Romans 4:18-25 "Abraham's Faith - and Ours"

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I am using the Pastor's titles for these posts. The appropriate links are:

• Audio file
• Note sheet

The text:

(NET) Romans 4:18 Against hope Abraham³¹ believed³² in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations³³ according to the pronouncement,³⁴ “so will your descendants be.”³⁵ 19 Without being weak in faith, he considered³⁶ his own body as dead³⁷ (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He³⁸ did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. 21 He was³⁹ fully convinced that what God⁴⁰ promised he was also able to do. 22 So indeed it was credited to Abraham⁴¹ as righteousness. 23 But the statement it was credited to him⁴² was not written only for Abraham’s⁴³ sake, 24 but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He⁴⁴ was given over⁴⁵ because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of⁴⁶ our justification.⁴⁷

Notes:
³¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³² tn Grk “who against hope believed,” referring to Abraham. The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

³³ sn A quotation from Gen 17:5.
³⁴ tn Grk “according to that which had been spoken.”
³⁵ sn A quotation from Gen 15:5.

³⁶ tc Most mss (D F G Ψ 33 1881 M it) read “he did not consider” by including the negative particle (οὐ, ou), but others (א A B C 6 81 365 1506 1739 pc co) lack οὐ. The reading which includes the negative particle probably represents a scribal attempt to exalt the faith of Abraham by making it appear that his faith was so strong that he did not even consider the physical facts. But “here Paul does not wish to imply that faith means closing one’s eyes to reality, but that Abraham was so strong in faith as to be undaunted by every consideration” (TCGNT 451). Both on external and internal grounds, the reading without the negative particle is preferred.

³⁷ tc ‡ Most witnesses (א A C D Ψ 33 M bo) have ἤδη (ēdē, “already”) at this point in v. 19. But B F G 630 1739 1881 pc lat sa lack it. Since it appears to heighten the style of the narrative and since there is no easy accounting for an accidental omission, it is best to regard the shorter text as original. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

³⁸ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.

³⁹ tn Grk “and being.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

⁴⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁴¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁴² tn A quotation from Gen 15:6.
⁴³ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴⁴ tn Grk “who,” referring to Jesus. The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

⁴⁵ tn Or “handed over.”

sn The verb translated given over (παραδίδωμι, paradidōmi) is also used in Rom 1:24, 26, 28 to describe God giving people over to sin. But it is also used frequently in the gospels to describe Jesus being handed over (or delivered up, betrayed) by sinful men for crucifixion (cf., e.g., Matt 26:21; 27:4; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33; 15:15; Luke 20:20; 22:24; 24:7). It is probable that Paul has both ideas in mind: Jesus was handed over by sinners, but even this betrayal was directed by the Father for our sake (because of our transgressions).

⁴⁶ tn Grk “because of.” However, in light of the unsatisfactory sense that a causal nuance would here suggest, it has been argued that the second διά (dia) is prospective rather than retrospective (D. Moo, Romans [NICNT], 288–89). The difficulty of this interpretation is the structural balance that both διά phrases provide (“given over because of our transgressions…raised because of our justification”). However the poetic structure of this verse strengthens the likelihood that the clauses each have a different force.

⁴⁷ sn Many scholars regard Rom 4:25 to be poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188–89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage.

Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.

From the Notesheet:

• Sermon Notes: As Carl promised, this is a practical lesson in having and strengthening faith -- using the example of Abraham.
  
  
  • So, what did Abraham do?
    1. He faced the facts (without weakening in his faith).
    2. He did not waver through unbelief.
    3. He grew stronger in his faith.
    4. He gave glory to God.
    5. He was persuaded God could do what he promised to do.
  
  
  • Carl drew these practical lessons for us:
    • And we also must not allow circumstances and appearances to determine what we will believe… hope… trust… live out…
    • We must know what God has promised to us, and be confident in His power to do what He promised
    • We must choose to hope in God – when there is no hope in the world.
    • God calls each of us to a growing experience of life—of focusing on God, believing God, loving God, honoring God, worshiping God, relying on God, serving God, etc…


• Going Deeper into the Word:
  1. How can we have “hope” -- when situations appear “hopeless”?
  2. How can we grow in not being controlled by circumstances?
  3. How are you “strengthened in faith”?
  4. Are we “fully persuaded” God will do what He promised to do?
  5. What is “justification”?

Next: 5:1-2 -- "We Have Peace With God"