Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: ROMANS #6 - 4:1-25)
H. 4:1-25 A HISTORICAL PICTURE HOW FAITH JUSTIFIES
1. 4:1-8 HOW ABRAHAM & DAVID BECAME RIGHTEOUS
a. 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our :forefather, according to the flesh, has found?
Ti oun eROUmen heu-reKEnai [2147] A-braAM, ton proPAto-ra [3962] heMON, kaTA SARka?
b.4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has whereof toglory; but not toward God.
ei gar A-braAM ex ERgon e-di-kaiOthe [1344], Echei KAUche-ma [2745]; all' ou pros TheON.
c. 4:3a For what says the scripture? ti gar hegraPHELEgei?
d. 4:3b And he - Abraham - believed :God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness.
E-PI-steu-sen de - A-braAM - toTheO, kai e-loGISthe[3049]auTOeis di-kai-oSUnen [1343].
e. 4:4 Now to him that works, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt.
tode er-ga-oMEno[2038], ho misTHOS [3408]ou loGIze-tai kaTA CHArin, alLA kaTA oPHEIle-ma [3783].
f. 4:5 FAITH IN THE JUSTIFIER: THE BASIS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
tode meer-ga-zoMEno, pisTEUon-ti de ePI ton di-kaiOUNta [1344]ton a-seBE[765],
But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly one,
loGIze-tai hePIstis auTOU eis di-kai-oSUnen.
his :faith is reckoned for righteousness.
g. 4:6-7 DAVID FORESAW GOD'S METHOD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
kaTHAper kai DauID LEgei ton ma-ka-risMON [3107]tou anTHROpou,
Even as David also pronounces :blessing upon the man,
hoho TheOS loGIze-tai di-kai-oSUnen choRIS ERgon,
to whom :God reckons righteousness apart from works, 7 saying
MaKAri-oi hon aPHEthe-san [863] hai a-noMIai [458], kai hon e-pe-kaLUPHthe-san [1943] hai ha-marTIai.
7 Blessed they whose :iniquities are forgiven, And whose :sins are covered.
h. 4:8 Blessed theman to whom theLord will not reckon sin.
maKAri-os aNER hou ou me loGIse-tai KUri-os ha-marTIan.
2. 4:9-12 CIRCUMCISION IS A SEAL THAT FOLLOWS TRUE FAITH
a. 4:9 ABRAHAM'S JUSTIFICATION AS IT RELATES TO TIME OF CIRCUMCISION
ho ma-ka-risMOS oun HOUtos ePI ten pe-ri-toMEN[4061],
Is this :blessing therefore upon the circumcision,
ekai ePI ten a-kro-busTIan [203]? LEgo-men gar,
or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say,
E-loGIStheto A-braAM hePIstis eis di-kai-oSUnen.
To :Abraham the faith was reckoned for righteousness.
b. 4:10a How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision?
pos oun e-loGISthe? en pe-ri-toME ONti, e en a-kro-busTIa?
c. 4:10b-12 CIRCUMCISION: A SEAL THAT FOLLOWS TRUE FAITH
ouk en pe-ri-toME, all' en a-kro-busTIa: kai seMEIon [4592] Ela-ben pe-ri-toMES,
Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision: 11 and he received a sign of circumcision,
sphraGIda [4973] tes di-kai-oSUnes tes PIste-os tes en tea-kro-busTIa:
a seal of the righteousness of the faith which wasthrough the uncircumcision:
eis to EInai auTON paTEra PANton ton pi-steuONton, di' a-kro-busTIas,
that he be father of all them that believe, through uncircumcision,
eis to lo-gisTHEnai auTOIS ten di-kai-oSUnen;
that the righteousness might be reckoned to them;
kai paTEra pe-ri-toMES tois ouk ek pe-ri-toMES MOnon,
12 and father of circumcision to them who not only areof circumcision,
alLA kai tois stoiCHOUsin [4748]tois ICHne-sin [2487] but who also walk in the steps
tes en a-kro-busTIa PIste-os tou paTROS heMON A-braAM.
of our :father Abraham's :faith which he had in uncircumcision.
3. 4:13-15 THE CONTRAST OF LAW AND FAITH
a. 4:13 ABRAHAM'S FAITH: PRECEDED THE GIVING OF LAW
Ou gar diA NOmou he e-pag-geLIa [1860] to A-braAM
For not through law was the promise to :Abraham
eto SPERma-ti [4690]auTOU to kle-roNOmon [2818auTON EInai KOSmou, alLA diA di-kai-oSUnes PIste-os.
or to his :seed that he should be heir of the world, but through righteousness of faith.
b. 4:14-15 LAW AND FAITH: MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
ei gar hoi ek NOmou kle-roNOmoi, keKEno-tai [2758]he PIstis kai kaTERge-tai [4102]he e-pag-geLIa:
For if they of the law are heirs, the faith is made empty and the promise is made void:
ho gar NOmos orGEN [3709]ka-terGAze-tai [2716]; hou de ouk EStin NOmos, ouDE paRAba-sis [3847].
15 for the law works wrath; but where no law is, neither istransgression.
4. 4:16-22 ABRAHAM: AN EXAMPLE OF HOW FAITH ACTS
a. 4:16-17 FAITH'S BASIS
DiA TOUto ek PIste-os, HIna kaTA CHArin;
For this cause it isof faith, that it beaccording to grace;
eis to EInai beBAIan [949]ten e-pag-geLIan panTI to SPERma-ti; ou to ek tou NOmou MOnon, alLA kai to
to the end that the promise be sure to all the seed; not to that only of the law, but to that also
ek PIste-os A-braAM (HOS es-tin paTER PANton heMON kaTHOS GEgrap-tai, [HOti],
which is of Abraham's faith (who is father of us all 17 as it is written [that],
PaTEra polLON ethNON TEtheiKA [5087]se), kaTEnan-ti hou ePIsteu-sen, TheOU,
I have made you father of many nations), before him whom he believed, God,
tou zo-o-poiOUNtos [2227]tous neKROUS [3498], kai kaLOUNtos [2227]ta meONta, hos ONta.
who makes alive the dead, and calls the thingsthat are not, as though they are.
b. 4:18 FAITH'S BATTLE
hos par elPIda ep' elPIdi ePIsteu-sen, eis to geNESthai auTON paTEra polLON ethNON,
Who in hope believed against hope, to the endthat he become father of many nations,
kaTA to ei-reMEnon, HOUtos EStai to SPERma [4690]sou.
according to what had been spoken, So shall your :seed be.
c. 4:19-21 FAITH'S METHOD
kai meas-theNEsas [770]tePIstei ka-teNOe-sen [2657]to he-auTOU SOma
And without weakening in the faith he considered his own :body
Edene-ne-kroMEnon [3499](e-ka-ton-taEtes pou huPARchon),
now as good asdead (being about a hundred years old),
kai ten NEkro-sin tes MEtras [3388]SARras;
and the deadness of the womb of Sarah;
eis de ten e-pag-geLIan tou TheOU, ou di-eKRIthe[1252]tea-pisTIa [570],
20 yet, looking unto the promise of :God, he doubted not through :unbelief,
alLA e-ne-du-naMOthe[1743]tePIstei, dous DOxan toTheO,
but waxed strong through :faith, giving glory to :God,
kai ple- ro-pho-reTHEIS [4135]HOti ho ePEGgel-tai, du-naTOS es-tin kai poiEsai.
21 and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
d. 4:22 Wherefore also it was reckoned to him for righteousness.
di' HO kai e-loGIStheauTOeis di-kai-oSUnen.
5. 4:23-25 EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM SET FORTH FOR US TO FOLLOW
Ouk eGRAphede di' auTON MOnon, HOti e-loGIStheauTO;
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was reckoned to him;
alLA kai di' heMAS, hois MELlei loGIzes-thai,
24but for ours also, to whom it shall be reckoned,
tois pisTEUou-sin ePI ton eGEIran-ta [1453]IeSOUN ton KUri-on heMON ek neKRON,
who believe on him that raised Jesus our :Lord from the dead,
hos pa-reDOthe[3860]diA ta pa-rapTOma-ta [3900]heMON, kai eGERthe[1453]diA ten diKAIo-sin heMON.
25 who was delivered up for our :trespasses, and was raised for our :justification.
NOTE: This is one of the richest portions of the first 4 chapters of Romans - and one of the most practical.The Outline for 4:16-22 - “How Faith Acts” - is from a sermon I heard W. J. Ern Baxter preach in 1944 in Victoria BC. Look at it in this context:
a. 4:16-17 - Faith's Basis
b. 4:18 - Faith's Battle
c. 4:19-21 - Faith's Method
d. 4:22 - Faith's Result
Then look at the example of Abraham for Faith's Battle. Would he believe his senseknowledge - or would he stick to what God's Word had said to him - Faith's Basis? He chose the latter.
Now see the steps in the methodAbraham chose to exemplify faith in God's Word, and how he let this triumph over the knowledge of the 5 senses:
1. He didn't weakenin his faith.
2. He consideredhis body and realized the impossibility of fathering the covenant child Isaac.
(He was 99, and impotent.)
3. He recognizedSarah was in the same situation.
4. Yet - he gazed steadfastlyat what God had promised him - a child through Sarah!
5. He refusedto let doubt rise through unbelief.
6. He let his faithsteadily grow!
7. He gave glory to Godby praising and thanking Him beforethe answer came to pass!
(Smith Wigglesworth and Billy Bray walked this same walk - not just a talk!)
Then - Faith's Result. God looked down on Abraham, and counted his living faith as “Righteousness!” - before the fulfillment of the promise! He had become like God, who calls the things that are not, as if they already are!
E. W. Kenyon's 24 various books all acclaim triumphantly the above truth. Of course he has been greatly maligned! Did not the Holy Spirit through Paul say, “He that lives godly in Christ Jesus, shallsuffer persecution?” At least 3 books have been written against him. The enemy Satan, the devil, doesn't want believers strengthening their faith through this author of faith-fostering books! He died in the late 40's, at the same time as Dr. Charles S. Price and Smith Wigglesworth.
But Pastor Joe McIntyre felt the Holy Spirit motivating him to write a defensefor this man who was no longer here todefend himself. Joe's book,“E. W. Kenyon: the TrueStory,” is one of the finest Apologetics and Defenses ofa wrongly-maligned man I have read. Do a Google-search on the Kenyon's Gospel Publishing Society <www.kenyons.org> and purchase this book. You will find yourself living in the reality of Abraham's faith in Romans 4:16-22. It works! J.A.W.