Romans 4.9-10-Abraham Was Justified When He Was Uncircumcised and Not When Circumcised
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday January 20, 2008
Romans: Romans 4:9-10-Abraham Was Justified While Uncircumcised and Not When Circumcised
Lesson # 121
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 4:1.
This morning we will continue with our study of Romans chapter four.
This morning, we will study Romans 4:9-10 in which Paul refutes the Judaizers’ teaching that Abraham was justified by his obedience to the Law and in particular his obedience to the Lord’s command to be circumcised.
He refutes them by pointing out that Abraham was declared justified by God when he was uncircumcised and not while he was circumcised.
Let’s read Romans 4:1-10 and then concentrate on verses 9-10.
Romans 4:1-10, “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works. BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, ‘FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.”
Let’s concentrate on verse 9.
Romans 4:9, “Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, ‘FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’”
The rhetorical question that is asked at this point anticipates the arguments of the Judaizers who might infer that justification and the forgiveness of sins were intended for the Jew only.
The reason being is that Paul had just cited examples from the Old Testament in Romans 4:1-8 to confirm his teaching in Romans 3:21-31 that justification is by means of faith in Jesus rather than by a meritorious system of works.
The Old Testament was given to the nation of Israel exclusively and not Gentiles (Romans 3:2; 9:1-5), thus by citing Old Testament passages, Paul’s opponents might infer from this that salvation is for the Jew only and not the Gentile.
“The blessing” is the noun makarismos (makarismov$) (mak-ar-is-mos), which refers to the gift of salvation that produces happiness.
“The circumcised” is the noun peritome (peritomhv) (per-it-om-ay), which is a designation for those members of the human race who are descendants racially of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and members of the nation of Israel and thus, denotes nationality distinguishing the Jew from the Gentile.
It refers to those individuals who have received the surgical and ritual act of cutting the foreskin of the male’s penis as a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his biological descendants that they were set apart by God to be His people.
The use of peritome as a designation for the Jew is attested to in other passages in the Greek New Testament.
Acts 10:45, “All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.”
Titus 1:10-11, “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”
Romans 4:9, “Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, ‘FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’”
“The uncircumcised” is the noun akrobustia (a)krobustia) (ak-rob-oos-tee-ah), which stands in contrast to the noun peritome, “circumcision” and means, “uncircumcision” and is a designation for the Gentiles.
“FAITH” is the noun pistis (pivsti$) (pis-tis), which in context refers to Abraham’s non-meritorious decision “to place his absolute confidence in” the preincarnate Christ to deliver on His promise that is recorded in Genesis 15:6 of a child and numerous progeny despite the fact that Abraham was childless when he received the promise.
“WAS CREDITED” is the verb logizomai (logivzomai) (lo-gidz-o-my), which means that the Lord “credited and regarded” Abraham’s faith in Him as righteousness.
In Romans 4:9, Paul rejects the Rabbinical teaching that circumcision justifies by appealing once again to Genesis 15:6 to support his contention that justification is by faith apart from observing the Law or observing the ritual of circumcision.
The events of Genesis 15:6 preceded the events of Genesis 17, which record Abraham receiving circumcision as the sign of the covenant between the Lord and Abraham.
Therefore, Paul’s use of Genesis 15:6 here teaches that the Rabbinical teaching is wrong by virtue of the chronology of events in the book of Genesis.
Abraham was justified by faith before he was circumcised, which confirmed the doctrine that Paul taught that justification was by faith and not by observing the Law or circumcision.
Romans 4:10, “How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.”
“How” is the interrogative particle pos (pw$) (poce), which is used to ask a direct question and asks, “In what condition” was Abraham declared justified by God?
“Then” is the “inferential” use of the conjunction oun (ou@n) (oon), which denotes that what is introduced at this point is the result of an inference from Paul’s teaching in Romans 4:9, in which he quotes Genesis 15:6.
The obvious inference based upon Genesis 15:6 is that Abraham was justified while he was uncircumcised since the events of Genesis 15:6 preceded the events of Genesis 17, which record Abraham receiving circumcision from the Lord as a sign of the covenant that the Lord established with Abraham.
“Circumcised” is composed of the preposition en (e)n) and the noun peritome (peritomhv) (per-it-om-ay).
The noun peritome and the preposition en indicate a particular point in time when Abraham was circumcised.
“Uncircumcised” is composed of the preposition en (e)n) and the noun akrobustia (a)krobustia) (ak-rob-oos-tee-ah).
The preposition en and the noun akrobustia indicate a specific point in time when Abraham was uncircumcised.
“Not” is the emphatic negative adverb ou (ou)) (oo), which “emphatically” rejects that Abraham, was justified when he was circumcised.
The chronology of Genesis demonstrates quite clearly that Abraham was declared justified by his faith in the Lord before he was commanded by the Lord to circumcise himself.
A comparison of Genesis 12:4, 17:1 and Acts 7:2-5 indicates that Abraham was saved at least 25 years before he obeyed the Lord’s command to circumcise himself and his household.
First of all, Genesis 12:4 records Abraham as being 75 years of age when he left Haran.
Genesis 12:1-4, “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.”
Acts 7:2-4 indicates Abram received the invitation the first time while in Ur of the Chaldeans, which is in Mesopotamia.
Acts 7:2-4, “And he (Stephen) said, ‘Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran and said to him, ‘LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.’ Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living.”
Therefore, it appears that Abraham was already saved before he left Ur of the Chaldeans since Genesis 12:1-3 records the Lord entering into a covenant with Abraham, which the Lord wouldn’t do unless, Abraham was saved.
His faith in the Lord was demonstrated by his obedience to the Lord’s command to leave Ur.
Abram’s faith in the Lord in Genesis 15:6 was not the moment that Abraham was saved but rather was employed by the New Testament writers as the pattern of a sinner’s justification (Rm. 4).
Genesis 15:1-6, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.’ Abram said, ‘O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.’ Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.’ And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
“Believed” is the verb `aman (/m^a*) (aw-man), which is in the “hiphil” (causative) stem meaning, “to cause to have confidence in, to trust.”
The object of Abram’s faith is the Lord Himself who alone can make this guarantee to Abram because He sovereign and omnipotent and omniscient.
Although, the New Testament writers employ Genesis 15:6 to teach that justification is through faith alone in Christ alone, it does “not” mean that Genesis 15:6 records the moment when Abram first got saved.
There at least three reasons for this.
First of all, Abram had already obeyed the Lord’s call to leave Ur and Haran (Acts 7:2-5; Gen. 12:1-5).
Secondly, the Lord had entered into a covenant agreement with him as recorded in Genesis 12:1-3 and 15:4-5, which is something the Lord would never do with an unbeliever.
Thirdly, the perfect tense of the verb `aman, “believed” demonstrates that Abram’s faith did “not” begin after the events recorded in Genesis 15:1-5 since it represents the state of Abram trusting in the Lord, which flowed from his initial faith in the Lord the moment he got saved in Ur of the Chaldeans.
Bible Knowledge Commentary, The Old Testament, “Abram’s faith is recorded here because it is foundational for establishing the Abrahamic covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant did not give Abram redemption; it was a covenant made with Abram who had already believed and to whom righteousness had already been imputed” (page 55, Victor Books).
Now, Genesis 17:1 records that Abraham was 99 years of age when he received the rite of circumcision from the Lord.
Genesis 17:1, “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.’”
Thus, a comparison of Genesis 12:4, 17:1 and Acts 7:2-5 indicates that Abraham was saved at least 25 years before he obeyed the Lord’s command to circumcise himself and his household.