Read the passage: Romans 4:1-25 (ESV, Bible Gateway)
Re-read verses 1-6
- Paul has been making the case for justification by faith in Christ. He now says, ‘What then shall we say was gained by Abraham…’ and in v6, ‘just as David also speaks…’. What’s Paul doing by name-dropping here?
Verses 1-3
- Paul homes in on Abraham. Did Abraham have anything to boast about before God? If not, why not?
- How was Abraham justified?
Verse 3
In this verse Paul uses the word ‘counted’ (or in some translations ‘credited’). It’s the critical word in this chapter. Go through the whole passage and document (count!) how many times the word is used.
- What does it mean to ‘count something to someone’?
- Given this, what does it mean in v3 that Abraham’s faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness’?
- Martin Luther said Christians are ‘simul justus et peccator’ – at the same time righteous and sinful. How does the example of Abraham, and what Paul says in v5, exemplify this?
- Do you tend to think of yourself as a sinner, or as righteous? Why is Luther’s approach better?
Verse 5
- In what ways could a Christian be described as someone who stops trying to be saved?
- In what ways might Christians still (wrongly) trust in their own moral performance?
- If God were to ask you, ‘why should I let you into heaven?’ What would you reply?
Verses 7-8
In these two verses Paul quotes from one of David’s Psalms – Psalm 32. Read the whole Psalm.
- How does this Psalm pre-empt the gospel? i.e. what gospel themes do you see in this Psalm?
- Consider v1-2 of the Psalm which Paul quotes in v7-8, what does this tell us of how David was counted righteous before God?
- David does not pretend he is sinless. Why is justification by faith, and the forgiveness that comes with it, the only way to see yourself as you really are, without it crushing you? Or without becoming proud?
- Do you tend more to being crushed or proud? How does the gospel speak to you?
Verses 9-13
- What point is Paul making about the order of Abraham’s faith and circumcision?
- In fact, according to v11, what was circumcision?
- What does this tell us about the order of God’s grace and our obedience? Do we receive grace because we obey, or obey because we’ve received grace?
- In v13, Paul says Abraham did not receive the promise of being father to many nations through the law. Why is this (obviously!) correct?
Verses 14-15
- According to these two verses, no one can be justified by observing the law. Why is that?
- What does Paul mean by ‘where there is no law there is no transgression’?
Verse 16
- Paul gives the great alternative to trying to save yourself. What is it and who is it for?
Verses 17-22
In this verse Paul holds up Abraham as an example to us of what faith looks like in practice.
- What does faith look like in v18-19?
- Are there any areas in your life where you have experienced this kind of faith?
- What does faith look like in v20-21?
- Has there been a time recently when you have needed to trust God like this?
Verses 24-25
- According to theses final verses, what will saving faith look like for us?
To consider
- You may have heard people say (or even thought yourself) that the Old Testament taught salvation by works and only in the New Testament do we get salvation by grace through faith. How does Paul’s use of the example of David and Abraham undermine this?
- Does this also have anything to say to the idea that the God of the Old and New Testaments are two different gods?
Be honest with yourself
(Questions for personal reflexion)
- If God were to ask you, ‘why should I let you into heaven?’, what would you reply?
- What are things you sometimes slip into thinking help save you or make you ‘more accepted’ in God’s sight?
Reflect on the verses you have read and if necessary, repent of the times you have trusted in yourself and your works rather than fully trusting in Christ’s death and resurrection that paid the price once and for all for you.
Leader’s notes
Re-read verses 1-6
- Paul has been making the case for justification by faith in Christ. He now says, ‘What then shall we say was gained by Abraham…’ and in v6, ‘just as David also speaks…’. What’s Paul doing by name-dropping here?
He is using Abraham and David as examples of men who were justified by grace through faith. This matters because Abraham is the father of Israel, and David is the great king to whom all other kings are compared. If anyone thought ethnic or moral status was what justified you, they would look to these two men as their heroes.
Verses 1-3
- Paul homes in on Abraham. Did Abraham have anything to boast about before God? If not, why not?
No. How could anyone stand before God and claim to be good enough based on their works?!
Verse 3
- What does it mean to ‘count something to someone’?
It’s an accounting term. It means to credit something to someone, to consider them as having this thing. - Given this, what does it mean in v3 that Abraham’s faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness’?
It means that God saw Abraham’s faith and treated Abraham as though he was righteous. Abraham was not living a blameless life, but as a result of his faith, God saw him as if he was living a righteous life. Faith is not the same as righteousness, but God sees faith and trust in him and counts it to Abraham as possessing a righteousness he doesn’t have on his own. This is what theologians call ‘imputed righteousness’.
Verse 5
- In what ways could a Christian be described as someone who stops trying to be saved?
A Christian is someone who no longer thinks they need to work to be saved. They don’t stop doing good, or trying to do good, but they do stop trying to do good to be saved. They stop trusting in themselves and their works, and instead trust Christ and His works.- In what ways might Christians still (wrongly) trust in their own moral performance?
Christians can think that their vocation (for example for a Christian NGO, ministry, church), or family and parenting, or giving, or religious practices, or even the level of their faith, make them more acceptable to God. This is a form of trusting in ourselves, not Christ. - If God were to ask you, ‘why should I let you into heaven?’ What would you reply?
Our response should be something like, ‘because I trust that you have done everything to save me in Christ, even though I don’t deserve it.’ That is salvation by grace, through faith. If our response is,‘because I believe in you so much’ our faith is in our faith, not God. If it’s ‘because I have lived a good life’, our faith is in our works. And if our response is, ‘Because I believe in God and try to be a good Christian’ our faith is in our faith and our works. The first is salvation by faith as a work; the second, salvation by works, and the third salvation by faith and works.
- In what ways might Christians still (wrongly) trust in their own moral performance?
Verses 9-13
- What point is Paul making about the order of Abraham’s faith and circumcision?
Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness before he was circumcised. He was counted as righteous in Gen 15.6, and not circumcised until Gen 17.- In fact, according to v11, what was circumcision?
It was a sign and a seal of the righteousness by faith that was already there. It was the outward, physical sign of the inner, spiritual reality. - In v13, Paul says Abraham did not receive the promise of being father to many nations through the law. Why is this (obviously!) correct?
Because the law was not given until Moses, 500 years after Abraham received the promise, believed it and God counted him as righteous!
- In fact, according to v11, what was circumcision?
Verses 14-15
- According to these two verses, no one can be justified by observing the law. Why is that?
Because the law brings wrath – it just shows us how we fail to be good enough.- What does Paul mean by ‘where there is no law there is no transgression’?
To transgress is to deliberately, knowingly break a law. If you don’t know the law, and you break it, you’re still guilty of breaking it, you’re still a sinner. But if you do know it and break it, you’re doubly guilty – you’re a sinner and a transgressor. So knowing the law is not a way to salvation. Knowing the law leaves you in twice as much trouble as before, because now you know what you should do, and you don’t just not do it, you also do what you know you shouldn’t do.
- What does Paul mean by ‘where there is no law there is no transgression’?
Verses 17-22
- What does faith look like in v18-19?
It trusts God’s word and promises over how things are, or appear to be. It trusts God over how we feel about situations, even seemingly hopeless situations. - What does faith look like in v20-21?
1. It trusts in who God is – His nature and character. It thinks deeply about God. It doesn’t bury its head in the sand at the size of the problem – Abraham faced it squarely – but he became fully convinced that God was greater, that nothing was too hard for Him. 2. It also trusts God’s word, His promise – that if God has said something, He will do it.
Download the complete study: Bible study on Romans (PDF) and leader’s guide (PDF)