#Romans4 - Jewish Apologetics

Romans 4: 

1. What stuck out to you from this passage?

Paul strikes some really key, basic Jewish understandings here and uses them to promote the gospel of Jesus. Two of the most fundamental Jewish bases for their faith are circumcision and the law of Moses. To understand this chapter, you need to know a couple things about these two pillars of the Jewish religion. God made a covenant with Abraham that all of his male descendants should be circumcised (yes, it still has the same meaning as it did then) when they were 8 days old. This would be a sign that they belonged to God, that they were holy (which means "set apart"). So it was a big deal, and rightly so because God commanded it. About 400-500 years later, after the Israelites are freed from slavery in Egypt, God gave the Ten Commandments (and a whole bunch of other commandments, collectively called "The Law") to the Israelites to show them how to live. This was also a very big deal, and rightly so.

So Paul's argument here is brilliant, and it's right there in the Bible and in the Jewish Scripture as well. Paul is saying that God declared Abraham righteous because Abraham believed God (See Genesis 15). But that was even before the covenant of circumcision, and way before the covenant of the Law of Moses. Paul is basically saying (and I paraphrase), "Neither circumcision nor the Law was ever God's way of making people righteous. Rather from the very beginning until now, God has always counted people righteous because of their faith. Then it was faith in God, now it is faith in Jesus Christ that justifies a person. BAM! That is rock-solid Jewish apologetics. Sorry I kind of geek out about it. I'm weird, I know.

2. How does this passage relate to any other Scripture I know?

Colossians 2:9-14 also talks about circumcision, but in a way that also shares how it's not the circumcision done by people that matters. Instead it compares circumcision to baptism, in the cutting off the sinful deeds of the flesh, dying to ourselves and being raised in Christ. Galatians 6:15 says, "Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation."

3. What does this mean for my life?

If I were to transpose this chapter into modern day Christian culture, it might be comparable to baptism, or confirmation, or some other Christian ritual that IS important, but not a means by which we are made righteous. I need to remember not to place my assurance of salvation in any of my rituals or traditions or religious behaviors, but only in the work and person of Jesus Christ who died and rose to give eternal life graciously to all who believe.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

The language of "boasting" appears a lot in these chapters in Romans and other places in Paul's writing. What really was the "boasting" that he was trying to address? Was it a common practice among the teachers? Apostles? Everyone? What was the point?

Glad to have anyone join me in the conversation.

In Christ,
Dan