What then shall we sayThis phrase introduces a rhetorical question, a common technique used by Paul to engage his audience and provoke thought. It suggests a continuation of a previous argument, inviting readers to consider the implications of what has been discussed. In the context of Romans, Paul is addressing the relationship between faith and works, particularly in the context of justification.
that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh,
Abraham is a central figure in Jewish history, regarded as the patriarch of the Israelites. By referring to him as "our forefather according to the flesh," Paul acknowledges the physical lineage and heritage of the Jewish people. Abraham's significance is not only genealogical but also theological, as he is a model of faith. InGenesis 12-25, Abraham's life and covenant with God are detailed, establishing him as a foundational figure in the narrative of God's people. His faith and obedience are pivotal in understanding the concept of righteousness apart from the Law.
has discovered?
This phrase suggests an inquiry into what Abraham learned or experienced regarding faith and righteousness. The discovery here is not merely intellectual but experiential, as Abraham's life exemplifies the principle of being justified by faith.Genesis 15:6 states, "Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness." This discovery is crucial for Paul's argument that righteousness comes through faith, not works, and it prefigures the New Testament revelation of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Abraham's experience serves as a type of the believer's journey, highlighting the continuity of God's plan from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
AbrahamKnown as the patriarch of the Israelites, Abraham is a central figure in the Bible. He is often referred to as the "father of faith" because of his unwavering belief in God's promises. In
Romans 4:1, Paul uses Abraham as an example to illustrate the principle of justification by faith.
2.
PaulThe apostle Paul is the author of the Book of Romans. He was a key figure in the early Christian church and wrote many of the New Testament letters. In Romans, Paul addresses both Jewish and Gentile believers, explaining the righteousness that comes from faith.
3.
RomansThe Book of Romans is a letter written by Paul to the Christian community in Rome. It is one of the most theological books in the New Testament, dealing with themes such as sin, salvation, and the righteousness of God.
Teaching Points
Justification by FaithAbraham's example shows that justification comes through faith, not by works or adherence to the law. This principle is foundational to Christian doctrine and emphasizes the grace of God in salvation.
Faith as a LegacyAbraham is referred to as the "forefather according to the flesh," but his true legacy is his faith. Believers today are called to follow in his footsteps, living lives marked by faith and trust in God's promises.
The Universality of the GospelBy using Abraham, who predates the Mosaic Law, Paul demonstrates that the gospel is for all people, both Jews and Gentiles. Faith, not ethnicity or law, is the key to being part of God's family.
The Role of Scripture in Understanding FaithPaul's argument is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, showing the importance of Scripture in understanding and applying the principles of faith and righteousness.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Romans 4:1?
2.How does Romans 4:1 illustrate Abraham's role in understanding faith and works?
3.What can we learn from Abraham's example about righteousness through faith?
4.How does Romans 4:1 connect to Genesis 15:6 regarding Abraham's belief?
5.How can we apply Abraham's faith in our daily walk with God?
6.What does Romans 4:1 teach us about the importance of faith over works?
7.What does Romans 4:1 reveal about Abraham's role in faith and righteousness?
8.How does Romans 4:1 challenge the concept of works-based salvation?
9.In what way does Romans 4:1 connect to the Old Testament understanding of faith?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Romans 4?
11.What does "justification by faith" mean?
12.What does 'From Faith to Faith' signify?
13.Who are the patriarchs in the Bible?
14.Was Abraham considered Jewish or Gentile?What Does Romans 4:1 Mean
What then shall we sayPaul opens with a familiar rhetorical question, inviting his readers to pause and reflect. He has just finished declaring, “Therefore we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Romans 3:28).
• The phrase signals a continuation: “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded” (Romans 3:27).
• Paul’s tone is conversational, pushing us to answer along with him: If salvation is by faith, what does that do to human pride?
• Similar transitions appear inRomans 6:1 and 8:31, showing Paul’s method of anticipating objections and guiding believers to truth.
that AbrahamPaul chooses Abraham because both Jews and Gentiles revere him.
•Genesis 15:6: “Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
•Galatians 3:6-9 reminds us that “those who have faith are sons of Abraham.”
• By spotlighting Abraham, Paul roots his teaching in the earliest patriarch, proving faith was always God’s way.
our forefather according to the fleshHere Paul acknowledges Abraham’s physical lineage to Israel while hinting that mere ancestry is insufficient.
•Isaiah 51:2 urges Israel to “look to Abraham your father.”
•Matthew 3:9 records John the Baptist warning, “God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones,” undermining ethnic confidence.
•Romans 9:7-8 clarifies: “It is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but the children of the promise.”
Paul affirms the historical connection yet prepares to show that spiritual kinship through faith outranks bloodline.
has discovered?“What did Abraham find?” The answer unfolds in the next verses: “If Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God” (Romans 4:2).
• Abraham discovered that right standing with God is credited, not earned (Romans 4:3-5).
•Galatians 3:11 agrees: “The righteous will live by faith.”
•Ephesians 2:8-9 echoes the lesson: salvation is “not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Abraham’s great discovery is grace. His example dismantles any claim that keeping law or heritage secures righteousness.
summaryRomans 4:1 invites us to trace the roots of justification back to Abraham. Paul’s question highlights that:
• Salvation has always been by faith.
• Physical descent from Abraham offers no saving advantage without that same faith.
• Boasting is silenced, and God alone receives glory for granting righteousness as a gift.
In short, Abraham’s story proves that faith—not works, not lineage—is the pathway to being right with God.
IV.(1-25) The subject of the chapter is an application of the foregoing to the special (and crucial) case of Abraham, with particular reference to two ideas that are continually recurring throughout the last chapter: (1) the supposed superiority of Jew to Gentile (and,a fortiori, of the great progenitor of the Jews); (2) the idea of boasting or glorying based upon this superiority. Following out this the Apostle shows how even Abraham's case tells, not against, but for the doctrine of justification by faith. Indeed, Abraham himself came under it. And not only so, but those who act upon this doctrine are spiritually descendants of Abraham. It is entirely a mistake to suppose that they of the circumcision only are Abraham's seed. The true seed of Abraham are those who follow his example of faith. He put faith in the promise, they must put their faith in the fulfilment of the promise.
(1) To come back to the question ofRomans 3:1, repeated inRomans 3:9, in what did the superiority of Abraham, the great representative of the Jewish race, really consist?
As pertaining to the flesh.--The construction of these words appears to be determined by their position in the sentence. According to the best MSS. they are distinctly separated from "hath found" and joined with "our father." They would therefore mean simply "our father according to the flesh,"i.e., by natural descent, as inRomans 1:3.
Hath found.--Hath got, orgained, by way of advantage.
Verses 1-25. - (5)
Abraham himself shown to have been justified by faith, and not by works, believers being his true heirs. The main points of the argument may be summarized thus: When Abraham obtained a blessing to himself and to his seed for ever, it was by faith, and not by works, that he is declared to have been justified so as to obtain it. Thus the promise to his seed, as well as to himself, rested on the principle of justification by faith only. The Law, of which the principle was essentially different, could not, and did not, in itself fulfil that promise; and that its fulfilment was not dependent on circumcision, or confined to the circumcised, is further shown by the fact that it was before his own circumcision that he received the blessing and the promise, Hence the seed intended in the promise was his spiritual seed, who are of faith such as his was; and in Christ, offering justification through faith to all, the promise is now fulfilled.
Verse 1. -
What then shall we say that Abraham our father according to the flesh hath found? The connection, denoted by
οῦν, with the preceding argument is rather with vers. 27, 28 of ch. 3, than with its concluding words,
νόμον ἱστάνομεν. This appears, not only from the drift of ch. 4, but also from the word
καύχημα in ver. 2, connecting the thought with
ποῦ οῦν ἡκαύχησις; in
Romans 3:27. The line of thought is, in the first place, this: We have said that all human glorying is shut out, and that no man can be justified except by faith: how, then (it is important to inquire), was it with Abraham our great progenitor? Did not he at least earn the blessing to his seed by the merit of his works? Had not he, on that ground, whereof to glory? No, not even he. Scripture, in what it says of him, distinctly asserts the contrary. There is uncertainty in this verse as to whether "according to the flesh" (
κατὰ σάρκα) is to be connected with "our father" or with "hath found." Readings vary in their arrangement of the words. The Textus Receptus has
Τί οῦν ἐροῦμεν Αβραὰμτὸν πατέρα ἡμῶν εὐρηκέναι κατὰ σάρκα. But the great preponderance of authority is in favour of
εὐρηκέναι Ἀβραὰμ τὸν προπάτοραἡμῶν κατὰ σάρκα. The first of these readings requires the connection of
κατὰ σάρκα with
εὐρηκέναι; the second allows it, but suggests the other connection. Theodoret, among the ancients, connecting with
εὐρηκέναι, explains
κατὰ σάρκα thus: "What righteousness, of Abraham's, wrought
before he believed God, did we ever hear of?" Calvin suggests, as the meaning of the phrase (though himself inclining to the connection with
προπάτορα)
," naturaliter vel ex seipso." Bull, similarly ('Harmonic Apostolica,' 'Disputatio Posterior,' c. 12:14-17), "by his natural powers, without the grace of God." Alford, following Meyer, says that
κατὰ σάρκα is in contrast to
κατὰ πνεύμα, and that it "refers to that department of our being from which spring works, in contrast with that in which is the exercise of faith." Difficulty is avoided if (as is the most natural inference from the best authenticated reading) we take
κατὰ σάρκα in connection with
πάτερα or
προπάτορα, in the sense of our forefather in the way of natural descent, the question being put from the Jewish standpoint; and this in distinction from the other conception of descent from Abraham, according to which all the faithful are called his children (cl.
Romans 1:3;
Romans 9:3, 5, 8:
1 Corinthians 10:18). Among the ancients Chrysostom and Theophylact take this view. For the import of
εὐρηκέναι, cf.
Luke 1:30 (
εϋρες χάριν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ) and
Hebrews 9:12 (
αἰωνίαν λύτρωσιν εὑράμενος᾿.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
WhatΤί(Ti)Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101:Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.thenοὖν(oun)Conjunction
Strong's 3767:Therefore, then. Apparently a primary word; certainly, or accordingly.shall we sayἐροῦμεν(eroumen)Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 2046:Probably a fuller form of rheo; an alternate for epo in certain tenses; to utter, i.e. Speak or say.[that] Abraham,Ἀβραὰμ(Abraam)Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 11:Abraham, progenitor of the Hebrew race. Of Hebrew origin; Abraham, the Hebrew patriarch.ourἡμῶν(hēmōn)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473:I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.forefather,προπάτορα(propatora)Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3962:Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.has discovered?εὑρηκέναι(heurēkenai)Verb - Perfect Infinitive Active
Strong's 2147:A prolonged form of a primary heuro, which heureo is used for it in all the tenses except the present and imperfect to find.
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NT Letters: Romans 4:1 What then will we say that Abraham (Rom. Ro) 
