Romans 4:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Having proved what was said by the example of Abraham, the Apostle turns to David, who confirms the same thought. What then does David say, and whom does he call blessed? The one who boasts in works, or the one counted worthy of grace, who has received forgiveness of sins and the gift?

When I speak of blessedness, I mean the summit of all good things. As righteousness is higher than wages, so blessedness is higher than righteousness. Therefore, after proving the superiority of righteousness not only by the example of Abraham, who received it, but also by arguments from reason, saying, "He has something to boast of, but not before God" (Rom 4:2), the Apostle again unfolds its importance in another way. He appeals to David, who testifies in its favor.

David too, as the Apostle says, calls the one justified through faith blessed, saying: Rom 4:7, "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven."

Having proved by the example of Abraham that righteousness, or justification, is from faith, he also presents David. David calls blessed the man to whom God does not impute sin, and he shows the advantage and superiority of faith.

For if the one who receives forgiveness by grace is blessed, then much more blessed is the one who has displayed faith and is justified by it. Why, he says, are you troubled that he receives forgiveness of sins by grace? You see that the one who receives remission by grace is blessed. The prophet would not have called him blessed unless he knew that he possessed great glory. For blessedness is something very great, higher than righteousness itself. It is the summit of all the good things we receive from God.

He continues: "David says, Blessed is the one to whom God has reckoned His righteousness," in order to show that God justifies him apart from works. "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven" (Ps. 31:1-2).

Paul supports this by the example of the prophet. David says, "Blessed are the men who are justified before God apart from works and without observance of the law, by faith alone." Thus he foretells the blessed time of Christ's birth. As the Lord Himself says: "Many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it" (Mt. 13:17).

Since the Apostle proved that blessed Abraham acquired righteousness by faith, yet Abraham lived before the law was given, he necessarily presents David as a witness to grace, since David lived already under the law. He says: "Even as David also speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from the works of the law: Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin" (Ps. 31:1-2). That is, the law imposed punishment on sinners, but the Prophet blesses those who received forgiveness of sins. Therefore it is clear that he blesses us and foretells the gifts of grace.

Verses 6-8. The saying cited from the Psalm (Ps. 31:1-2), as Chrysostom notes, has the purpose of showing the superiority of faith. The Apostle's thought is this: David calls blessed those whose sins are forgiven. If they are blessed, they are also righteous, because blessedness is given only to the righteous. But those who have sins cannot be righteous. Therefore they became righteous by grace, not by their own works.

Fourth section. Justifying faith is not the destruction of the law. On the contrary, it was and always is the continual and universal means of justification. This is proved by the example of Abraham and the testimony of David, and by the greatness of the fruits of our justification and of God's love, which do not correspond to our sinfulness (Rom 4-5:11).

Rom 4:1-25. "What does the Scripture say" about Abraham? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness" (Rom 4:3). "So also David calls blessed the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works" (Rom 4:6).

Likewise, not by works but by God's mercy, those are blessed who, according to David, receive from God forgiveness of sins. Their sins, as though covered by God's mercy, are not imputed to them as guilt (Ps 31:1-2).

The words of David's prophetic psalm refer more to New Testament people, whose sins are covered by the sufferings of Christ the Savior. But the Hebrews might think that they refer only to Old Testament people, and therefore serve to confirm their opinion about justification by works. Therefore the Apostle returns again to the example of Abraham.

"He speaks blessedness" means that he says that blessed is the man to whom God counts righteousness, whom He recognizes as righteous and receives as righteous. "Apart from works of the law" means although he does not have and does not present works of righteousness. Not only does he lack such works, but, on the contrary, he has works opposed to them, sins and lawless deeds. This is shown by the very words cited in the person of the holy prophet David.

This is the thought. The words are linked by "just as" with what immediately precedes, and through it with the whole discourse: "We conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law." They stand parallel to the example of Abraham, as a new proof of that truth.