Romans 4:17-22

In verse 17 Paul roots his statement in verse 16 regarding Abraham as the father of both believing Jew and believing Gentile in Genesis 15:5. God who spoke to Abraham is the one who gives life to the dead and calls non-existent things into existence (Possibly a way of talking about Gentiles, that is those who were formerly dead not being made alive). It is the life giving God whom Abraham believed. Abraham believed God’s promise of bringing life from death, while looking squarely at death and believing God’s promise. He hoped against hope. He believed that his seed would be as numerous as the stars of the sky. He believed God’s promise to him: ‘so shall your seed be’. He believed God’s promise even though his body was a good as dead, since it was one hundred years old, and he saw the deadness of Sarah’s womb, yet he did not weaken in his faith. Abraham, though he committed sins in regard to the promise of God, is described by Paul as one who did not weaken in faith, one who was convinced that what God promised he was also able to do.

As an important aside, why does Paul not mention Abraham’s unfaithfulness? It seems the reason is that Paul is giving God’s end-time assessment of Abraham right now (Hebrews 11 is similar). That is, because Abraham persevered in his faith (the use of ‘therefore’ is thus important here), God reckons it to Abraham for righteousness, and with being reckoned for righteousness the sins committed by Abraham are no longer mentioned, since Abraham’s persevering faith is reckoned to him for righteousness by God.

It would seem then that Paul shifts here to flesh out also what it looks like to be of Abraham’s faith. As Abraham believed that God gives life to the dead, those who belong to Abraham’s faith believe the same, that God gives life to the dead. We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, and that he will raise all those who belong to Jesus. Just as Abraham believed the promise given to him, we believe the promise given to us. Just as this unwavering faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness, our unwavering faith will be reckoned to us for righteousness.