a. How does Paul’s reading of Abraham’s story support this belief (that the law actually points to the importance of faith)? Pay attention to the way Paul reads the story of Abraham in chronological sequence:
1) Genesis 15:6//Rom 4:3, 9
2) Genesis 17:10-11//Rom 4:10-11a
“Righteousness is being true to one’s social obligations and commitments” (Footnotes, Genesis 15:6).
Romans 4 is the first time in this letter that we see mention of Abraham (an important character in the book of Genesis, often referred to as the first Patriarch of the Jewish people) by Paul. In Romans 4:3, Paul directly quotes Genesis 15:6, saying “Abraham believed in God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” He then refers to Genesis 17:10-11, which talks about the covenant formed between man and God through circumcision, in verses 4:10-11, saying “How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.” As we can see by looking at the order in which Paul presents this, he is trying to make the point the Abraham believed (or had faith) in God and was reckoned with righteousness before the covenant was formed between Abraham and God through circumcision. By coming to this conclusion, Paul is making an effort to show the Roman congregation that, contrary to popular belief, circumcision is not, in fact, what determines whether or not you are right with God, but instead, it is having faith. In 4:11, Paul states that “[Abraham] received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the ancestor of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them.” It seems that Paul is adamant about making his point that faith comes before all other things in terms of importance and that all people are justified through faith in Jesus Christ; it doesn’t matter if you’re circumcised or uncircumcised, or broke a commandment of God which, according to him, all people are “enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6).
b. What is the temporal sequence of Abraham’s faith and his commitment to the law (through the act of circumcision)? Why is it important for Paul to emphasize this temporal sequence? Specifically, what significance does it have for Paul’s vision of universal salvation? To answer this question, consider how Paul emphasizes Abraham as “the father of many nations” (Rom 4:11b-12, 17-18; compare with Genesis 15:5; 17:5).
According to Genesis, Abraham first has faith and trusts in God’s promise that “no one but your very own shall be your heir” (Genesis 15:4), and that Abraham’s descendants will equal the number of stars in the sky, despite the fact that Abraham is nearly one hundred years old. Skip to Genesis 17:5 and we see that God tells Abraham that has made him “the ancestor of a multitude of nations.” Only after this does God form a covenant with Abraham through circumcision and tell him “This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised” (Genesis 17:10). It is important for Paul to emphasize this, as I mentioned in my answer to the previous question, because this sequence demonstrates how faith precedes circumcision. In other words, even though God told Abraham that this covenant shall be kept by circumcising every male, Paul tries to make the point that circumcision is irrelevant if you don’t first have faith. In Romans 4:13, Paul states “For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” I think Paul so desperately wants to get this message across for two reasons: 1) he is angry with false prophets, namely Judaizers, who are spreading the wrong message by telling people that they must be circumcised in order to be in the right relationship with God, and 2) he feels like Christianity will be better accepted among the Gentiles if they are not told to mutilate the flesh of their foreskins in order to be in this covenant.