Romans 4:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He calls this salvation not only righteousness, but also a manifestation of God. God is manifested in glorious, radiant, and great works. He explains the same point elsewhere by framing his discourse in questions. He always does this for clarity and because of his confidence in his words.

He did this above when he said, "What advantage then has the Jew?" And again, "Are we better than they?" And again, "Where is boasting? It is excluded" (Rom 3:1, 9, 27). So here too he says, "What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found?"

Since the Jews constantly appealed to the fact that the patriarch and friend of God first received circumcision, the Apostle wishes to prove that he too was justified by faith. This is the triumph of his great victory. It is not at all strange for one without works to be justified by faith. But for one adorned with merits to become righteous not because of them, but by faith, is astonishing. It especially reveals the power of faith.

Therefore the Apostle passes over all the rest and turns his discourse to Abraham. He called him father according to the flesh, depriving the Jews of true kinship with him and opening the way for the Gentiles to be kin with him.

"According to the flesh." The Apostle's thought was to show that Abraham, the forefather of the circumcised, was justified by faith, by the spirit, and not by natural powers and means. He was not justified by circumcision of the flesh, nor generally by works, as the Jews thought. They placed all their hope in bodily descent from Abraham and in circumcision.

Looking more deeply into the history of Abraham, the Apostle asks: "When was it counted" to Abraham? "Was it after circumcision, or before circumcision? Not after circumcision, but before circumcision." For Abraham received the announcement of the birth of a son, and believed it, while he was still uncircumcised. "And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness through faith which he had while uncircumcised" (Rom 4:10-11).

In this event, that is, in the institution of circumcision after Abraham's faith had already been declared because of God's promise to him, the holy Apostle sees God's deliberate purpose. It was to show in Abraham a universal model of faith for both the circumcised and the uncircumcised. It was also so that he would be not the bodily, but the spiritual father of all believers, "that righteousness might be counted to them also," as those "who walk in the footsteps of the faith he had while uncircumcised" (Rom 4:12).

In their error about justification by works, the Hebrews especially thought they could rely on the examples of famous righteous men. These included their patriarch and father Abraham, King David, and others like them. But in the examples of these saints, honored by the Hebrews, the Apostle shows the truth of the Christian teaching on justification by faith.

Without entering into a detailed refutation of the Jews' wrong opinion about the justification of their father Abraham, the Apostle simply asks what Abraham received according to the flesh, that is, by his descent and by works. Yet the answer is already given in the question. The Hebrews knew that Abraham left his native family when it was close to paganism. For a long time he wandered in the promised land, without that divine consolation by which he became father of all people.

Thus Abraham was counted worthy of everything great through faith. Moses the historian also testified to this when Abraham received with faith God's promise about the birth of a son from him (Gen 15:6). Apart from showing hope in God, Abraham had not yet done anything for which justification could rightly have been given him.

Since they valued externals highly, the Hebrews could certainly find much in Abraham's works that clearly spoke of his holiness. Yet before God, the Knower of hearts, even Abraham could not have justification by his works. For God does not look upon appearances. He justifies not for external outward works, but for complete purity and most perfect holiness. Abraham, however, did not and could not possess this. Scripture itself testifies that he received justification through faith, and therefore not by works.

"Having sufficiently proved that faith is necessary for all, he confirms this further by the example of Abraham, who enjoyed great honor among the Jews.

"He says that even Abraham, who accomplished many great things, was justified not by works, but by faith" (Blessed Theophylact).

The Apostle asks, but the question already proves his thought, for it contains the answer within itself.

"In the present place, the Apostle proves the power of faith by setting forth his argument in questions, as he is always accustomed to do for clarity and because of confidence in the truth of his words.

"He did this above, saying, 'What advantage then has the Jew?' and, 'What then? Do we have an advantage?' and again, 'Where then is boasting? It has been excluded.'

"So also here he says, 'What then shall we say?' and so forth" (Saint Chrysostom).

This question led the mind to the whole history of the forefather Abraham. It recalled how he was taken from his father's house, from his kindred, and from his land.

It recalled how he went and came to a land unknown at first, what trials he underwent there, and how after all this he received the promise of an innumerable posterity.

It also recalled the promise of the Descendant from Whom blessing would come to all nations. Anyone who passed through this whole history in thought could not fail to see what the forefather Abraham found, and how he found it.

Saint Chrysostom, Oecumenius, Gennadius, Photius in Oecumenius, and Theophylact connect the phrase "according to the flesh" with "father": "our father according to the flesh."

This combination fixes the whole thought on Abraham, as if saying: see what, how much, and how our progenitor Abraham found. Therefore imitate him.

"The Apostle shows Abraham special honor by calling him forefather, so as thereby to oblige the Jews to obey him in everything" (Saint Chrysostom), "so as to oblige them by this to imitate him in everything" (Blessed Theophylact).

The Apostle ascends to the time when the whole human race still stood on one level. There was no written law, and the path to justification was open in one way for all.

In the person of Abraham, both Judaism and what lay outside Judaism, which were to be formed in the future, were concentrated.

By pointing to him, the Apostle wishes "to open the path of kinship with him also to the Gentiles" (Saint Chrysostom).

At the same time, he suggests to the Jews whether it is possible to be content with mere descent from Abraham according to the flesh, when in Abraham's own case this descent had no significance.

Blessed Theodoret connects the phrase "according to the flesh" with "found": what did Abraham our father find according to the flesh?

By "flesh" one may understand human nature, or works performed visibly in the flesh and by the flesh according to the order under the law, such as circumcision, sacrifices, and the rest.

The thought will be: what did Abraham our father find by his natural powers? Or, did our forefather find anything by works visibly performed in the flesh and by the flesh, according to the order under the law?

Neither question can be answered affirmatively.

The first cannot, because everything in Abraham was according to God's good pleasure, not according to his merits.

The second cannot, because no such order yet existed, and circumcision served for him as the seal of distinctions granted to him before circumcision.

The Apostle's words also lead to another thought. What did a Jew encounter when he was born into the world?

He encountered the chosen people of God, to whom he belonged by birth. Receiving circumcision after eight days, he became heir of all the privileges of Israel.

Abraham encountered nothing of the kind when he was born into the world. Yet how he was magnified, and how he was visited with God's mercies.

Therefore there is a path to God's good pleasure apart from works of the law. Consider, then, what this is, so that you do not make a mistake by attributing too much importance to these privileges.