9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Romans 4:9-15 ESV
13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null, and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law, there is no transgression.
The Jewish people of Paul’s time receiving these messages highly regarded circumcision, covenants, and the law. Paul is determined to show them that God saved Abraham by grace through faith before all of the enactments of these things. The promise of Abraham comes by faith, and all other things come later.
Here’s a brief timeline of God’s interactions with Abraham concerning His promises and the following events:
- God promises Abram, a biological heir, that his descendants, through this heir of promise, would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens (Genesis 15:4-5). PROMISE GIVEN
- In response to God’s promise, Abram exercised faith in this promise, and it was accounted to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6) FAITH EXERCISED
- God makes a covenant with Abram with sacrifices to signify the promise of land to his descendants (Genesis 15:17-18). COVENANT MADE
- God makes a covenant with Abram giving him more details about how he would be a father of many nations, changes his name to Abraham, and gives him instructions on circumcisions to be the outward sign of this covenant for himself and all his descendants (Genesis 17:1-14) COVENANT EXPLAINED
- Abraham’s faith is confirmed when he obeys God and takes Isaac on the mountain to be offered as a burnt sacrifice, and God restates His promises of blessing and descendants and declares, “all nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 22:15:18) FAITH CONFIRMED THROUGH ACTION
- The appearance of the law comes around 400 years later in the hands of Moses after God freed the Israelites from the hand of bondage in Egypt (Exodus 20). LAW GIVEN
This order should be helpful to us in understanding everything starts with God: He gives a promise to whom He chooses without partiality or merit. God chooses Abraham for this promise based on God’s good pleasure and will; Abraham has done nothing at the point of God’s promise. We, as believers, also realize that we had done nothing to earn God’s favor or merit when He blessed us with righteousness by grace through faith. We know that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This understanding helps us to see that He alone gives grace and saving faith to us, and none of our adherence to the law, to works, to circumcision has any bearing on God’s gift to us.