Romans 4:1

Abraham is the revered ancestor of us Jews. So think about what we can conclude from what happened to Abraham about how God can erase the record of our sins. [RHQ]

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

In Context

2If it was because of Abraham’s doing good things that the record of his sins was erased {that God erased the record of his sins}, Abraham could then have been able to boast about that to people, but he would not have had any basis to boast to God about it.

Read all of Romans 4

Cross References

Matthew 3:9God promised to give Abraham many descendants. In order to fulfill that promise, God does not need you! I tell you that he can change these stones to make them descendants of Abraham. So do not start to say to yourselves, ‘Since we are descendants of our ancestor Abraham, God will not punish us even though we have sinned.’

Luke 16:24So he shouted, ‘Father Abraham, I am suffering very much in this fire! So please pity me, and send Lazarus here so that he can dip his finger in water and touch my tongue to cool it!’

John 8:33They replied to him, “We are descendants of Abraham. We have never been anyone’s slaves. So why do you say we will be freed from being someone’s slaves?”

John 8:53◄You are certainly not greater than our ancestor Abraham!/Do you think you are greater than our ancestor Abraham?► [RHQ] He died, and all the prophets died, so who do you think you are by saying something like that?”

Acts 13:26“Fellow Israelis, you who are descendants of Abraham, and you non-Jewish people who also worship God, please listen! It is to all of us that God has sent the message about how he saves people.

Romans 6:1Someone might [RHQ] say in reply to what I have written that since God acted kindly toward us in a way we did not deserve because we sinned, perhaps we should continue to sin in order that he may continue to act even more kindly toward us and keep on forgiving us! [RHQ]

Matthew Henry on Romans 4:1

The great gospel doctrine of justification by faith without the works of the law was so very contrary to the notions the Jews had learnt from those that sat in Moses' chair, that it would hardly go down with them; and therefore the apostle insists very largely upon it, and labours much in the confirmation and illustration of it. He had before proved it by reason and argument, now in this chapter he proves it by example, which in some places serves for confirmation as well as illustration. The example he pitches… Read the whole commentary →

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