In this episode we keep trekking with the story of Abraham, and what it means for him to be our "father." As we discussed in the previous episode, to be a "son" or "daughter" of someone does not require us to be a physical descendant of that person. It's not just about lineage - it's also about likeness. And what Paul wants his audience to see is that as long as Gentiles have the same kind of faith as Abraham, they don't have to be a part of his physical lineage.
But what kind of faith did Abraham have? The surprising thing about Romans 4 is that Paul sees Abraham as having "resurrection faith." In other words, there's something about Abraham's faith in God's word - that God has made him a father of many nations - that required Abraham to believe God could bring life out of his "dead" body and Sarah's "dead" womb.
Paul sees Abraham's faith in God's power to bring life out of death as a prefiguring - or foreshadowing - of our faith in God raising Jesus from the dead. In that sense, whoever trusts that God raised Jesus from the dead has the same kind of faith as Abraham. And those who have a faith like Abraham can thereby claim to be from the "line" of Abraham, making Abraham their father, and thereby qualifying them to participate in the blessing of righteousness by faith.
Key passages
Romans 4:16-25
Genesis 17:5
Explainer Video on how to use www.biblehub.com and www.blueletterbible.org
Leave us a question or comment at our website podcast page.
* Intro Music: "Admirable" Carlos Herrera Music
