Romans 4:13-25 is one of the grand texts about faith in the Bible. It is the Second Reading appointed for the 2nd Sunday in Lent in the Year of Mark and it is paired with the story in Genesis 17 of Abram's reception of God's promise to be the father of many nations. This is an excellent opportunity to talk about faith, and to announce the promise of God to the people - the very same promise that Abram received, to be blessed to be a blessing.
(The following questions have been formulated to answer some fundamental questions for Law and Gospel preachers around the function of the Word in the text. They are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions which address different concerns. For more on this method, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)
1. How does the Word function in the text? This text is primarily functioning as Gospel since it centers itself on the promises of God and the faith that receives them. There is, however, an underlying function of Law since the implication is that we like to insist that the promise comes to "the adherents of the law" (i.e. those who deserve God's favor), basking as we do in our own self-righteousness. Paul announces to us that the end of such thinking is wrath. (vs.15).
2. With whom are you identifying in the text? We are those being exhorted to faith in this text. Abraham is our forebearer in the faith, the one who shows us the joy of living by faith.
3. What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text? The call here is the call to faith, not the call to obedience. They are not one and the same. The call to obedience is the Word functioning to invite us into living in a certain way in response to God's grace.
4. What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? There is ample language in this passage to compose couplets. Here are a few ideas: wrath/mercy; dead/alive; despair/hope; unbelief/faith.
5. Exegetical work: Ambrosiaster, 4th century scholar, succinctly summarizes what's at stake in insisting that the adherents of the law are those who receive God's promise: "The apostle shows that there is something wicked in hoping for an inheritance by the law." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. VI, p. 118). He continues: "In order to show that no man can be justified before God by the law, nor can the promise be given through the law, Paul says that the law brings wrath. It was given in order to make transgressors guilty. But faith is the gift of God's mercy, so that those who have been made guilty by the law may obtain forgiveness." (Ibid., p. 119). Martin Luther, in his lectures, also writes about what is at stake if the promise came only to the adherents of the law: "Therefore, if the promise were through the Law, since it works wrath, it would follow that the promise is not a promise, but rather a threat. And thus the promise would be abolished and through this also faith." (Luther's Works, vol. 25, p. 279). R.C. H. Lenski, in his classic commentary, notes the reason why the promise always depends on faith: "The reason Paul did not write: 'not through law-righteousness' as the opposite of: 'through faith-righteousness' is due to the fact that no such thing as 'law-righteousness' exists; the only thing law produces is 'wrath' (v. 15) and not righteousness." (Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, p. 309). The most thorough discussion of this text is in Ernst Kasemann's commentary. Here is how he summarizes this whole text: "The word 'promise' is the connecting link in vv. 13-25. The argument is grouped around three statements. In vv. 13-17a the idea that the promise is attached to the law is contested. In vv. 17b-22 the promise is characterized by the fact that only faith in the resurrection of the dead corresponds to it. The conclusion is drawn in vv. 23-25 that Abraham's faith is an anticipation of Christian faith." (Commentary on Romans, p. 118).
6. How does the Crossings Community model work with this text? Jerome Bruce does a nice job of analyzing this text along the lines of how we view inheritance. We somehow continue to insist that rightful heirs are those who have earned their inheritance. In Christ we see a different way. See the entire analysis archived under its reference at crossings.org/text-study.
Blessings on your proclamation!
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