Romans 4:18-25

 

Rom 4:18 (KJV)
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.

Abraham had believed God, even though, as a human being, having hope in being able to sire a child, his body was past that stage, yet his belief in God made him hope, against human hope, that God would bring to pass the promise of a child from his loins to be the heir of the covenant of promise. His faith had totally rested upon God which resulted in Abraham believing the promises of God. We can take a lesson from this that when human hope seems hopeless, hope in God is never hopeless.

 

Rom 4:19 (KJV)
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:

Abraham’s faith was not weak, even though he had considered his own body as dead to procreation. Sarah was also well past child bearing age but the sight of these things did not dim the eyes of true faith. Here we have a picture of the resurrection of Christ. Christ was dead but was brought back to life. Here the bodies of Sarah and Abraham were both dead in the area of child bearing, yet out of death came life. Isaac was given life by the same power that raised Christ from the dead.

 

Rom 4:20 (KJV)
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

The word “staggered” in the above verse carries with it the meaning of “doubt, hesitate or waver.” Abraham’s faith in God was very strong and unbelief never entered into the equation. Abraham’s belief had given glory to God. Whenever we, as true Christians, believe the promises of God without wavering, we too, will give glory to God. The reason that we can have such strong faith is because of the salvation which God has given us and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth.

 

Rom 4:21 (KJV)
And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

This is probably the best definition of faith in the entire Bible. The words “fully persuaded” carry with it the meaning of “full assurance or fully convinced.” Abraham was fully convinced that what God had personally promised him, would come to pass. The word “perform” carries with it the meaning of “to do.” In other words, when God promises something, He is able to do it and will do it in His timing. We must realize that all God’s promises are true and sure. What we must accept, is His timing in all events. We must realize that God’s timetable is not our timetable. There was about 25 years between the promise of a son and the actual birth of Isaac. We must always trust the promises of God but we must also factor in that His timing will be or may be different than ours. Once we do that, we will not waver in our faith.

 

Rom 4:22 (KJV)
And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Abraham’s unfaltering faith in God’s promises was imputed to him for righteousness. Abraham’s base of belief was his justification by God and therefore righteousness is imputed to a person when they believe God’s promises but that imputation is for the Elect only. Believing God without being saved is not true faith. Many times unbelievers pray that God will do something in their life or in the life of a family member. If their petition comes to pass, it is only because it was the will of God in that situation. (Isa 59:2 KJV) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

 

Rom 4:23 (KJV)
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

Now Paul brings the episode of Abraham to the people he is speaking to. We must realize that the Bible is a book for all generations. It is a shame that many Christians believe that many Scriptures only deal with the times when they were penned. The imputation of righteousness and justification is given to all true believers in Christ. We must never view the believers in the Bible as being spiritual giants in comparison to us. The effectual justification and redemption of every believer is the same, no matter what year they become saved.

 

Rom 4:24 (KJV)
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Continuing the thought from verse 23 we read that every true believer shares the same benefits of salvation that Abraham had. (1 Cor 10:11 KJV) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Let us look at the verse from 1 Corinthians. We see that the things that happened to Israel in the past was also an example to keep us on the straight and narrow. Now let us approach the principle in that verse from a different perspective. The imputation of righteousness and justification which was given to Abraham, will also be given to every true believer. Although Abraham did not see the Lord Jesus in person until he went to glory, nevertheless, it was through Christ that he became saved. (John 8:56 KJV) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. So we can safely conclude that the good as well as the bad from God’s dealings with the Old Testament Saints are both examples for us.

 

Rom 4:25 (KJV)
Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

The Lord Jesus was crucified for the sins of His people. (Mat 1:21 KJV) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. The crucifixion of Jesus was not done for the sins of the whole world but for the sins of the Elect in the whole world. Christ’s crucifixion was accepted by God the Father as payment for the sins of His Elect and when He was raised from the dead, He was raised for our justification. The true Christian was declared righteous and not guilty by reason of the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection was the final confirmation of our removal of sins and our justification. Christ successfully removed the sins from the soul of every one of His children. As He was raised to life, we too shall be raised to life. First, we are raised to spiritual life by means of being born again. (Rev 20:6 KJV) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. The first resurrection being the resurrection of our soul from death to newness of life. (Rom 6:4 KJV) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Secondly, our physical bodies will be resurrected at the last day, in the same fashion that Christ’s body was raised from the dead. (John 5:28-29 KJV) Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, {29} And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

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