“What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?”
My Notes
What Does Romans 4:1 Mean?
"What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?" Paul asks the JEWISH QUESTION that tests his entire argument: what about ABRAHAM? If justification is by faith and not by works, what did ABRAHAM — the father of the nation, the exemplar of righteousness, the man who received circumcision — FIND? The question uses Abraham as the TEST CASE for faith-justification. If it works for Abraham, it works for everyone.
The phrase "Abraham our father" (Abraam ton propatora hēmōn — Abraham our forefather) claims SHARED ancestry: Paul identifies Abraham as OUR father — he's writing to Jews AND to himself as a Jew. The question isn't about a stranger. It's about the FAMILY patriarch. The test case is as close to home as possible.
The "as pertaining to the flesh" (kata sarka — according to flesh) asks what Abraham found through HUMAN EFFORT: 'according to flesh' means through natural ability, through works, through human achievement. The question is: did Abraham find justification through his OWN EFFORT? Did the flesh — human action, physical circumcision, moral achievement — produce Abraham's standing before God? The answer (verse 2-3): NO. Abraham BELIEVED and it was counted as righteousness.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does Abraham's example teach about the relationship between faith and works?
- 2.Why is Abraham the ULTIMATE test case for Paul's faith-justification argument?
- 3.What does faith being credited as righteousness BEFORE circumcision teach about the sequence?
- 4.What 'flesh-effort' are you relying on that Abraham's example says isn't the source of justification?
Devotional
What did ABRAHAM find? According to the flesh — through human effort, through works, through his own achievement — what did the patriarch DISCOVER about justification? Paul asks the question that puts his entire argument to the ULTIMATE test: if faith-justification works for ABRAHAM, it works for everyone.
The 'Abraham our father' makes the test case PERSONAL: Abraham isn't a distant figure. He's the FAMILY patriarch — 'our' father. The test isn't theoretical. It's familial. If Abraham was justified by works, Paul's argument fails. If Abraham was justified by faith, Paul's argument stands. Everything hangs on the PATRIARCH.
The 'as pertaining to the flesh' asks the WORKS question: did Abraham earn his standing through HUMAN EFFORT? Did his circumcision produce his justification? Did his moral achievement create his righteousness? The 'flesh' (sarx) here means human capability — what Abraham could DO, PERFORM, ACHIEVE on his own. The question tests whether the flesh produced the standing.
The answer (verse 3 — 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness') quotes GENESIS 15:6 — the verse that PRECEDES circumcision by years: Abraham's faith was credited as righteousness BEFORE he was circumcised. The faith came FIRST. The circumcision came LATER. The justification was BY FAITH before the sign of circumcision existed. The chronology destroys the works-argument. The timeline vindicates the faith-argument.
What does YOUR Abraham teach you — and is the justification by faith or by flesh?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
What shall we say then,.... The apostle having proved that there is no justification by the works of the law; to make…
What shall we say then? - See Rom 3:1. This is rather the objection of a Jew. “How does your doctrine of justification…
Jew. What shall we then say that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? - The κατα σαρκα,…
Here the apostle proves that Abraham was justified not by works, but by faith. Those that of all men contended most…
Rom 4:1-25. Abraham, an apparent exception to the rule of gratuitous acceptance, really the great example of it
1. What…
Cross References
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