Abraham: The Spiritual Father of All Who Believe

Romans 4:9–12 (NLT)

⁹ Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. ¹⁰ But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!

¹¹ Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. ¹² And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Message

I. The Question: Is the Blessing Only for the Jews? (9)

Last week we learned that righteousness is not our wage but God’s gift (Romans 4:4-8). Now Paul asks in verse 9^a.

⁹ Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles?

II. Abraham Was Declared Righteous Before Circumcision (10, 11^a)

To answer this question, Paul looks at the case of Abraham.

When Abraham was younger than 86, God counted Abraham as righteous because of his faith (9^b, Genesis 15:6). When Abraham was 99 years old, God commanded Abraham to circumcise each male in Genesis 17:10-11. Therefore, Abraham was counted as righteous before he was circumcised (10). Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised (11^b).

Relevant Scripture to Read: Genesis 17:9-14 NLT

III. Abraham Is the Spiritual Father of All Who Believe (11^b, 12)

Accordingly, Paul concludes in verse 11^b:

^11b So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.

Here, Abraham is not just the father of the Jews physically, but the spiritual father of those who have faith, so that uncircumcised Gentiles can become his spiritual descendants and inherit the blessings God promised him and his descendants. What are the blessings God promised them?
The blessings include:

• Countless descendants (Genesis 17:2), extreme fruitfulness (Genesis 17:6)
• God Almighty will always be their God (Genesis 17:1, 7)
• The eternal possession of the entire land of Canaan (Genesis 17:8) or the whole earth (Romans 4:13)

Relevant Scripture to Read: God made a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:1-8 NLT) as well as Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4, 24) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15, Genesis 35:11-12).

See verse 12.

¹² And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Paul adds that even the circumcised such as the Jews, can become spiritual descendants of Abraham only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had (Genesis 15:6) before he was circumcised.