The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 127

ful;" hie oase is, therefore, a ohtcial one. Accordingly, Paul begins by asking, "What shall we then say that Abraham, our forefather, bath found, 118 perte.lning t,o the ilesh ?" By this is mee.nt virtually this: "What merit tefore God did Abraham ncqulre in the use of hia nature.I human faculties, or, i:1 other words by his own works?" (cf. Shedd, in loc,), Now, t,o this u negative answer ie expected· and as if it had been supplied, Pe.ul goes on to ste.te the case thus: "For if Abraham ~ere Justified by works, he has a subject for glorification; but, vis-a-via, of God, he has no reason for glorification." This he proceeds t,o show from the history, Now, there are three th.inaa mentioned in this chapter which Abraham got, and in each case it was by exercisi;g faith. These were righteousness (vers. 8-12), inheritance (vers. 13-17), and a seed (vere. 18-25), Let us direct our attention to these in their order. I. ABRAHAM REOEIVED RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH FAITH. (Vere.3-12.) The apostle begins here with a scriptural quotation; it is from Gen. xv. 6, to the effect that "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." We eee from the context in G,inesie that what Abraham believed was that God's promise about a Seed who would prove a blessing to all nations would yet be fulfilled. He believed God's naked promise, and looked forward prophetically to his Seed as the medium of universal blessing. His faith we.s thus fixed in a Seed of promise-in Christ to come. Now, this act of faith without works was" reckoned unto him" (Revised Version) for righteousness. Because of this act of faith, he was regarded by God as having fulfilled the Law and secured righteousness through a perfect obedience. Such a reckoning of righteousness to Abraham's credit was a great act of grace upon God's part. Assuming for the moment that God could justly reckon faith for righteousness, it must be regarded as a gracious gift on the part of God. But the apostle would leave us in no doubt as to the principle involved. One who trusts in hie works for acceptance claims reward as a debt; he who trusts, not in hie works, but in his God for justification, receives reward as a matter, not of debt, but of grace. This was Abraham's exact position. And David follows his father Abraham in this respect, celebrating in the Psalms the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works; saying, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed ie the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin" (Revised Version). Abraham and David had by faith entered into that blissful position where God not only was felt to forgive them all their iniquities and to cover all their sin, but also would not reckon sin unto them. It we.s e.s if they had been transfigured before God into men innocent of all sin. The past was cancelled, and they stood before God accepted as righteous in his sight. But this is not all. The apostle points out particularly that this pardon Bild accepte.nce of .Abraham on the ground of his faith happened before hie circum- cision, As a matter of fact, it happened fourteen years before. So that circumcision could oonstitute no ground of acceptance. It was simply a divinely e.ppointed sign and seal of the previously imputed righteousness. Accordingly, Abraham was in a position to be the father of uncircumcised believers or of circumcised believers, as the case may be; showing us at once faith as exercised in uncircumcision with its resultant righteousness, and faith also exercised after his circumcision with its continued justification. II. A.BRAHAM RECEIVED AN IllHERITANOE THROUGH FAITH. (Vers. 13-17.) Now we have to observe that Abraham received not only righteousness through faith, but also an inheritance. .As a matter of fact, he became "heir of the world." We must not restrict justification, therefore, to deliverance from deserved penalty, but must attach to it the further idea of inheritance. As one writer has well remarked, "J ustific11tion is a term applico.ble to something more than the discharge of an accused person without condemnation. As in our courts of law there o.re civil as well as criminal cases; so it wns in old tiruc; and n large number of the passages adduced seem to refer to triols of the latter description, iu which some questiou of property, right, or inhorito.nco w1\s uuder dis,cussion betwceu the two parties. The judge, by justifying one of the p1\rties, decided thnt the property in questiou was to be reganiL'\l ns his, Applying this nspect of the matter to the justific,\tion of msu in the sight d God, we gather from Scripture that whilst through sin man is to be regarded :\-5 h,ffing forfeited legal claim to any riµ.ht or inheritance whioh God might h1we to ~stc>w 11p,•n hiH crcaturue, so through justificl\tiou he is restored to his high l'Ositic>n tllld regw.i.:!d  'titi ·~Prs!'tl OF PAUL '1'0 THE ROMANS. (t!lt. v.1 .....21.