Romans 4:19

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: AND BEING NOT WEAK IN FAITH, HE CONSIDERED NOT, [ ou (G3756) katenoeesen (G2657)] - reflected not on, paid no attention to, those physical obstacles, both in himself and in Sarah, which might seem to render the fulfillment hopeless, WHEN HE WAS ABOUT AN HUNDRED YEARS OLD - he was then 99; "neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:...

19._In faith_, _etc. _If you prefer to omit one of the negatives you may render it thus, “Being weak in faith, he considered not his own body,” etc.; but this makes no sense. He indeed shows now more fully what might have hindered, yea, and wholly turned Abraham aside from receiving the promise. A seed from Sarah was promised to him at a time when he was not by nature fit for generating, nor Sarah for conceiving. Whatever he could see as to himself was opposed to the accomplishment of the promise. Hence, that he might yield to the truth of God, he withdrew his mind from those things which presented themselves to his own view, and as it were forgot himself. You are not however to think, that he had no regard whatever to his own body, now dead, since Scripture testifies to the contrary; for he reasoned thus with himself, “Shall a child be born to a man an hundred years old? and shall Sarah...

13-22 The promise was made to Abraham long before the law. It points at Christ, and it refers to the promise, Genesis 12:3. In Thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. The law worketh wrath, by showing that every transgressor is exposed to the Divine displeasure. As God intended to give men a title to the promised blessings, so he appointed it to be by faith, that it might be wholly of grace, to make it sure to all who were of the like precious faith with Abraham, whether Jews or Gentiles, in all ages. The justification and salvation of sinners, the taking to himself the Gentiles who had not been a people, were a gracious calling of things which are not, as though they were; and this giving a being to things that were not, proves the almighty power of God. The nature and power of Abraham's faith are shown. He believed God's testimony, and looked for the performance of his promis...

Verse 19. _HE CONSIDERED NOT HIS OWN BODY NOW DEAD_] He showed at once the correctness and energy of his faith: God _cannot_ lie; Abraham _can_ believe. It is true that, according to the course of nature, he and Sarah are so old that they cannot have children; but God is almighty, and can do whatsoever he will, and will fulfil his promise. This was certainly a wonderful degree of faith; as the promise stated that it was in _his posterity_ that all the nations of the earth were to be blessed; that he had, as yet, no child by Sarah; that he was 100 years old; that Sarah was 90; and that, added to the utter improbability of her bearing at that age, she had ever been barren before. All these were so many reasons why he should not credit the promise; yet he believed; therefore it might be well said, Romans 4:20, _that he staggered not at the promise_, though every thin...

AND BEING NOT WEAK IN FAITH - That is, having strong faith. HE CONSIDERED NOT - He did not regard the fact that his body was now dead, as any obstacle to the fulfillment of the promise. He did not suffer that fact to influence him, or to produce any doubt about the fulfillment. Faith looks to the strength of God, not to second causes, or to difficulties that may appear formidable to man. NOW DEAD - Aged; dead as to the purpose under consideration; compare Hebrews 11:12, “As good as dead.” That is, he was now at an age when it was highly improbable that he would have any children; compare Genesis 17:17. DEADNESS ... -...

EXPOSITION ROMANS 4:1 (5) _Abraham himself shown to have been justified by faith, and not by works, believers being his true heirs._ The main points of the argument may be summarized thus: When Abraham obtained a blessing to himself and to his seed for ever, it was by faith, and not by works, that he is declared to have been justified so as to obtain it. Thus the promise to his seed, as well as to himself, rested on the principle of justification by faith only. The Law, of which the principle was essentially different, could not, and did not, in itself fulfil that promise; and that its fulfilment was not dependent on circumcision, or confined to the circumcised, is further shown by the fact that it was before his own circumcision that he received the blessing and the promise, Hence the seed intended in the promise was his spiritual seed, who a

AND BEING NOT WEAK IN FAITH,.... Abraham was not weak in the exercise of his faith, on the promise of God; nor was his faith weakened about the accomplishment of it, neither by the length of time after the promise was made, nor by the seeming insuperable difficulties of nature which attended it; for HE CONSIDERED NOT HIS OWN BODY NOW DEAD. The Alexandrian copy reads without the negative, "he considered his own body now dead", and so the Syriac version: which makes his faith the greater, that though he did consider his case, yet his faith was not weakened: the phrase, "his body now dead", is an "euphemism" of the "merebrum virile", which by the Jews, when unfit for generation, is called אבר מת, "merebrum emortuum" t: WHEN HE WAS ABOUT AN HUNDRED YEARS OLD; not being quite an hundred years of age, wanting a year or thereabout: NEITHER YET THE DEADNESS OF SARAH'S WOMB; how unfit she was...

Romans 4:1. _What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness._ He stands as the great Father of believers, and this is the charter given to him, and given to all believers in him. «Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.» Romans 4:4. _Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt._ That is to say, to him who hopes to be saved by his works, to whom salvation is of merit. He has worked for the reward. He has earned it. Do not talk about grace in that case....

ROMANS 4:19 kateno,hsen {C} Curiously enough, each of the two readings, one positive and one negative, gives good sense: (_a_) kateno,hsen (a A B C 81 1739 vg syrp copsa, bo, fay arm _al_) means, “His faith did not weaken when he considered …,” and (_b_) ouv kateno,hsen (D G K P Y 33 _Byz Lect_ itd, g syrh _al_) means, “He was so strong in faith that he did not consider …” Whereas reading (_b_), like many other readings of Western origin, appears at first to be preferable, after further reflection it reveals itself to be less appropriate in the context: here Paul does not wish to imply that faith means closing one’s eyes to reality, but...

CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The Witness of Abraham to Justification. (Romans 4:1 .)_ 2. As Confirmed also by David. (Romans 4:6 .) 3. Circumcision the Sign of the Covenant. (Romans 4:9 .) 4. Faith in Him Who Raiseth the Dead. (Romans 4:13 .) Romans 4:1 Two witnesses are summoned next in whose lives the truth of justification by faith is illustrated. The Jews boasted of Abraham as the father of their nation. “Abraham our father” is still the common phrase used by all orthodox Jews as it was in the days of John the Baptist, as he declared, “Sa