Romans 4:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do not speak to me of a Jew, Paul reasons. Do not set this or that man as an example. I go up to the head of all, from whom circumcision itself took its beginning. "For if Abraham was justified by works," says the Apostle, "he has something to boast of, but not before God."

The saying is unclear, and therefore it must be made clearer. There are two kinds of boasting, one from works and the other from faith. When the Apostle says, "If he was justified by works, he has something to boast of, but not before God," he indicates that one can have boasting from faith, and much greater boasting.

Paul's great power is especially revealed in this, that he turned the subject of his argument to the opposite conclusion. He proved that salvation through faith possesses far more of everything belonging to salvation from works, namely boasting and boldness.

The one who boasts in works can display his own labors. But the one who counts it an honor that he believes in God presents a much better ground for boasting, since he glorifies and magnifies the Lord (cf. Ps 33:3; Ps 43:9; Jer 9:24; 2 Cor 10:17-18; Eph 2:8-10).

By faith in God he recognized as true what the nature of visible things did not reveal. By this he proved sincere love for God and solemnly proclaimed His power. This belongs to the noblest soul, to a philosophical mind, and to lofty thought.

Not to steal and not to murder belong to ordinary people. But to believe that God is able to accomplish the impossible requires a nobly minded spirit firmly attached to God. This is a sign of true love.

The one who fulfills the commandments honors God. But the one who is made wise by faith honors Him much more. The former obeyed Him. The latter acquired the proper understanding of God, and glorified and magnified Him more than he could by works.

The first boasting belongs to the doer of good works. The latter glorifies God and belongs wholly to Him. For the believer boasts in his lofty understanding of God, which also passes into his glory.

For this reason the Apostle says that he has boasting before God. Yet this is not for this reason alone, but for another also. The believer boasts not only because he sincerely loved God, but also because he was counted worthy of great honor and love from Him.

As he loved God by having a lofty understanding of Him, which is a proof of love, so God also loved him. Though he was guilty before God a thousand times over, He not only freed him from punishment, but made him righteous. Therefore the believer has ground to boast, as one counted worthy of great love.

Therefore, even if they perhaps say that he was justified by works because, when tested, he offered Isaac, nevertheless in this deed there is an evident proof of his strongest faith (cf. Heb 11:8-19).

"I suppose," someone said, "that those who carefully examine this discourse about the forefather Abraham ought to notice the following.

"It was said somewhere by one of the holy disciples that faith without works is dead (cf. Jas 2:17), and he added this: 'But do you wish to know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

"'Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar?' (Jas 2:20-21).

"Do these Spirit-bearing men, then, affirm things contrary to one another?"

What, then, shall we answer to this? To one who had reached old age, the God of all promised a son beyond all expectation.

He affirmed that the seed which would come from him would rival in number the immeasurable multitude of the stars.

Since Abraham honored the One Who promised, Who is able to accomplish all things, he bore witness to this before God. He was justified by Him and received, as an equal reward for so God-loving a mind, the forgetting of ancient sins.

Yet after some time God gave this righteous man, as a trial, an oracle concerning Isaac.

Even then he was faithful and God-loving, because he placed nothing above love for God.

As the disciple of the Savior writes, "faith worked together with his works," and by works faith "was confirmed" (Jas 2:22). In the text of the interpretation it reads "was confirmed," ebebaiothe, instead of the usual reading "was perfected," eteleiothe.

The wondrous Paul himself also said somewhere concerning the forefather Abraham that by faith, when he was tested, he offered Isaac.

Having received the promises, he offered his only-begotten, of whom it had been said, "In Isaac shall your seed be called." For he considered that God was able even to raise from the dead (Heb 11:17-19).

Therefore, even if they say that he was justified by works because, when tested, he offered Isaac in sacrifice, this was nevertheless in him a clear proof of the strongest faith.

Since blessed James says that Abraham was justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar, while Paul says that he was justified by faith, this apparent contradiction should be understood in the following way.

Although he believed even before he had Isaac, and as a recompense for faith received Isaac, nevertheless when he offered Isaac upon the altar, he not only performed the commanded deed.

He also did not depart from faith, since in Isaac his seed was to be multiplied like the stars. For he considered that God was able even to raise from the dead.

Yet Paul makes blessed David a witness and helper for his words (Rom 4:6-8). David was a man renowned for piety.

Speaking in the Spirit, he wisely prepared beforehand the remission of sins and proclaimed it to all men, for he knew that it would come in Christ in its own time.

The Apostle cites Moses' words about Abraham (Gen 15:6), when God promised him numerous descendants, even though he considered himself already unable to have offspring from his own loins. The immediate meaning of Moses' words, in relation to the event he described, is this: Abraham believed God's promise, and his faith was justified and realized in deed, because, as will be seen later, God's promise was fulfilled.

But the Apostle applies Moses' words not only to the fact that God promised Abraham numerous descendants. He applies them to Abraham's whole life. Indeed, the promise of descendants and of the inheritance of an unknown land had already prompted Abraham earlier to depart from the land of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan, and to undertake other labors. But until the time in question, it was supported by natural calculations and powers. Now it became the object of faith alone.

With all the powers of his soul, Abraham was directed toward the thought of the promised descendants. His whole life and activity were centered in it. From then on he lived by faith in the fulfillment of God's promise. Therefore the Apostle rightly says that faith was counted to him as righteousness.

"It was counted" means it was reckoned and served in place of something. This does not mean that Abraham was merely considered righteous without becoming righteous. That would be contrary to God's righteousness. Rather, it means that he became righteous through faith. On his part, faith was such a merit and ascetic labor that it raised him in God's eyes above those who fulfilled the law.

"The believer has God as his debtor," says Chrysostom. Therefore there is merit here on man's side, namely faith. There is also gift on God's side, because He gives man righteousness not for works, but for faith alone, for one inner disposition. Yet the power of faith is not in faith itself, but in the merits of Jesus Christ. In God's acceptance of these merits there is an abundance of grace. Abraham's faith was counted to him because it referred to the coming Messiah.

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.

But if he had only such works, then, despite their great value, he would have been glorified only by men as righteous. God would not have looked upon him. For with all such works, it is possible to be alien to God. It is possible not to be turned to God in the heart, not to live for Him, and not to please Him alone.

God always looks upon the heart. He relates to a man according to how the man's heart lies toward Him. Therefore, if God so favored Abraham, we must suppose that it was not for works alone, but still more for the disposition of his heart. And what was in his heart? Boundless faith lived in his heart.