What is the scope of God’s righteousness?
9Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
Romans 4:9-17 (NIV)
In this segment of Romans 4:9-17, Paul addresses a potential misconception about the doctrine of justification by faith alone (sola fide), which might seem, at first glance, to be applicable only to Jews, given Abraham’s status as the ancestor of the Jewish people. Paul poses a critical question in Rom. 4:9, “Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised?” His inquiry directly challenges the assumption that the principles underlying Abraham’s faith and resulting righteousness were exclusive to those who are circumcised and, by extension, to the Jewish people.
Paul clarifies this by examining the timing of when righteousness was credited to Abraham. He points out that Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith before he was circumcised—specifically, at least fourteen years prior, as detailed through the events recorded in Genesis 15 through 17. This significant time gap underscores that Abraham was considered righteous while still technically a Gentile, long before the physical sign of circumcision and before the establishment of the Jewish nation.
By stating that Abraham is “the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised” and also of those who are circumcised but share his faith, Paul expands the scope of righteousness by faith to include all, regardless of ethnicity (who you are). This establishes sola fide as a principle that transcends Jewish culture, making it a universal truth applicable to both Jews and Gentiles.
Furthermore, Paul argues that the scope of righteousness by faith extends beyond religious compliance (what you do). This is because the Law of Moses, which came 430 years after Abraham, could not possibly restrict or invalidate the promise made to Abraham that he would be heir of the world through the righteousness that comes by faith. He emphasizes that pursuing righteousness through the Law is futile, as the Law brings awareness of sin and wrath, not salvation (Rom. 4:14-15). The Law, therefore, highlights human inability to achieve righteousness, reinforcing the necessity of faith for obtaining the promises of God.
In essence, Paul asserts that righteousness and its associated blessings are accessed through faith alone—sola fide—not through adherence to the Law or participation in religious rites. This foundational principle of faith was established long before the Law and is accessible to all who live by faith. Thus, the scope of God’s promise extends far beyond any ethnic or cultural confines, inviting all humanity into a relationship based on faith, leading to a life characterized by joy, assurance, and optimism.
In what ways might we consciously or unconsciously limit the scope of God’s grace to certain groups or individuals based on their background or adherence to religious practices?
[The ideas for this week’s materials on Romans 4:1-25 were drawn from Kent Hughes’ book “Romans: Righteousness from Heaven“]
One of the things that I love the most about our time spent at Country Villa is the way in which it challenges some potential limitations and prejudices we may place upon the scope of God’s grace. There are some that may assume that people with mental health issues, especially some as severe as in there, do not have the capacity and/or ability to comprehend the gospel, and thereby would limit the scope of God’s grace in this way. I think that all of us that have been going there each Sunday would agree that this is simply not true- and, even more than that, the people we interact with each week in there are more receptive and uninhibited in receiving God’s grace than most, (along with their capacity to comprehend the gospel😊). I have learned a lot from our time there, but one of the things that impresses upon me the most is the lack of inhibition in expressing their joy in the grace of God! Robert told me about the time he got saved. He said he was in a van up in the Inland Empire with another believer that led him to the Lord. He was so overjoyed, he said he was hanging out of the van yelling at the top of his lungs, “I’m saved!” I still see the joy of salvation on his face when we talk to this day, some 48 years later. God’s grace has no limits, and His salvation is available to any and all people that are willing to receive it, regardless of background, adherence to religious practice, or any other barrier our own prejudices and finite minds might place upon it!
Before I came to my faith and became a Christian, I thought Christians are too exclusive. Anyone can come and be converted and be saved but there are conditions. My thoughts was that this limited those who are saved to people who must have a specific practice and believes system. Narrowly scoped. Then when I first came to faith, I tried hard to show that I am faithful and tried to be a “good” Christian. Now part of the Christian family and somehow on the inside. At that point I felt a strong urge to extend the circle to include others I care about not realizing that it is not my work to do. But still I thought there is a circle that has an inner and outer part with some defined edge – though I didn’t know what that edge really is.
But lately, I become aware that God power means that there is no edge, no condition, no inner/outer. God’s grace extend to any who would acknowledge Him as savior and God. Anyone who hear His call and cry out to Him for grace. All creation is His and all people are His children. There is no gentile and chosen in all of time. There are the ones He chose to work with for a time for His purpose which is to redeem all His creation because He loves us all as Jesus said in John 6:39, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.”