Posted by Romans on Saturday, 20 June 2015
Romans 4:2-3
(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.
The Rabbis taught that Abraham had a surplus of merit from his works that was available to his descendants. Paul built on that idea and agreed that, assuming that Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about (cf. boasting or bragging in 2:17, 23; 3:27). But, Paul insisted, his boasting could only be before other people, not before God. If a person could establish his finite righteousness by works—though that was impossible—he could never boast of it in God’s presence. Paul then turned to an authority his readers would acknowledge and asked, What does the Scripture say? He quoted Genesis 15:6, which states that Abraham’s faith in God and His promise was credited to him as righteousness. Because he believed, God imputed righteousness to his account (“credited,” elogisthē, from logizomai, is an accounting term). Paul had quoted this verse before (Gal. 3:6).
