Chapter 4 is an exercise to prove that Abraham is an heir of the promise of grace by faith, and so are we! We can have the promise of Abraham in our own lives! I want to study the verses in this chapter that lead up to the promise. I'm going to call it a promise of grace because that's what it is. It is the promise that God justifies the ungodly through faith in Jesus apart from works.

I will provide the scriptures and do another verse by verse commentary on this section:

Verses 6-8 'Even as David also described the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying; Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.'

In verses 6-8 Paul references the Old Testament to prove he teaches from it. He cites David in Psalms 32:1-2 'Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.' David speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works. Blessed and happy is the person whose sin the Lord will not take into account nor reckon against him.

Verses 9-13 'Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.'

In verses 9-12, Paul goes on to say paraphrasing: Abraham received the promise of God before circumcision that he might be the father of all them that believe, whether circumcised according to the law or not. Both are credited with righteousness. These verses explain that he received the seal of righteousness of faith before circumcision and therefore can appeal to those of us who are not of Israel, yet believe.

And then in verses 13, Paul really makes it clear by saying that 'the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.' Where the law was given after Abraham, the promise had to come another way.

'For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.' Romans 4: 14-15 In verses 14-15 Paul teaches that nothing Abraham did earned this promise from God. The law unleashed God’s wrath not His blessing.

Circumcision served Abraham and the Jewish race as a physical token of a covenant relationship. The new covenant relationship by which we are justified and now obtain right standing with God is imputed by faith. The faithful Jews and Gentiles are now reconciled to God and both have access to the Father and all walk in the footsteps of faith. Ephesians 2: 14, 16, 18