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Conybeare and Howson go so far as to translate the passage: "What then can we say
that our father Abraham gained by the fleshly ordinance?" The apostle's argument is as
follows:--
"If Abraham were justified by works, boasting is not excluded in his case. But he has
no such ground of boasting before God, for the Scripture tells us that Abraham believed
God, and this faith of his was counted for righteousness."
"Now if a man earn his pay by his work, it is not reckoned to him as a favour, but it is
paid him as a debt; but if he earns nothing by his work, but puts faith in Him Who
justifies the ungodly, then his faith is reckoned to him for righteousness."
"Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and
whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."
The significance of Gen. 15: 6.
We must now give attention to the actual passage that forms the basis of the apostle's
argument, viz., Gen. 15: 6. At the very outset we are confronted with a problem.
Abraham believed God before the act recorded in Gen. 15: Heb. 11: 8 is quite clear as
to that, saying: "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out unto a place which he
should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he
went." Further, Paul brings Gen. 15: and 12: together in Gal. 3: 6 and 8 without any
apparent feeling of difficulty in the matter: "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God
would justify the Gentiles through faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying,
In thee shall all nations be blessed." Justification by faith, therefore, is involved at the
very outset of God's promises to Abraham, and in Abraham's faith in God.
The choice of Gen. 15: as the place in which to record the imputation of
righteousness to Abraham seems to be the result of the following facts, all of which have
a distinct bearing upon the truth at stake in Rom. 3: and 4: Abraham had come to an
end of himself--"I go childless" (Gen. 15: 2). Abraham was told by God, that in spite of
apparent impossibility he should nevertheless have a son: "He that shall come forth out
of thine own bowels shall be thine heir" (Gen. 15: 4). Abraham was then told to look
toward heaven, and see whether he was able to number the stars; which command was
followed by the promise: "So shall thy seed be" (Gen. 15: 5). Then comes the statement:
"And he believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15: 6).
The special feature of Abraham's faith.
That this feature of Abraham's faith is the underlying reason for the mention of his
justification in Gen. 15: 6, Rom. 4: 17-25 gives abundant proof. This passage, as will
be seen by the structure, is the sequel and expansion of Rom. 4: 1-8, the passage under
review. Its one great point is the fact that, although Abraham and Sarah were "dead" as
far as the natural expectation of parenthood was concerned, nevertheless Abraham
"staggered not at the promise through unbelief". What God said Abraham believed, and
it revealed the fact that the God Whose Word he trusted was to him the "God Who
quickeneth the dead" (Rom. 4: 17).