--- title: "Romans 4 - Study King James Bible with clarkes commentary" description: "Read Romans 4 with clarkes commentary commentary. 1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glo" image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans/4" --- [ Read](/kjv/romans/4)[ Commentary](/study/romans/4)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/romans/4) Audio 1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath *whereof* to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 *Saying*, Blessed *are* they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed *is* the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 9 *Cometh* this blessedness then upon the circumcision *only*, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which *he had yet* being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: 12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which *he had* being *yet* uncircumcised. 13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, *was* not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if they which are of the law *be* heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, *there is* no transgression. 16 Therefore *it is* of faith, that *it might be* by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, *even* God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 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 Sara’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. [Romans 3](/study/romans/3) [Romans 5](/study/romans/5) ## Commentary To verse 1 The apostle, having proved in the foregoing chapter that neither Jews nor Gentiles have a right to the blessing of God's peculiar kingdom, otherwise than by *grace*, which is as free for the one as the other, in this chapter advances a *new argument* to convince the *Jew*, and to show the believing Gentile, in a clear light, the high value and strong security of the mercies freely bestowed on them in the Gospel; and, at the same time, to display the scheme of Divine providence, as laid in the counsel and will of God. His argument is taken from Abraham's case: Abraham was the *father* and *head* of the Jewish nation; he had been a *heathen*, but God pardoned him, and took him and his posterity into his special covenant, and bestowed upon them many extraordinary blessings above the rest of mankind; and it is evident that Abraham was not justified by any *obedience to law*, or *rule of right action*, but, in the only way in which a *sinner* can be justified, by *prerogative* or the *mercy* of the *lawgiver*. Now, this is the very same way in which the Gospel saves the believing Gentiles, and gives them a part in the blessings of God's covenant. Why then should the Jews oppose the Gentiles? especially as the Gentiles were actually included in the covenant made with Abraham for the promise, [Genesis 17:4](/kjv/genesis/17/4), stated that he should be *the father* of many nations: consequently, the covenant being made with Abraham, as the *head* or *father of many* *nations*, all in any nation who stood on the same religious principle with him, were his *seed* and with him interested in the same covenant. But Abraham stood by faith in the mercy of God pardoning his idolatry; and upon this footing the believing Gentiles stand in the Gospel; and, therefore, they are the *seed of* *Abraham*, and included in the covenant and promise made to him. To all this the apostle knew well it would be objected, that it was not *faith alone*, that gave Abraham a right to the blessings of the covenant, but his *obedience* to the *law of circumcision*; and this, being *peculiar* to the *Jewish nation*, gave them an interest in the Abrahamic covenant; and that, consequently, whoever among the Gentiles would be interested in that covenant, ought to embrace *Judaism*, become *circumcised*, and thus come under obligation to the whole law. With this very objection the apostle very dexterously introduces his argument, [Romans 4:1](/kjv/romans/4/1); [Romans 4:2](/kjv/romans/4/2); shows that, according to the Scripture account, Abraham was justified by faith, [Romans 4:3-5](/kjv/romans/4/3-5); explains the nature of that justification, by a quotation out of the Psalms, [Romans 4:6-9](/kjv/romans/4/6-9); proves that Abraham was justified long before he was circumcised, [Romans 4:9-11](/kjv/romans/4/9-11); that the believing Gentiles are his seed to whom the promise belongs, as well as the believing Jews, [Romans 4:12-17](/kjv/romans/4/12-17); and he describes Abraham's faith, in order to explain the faith of the Gospel, [Romans 4:17-25](/kjv/romans/4/17-25). See Dr. *Taylor's* notes. We may still suppose that the *dialogue* is carried on between the apostle and the Jew, and it will make the subject still more clear to assign to each his respective part. The Jew asks a single question, which is contained in the first and part of the second verses. And the apostle's answer takes up the rest of the chapter. Verse [Romans 4:1](/kjv/romans/4/1). JEW. ***What shall we then say that Abraham, our father**********as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?*** — The κατα σαρκα, *pertaining to the flesh*, must here refer to the sign in Abraham's flesh, viz. his *circumcision*; on which the Jew would found his right to peculiar blessings. That this is the meaning of κατα σαρκα, *according to the flesh*, Dr. Taylor has proved by a collation of several parallel scriptures, which it is not necessary to produce here. We may, therefore, suppose the Jew arguing thus: But you set your argument on a wrong footing, viz. the *corrupt state* of our nation; whereas we hold our prerogative above the rest of mankind from Abraham, who is our father; and we have a right to the blessings of God's peculiar kingdom, in virtue of the promise made to *him*; his justification is the ground of ours. Now what shall we make of his case, on your principles? Of what use was his *obedience to the law of circumcision*, if it did not give him a *right* to the blessing of God? And if, by his *obedience to that law*, he obtained a grant of extraordinary blessings, then, according to your own concession, [Romans 3:27](/kjv/romans/3/27), he might ascribe his justification to something *in himself*; and, consequently, so may *we* too, in his right; and if so, this will exclude all those who are not *circumcised* as we are. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans/4#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","width":672,"height":448,"caption":"Real Bible Believers"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans/4#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans/4","name":"Romans 4 - Study King James Bible with clarkes commentary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans/4#primaryimage"},"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Read Romans 4 with clarkes commentary commentary. 1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glo","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans/4#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans/4"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans/4#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","name":"Study Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary","name":"clarkes commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans","name":"Romans"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans/4","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/romans/4","name":"4"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]} ```