Romans 4:13-25 (WEB)
For the promise to Abraham and to his offspring that he should be heir of the world wasn't through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect.
For the law produces wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.
For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
As it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations." This is in the presence of him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were.
Besides hope, Abraham in hope believed, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, "So will your offspring be."
Without being weakened in faith, he didn't consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.
Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn't waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God,
and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was also able to perform.
Therefore it also was "credited to him for righteousness."
Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone,
but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead,
who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
🔑 Key Points
1. Promise by Faith, Not Law
Paul makes it plain: the promise to Abraham was never rooted in law-keeping but in the righteousness of faith. If inheritance depended on obeying the law, faith would be emptied of meaning and the promise would collapse. Sproul stresses that grace and law are mutually exclusive as grounds for receiving God's promise.
2. The Law Produces Wrath
Where there is law, there is transgression — and transgression brings wrath, not blessing. The law cannot save; it exposes our guilt. This is why the promise must rest on grace alone, so that no one can boast and every believer can have assurance.
3. Abraham's Unwavering Faith
At roughly a hundred years old, Abraham faced the impossibility of his own body and Sarah's barrenness. Yet he did not waver. He looked past circumstances to the character of the God who gives life to the dead and calls non-existent things into being. His faith grew strong as he gave glory to God.
4. Credited to Us Also
Abraham's righteousness was credited to his account — and Paul says this was written not just for Abraham's sake but for ours. Everyone who believes in the God who raised Jesus from the dead receives the same imputed righteousness. Verse 25 is a compact gospel: Christ was delivered for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
💬 Discussion Questions
Why does Paul insist the promise must come through faith and grace rather than law? What would be lost if salvation depended on our obedience?
Abraham's faith grew strong even when his circumstances were impossible. Where in your life are you being called to trust God's promise over what your senses tell you?
Romans 4:25 says Jesus was 'delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.' How do Christ's death and resurrection each contribute to your standing before God?
The same God who credited righteousness to Abraham credits it to you today — not because of what you do, but because of what Christ has done.
