead. The resurrection of Isaac was in a figure
(Heb. xi. 19);
the resurrection of Christ was real. Now we are to believe on him that
raised up Christ; not only believe his power, that he could do it, but
depend upon his grace in raising up Christ as our surety; so he
explains it,
where we have a brief account of the meaning of Christ’s death and
resurrection, which are the two main hinges on which the door of
salvation turns.
1. He was delivered for our offences. God the Father delivered
him, he delivered up himself as a sacrifice for sin. He died indeed as
a malefactor, because he died for sin; but it was not his own sin, but
the sins of the people. He died to make atonement for our sins, to
expiate our guilt, to satisfy divine justice.
2. He was raised again for our justification, for the perfecting
and completing of our justification. By the merit of his death he paid
our debt, in his resurrection he took out our acquittance. When he was
buried he lay a prisoner in execution for our debt, which as a surety
he had undertaken to pay; on the third day an angel was sent to roll
away the stone, and so to discharge the prisoner, which was the
greatest assurance possible that divine justice was satisfied, the debt
paid, or else he would never have released the prisoner: and therefore
the apostle puts a special emphasis on Christ’s resurrection; it is
Christ that died, yea, rather that has risen again,
ch. viii. 34.
So that upon the whole matter it is very evident that we are not
justified by the merit of our own works, but by a fiducial obediential
dependence upon Jesus Christ and his righteousness, as the condition on
our part of our right to impunity and salvation, which was the truth
that Paul in this and the foregoing chapter had been fixing as the
great spring and foundation of all our comfort.
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