Romans 4:10, commentary and pictures

Righteousness was credited to Abraham while he was still uncircumcised, before he received circumcision. Circumcision came afterward only as the sign, seal and reminder of the righteousness he already possessed by faith. It was therefore not the condition, basis or means of his acceptance, justification and share in the promise. So the blessing of Abraham is forgiveness of sins and God's righteousness imputed through faith alone, not earned by circumcision or works of law. Because he was counted righteous beforehand, he is father of all who share his faith, so the promise and inheritance belong by grace through faith to believers whether Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised.

When Righteousness Was Reckoned

Paul's question is whether the reckoning came to Abraham in circumcision or in uncircumcision, and the answer is not in circumcision but in uncircumcision. He was counted righteous by faith while he was still uncircumcised, before he received circumcision. Circumcision and related ceremonies did not come before faith in Christ, for without faith the ceremonies had no meaning. What was written about righteousness imputed to him was for believers now also, yet the timing itself proves faith was as necessary anciently as today.

What came afterward was a sign and seal of the righteousness he already had by faith while still uncircumcised. It was a sign or token of the covenant and a reminder of the heart's true circumcision, not the covenant itself. Faith is assent to revealed truth made living by God's grace and the Holy Spirit, leading to obedience, and works do not give life to faith but show that faith is alive and working through love. With faith the ceremonies manifest and quicken it, expressing faith already held in Christ and His promised work.

Circumcision was therefore not a condition he had to meet before receiving righteousness by faith. It was not the basis for his justification, nor the means by which he was counted righteous. It was not necessary for his salvation, nor required for salvation or for a share in Abraham's promises. His acceptance therefore rested on faith, not on circumcision or works.

His later performance, including circumcision, did not earn or bring righteousness. It did not make him righteous or give him power to be saved. Circumcision was an outward sign and seal of righteousness already given in response to faith in God's word, not righteousness itself. The outward mark was not real circumcision and has no power to save, but served only as a sign and reminder that real circumcision is obedience to God's law through faith, worshiping God in the Spirit with no confidence in the flesh. Ceremonial observance therefore cannot replace inward conformity to God's moral law or establish who belongs to God.

Righteousness Through Faith Alone

The blessing of Abraham is forgiveness of sins and righteousness credited through faith while still uncircumcised, not earned by circumcision or by works of the law, and not limited to the circumcised. Salvation is by faith, justification by faith, and keeping by faith in Jesus Christ with the emphasis upon Christ, not by human doing or human effort to save self. This teaching belongs to the doctrinal part of Romans in chapters 1-8, parallel with Galatians in teaching salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

That righteousness is God's righteousness imputed to believers because of their faith, provided to cover past sins and joined to power for an obedient life. Faith is what leads God to account a person righteous, so that the record of life is credited with obedience and not sin, given freely by grace through redemption in Christ. Christ's righteousness received through faith in His blood provides remission for past sins, so the believer's record reflects Christ's obedience and is spotless.

To him that works the reward is reckoned not of grace but of debt, and no flesh is justified by works of the law, but salvation is by grace. To partake of that grace through faith a person must renounce own works and believe on Him that justifies the ungodly, and only such believers are under grace. To seek justification by the law afterward is to fall from grace, which is different from keeping the law while seeking justification by faith in Christ.

The faith that receives it is assent to revealed truth made living by God's grace and the Holy Spirit, believing God can and will do what He said though it seems hard to do. It leads to obedience, and works do not give life to faith but show that faith is alive and working through love. Circumcision and the later laws could not be the means of justification, since justification came by such faith before circumcision.

Abraham received this righteousness by faith while still uncircumcised and a sinner, for God did not require him to become perfect first. His experience shows that God gives righteousness to sinners and that no one is beyond hope of pardon and cleansing. What was written about righteousness imputed to Abraham was not written for his sake alone but for believers now also, to whom it shall be imputed if they believe on Him that raised Jesus from the dead, who was delivered for offenses and raised for justification, that they may receive the promise of the Spirit.

Father of All Believers

Righteousness was reckoned to Abraham while he was in uncircumcision, before he received circumcision, and circumcision came afterward as a sign and seal of the righteousness he already had by faith. His acceptance therefore did not depend on circumcision, did not come because of it and was not earned or brought by it, but the covenant blessings rested on God's promise. For this reason he could be father to believers whether circumcised or uncircumcised, so that God's blessing of righteousness by faith is for uncircumcised believers as well as circumcised believers. He is the father of all them that believe, so that righteousness is imputed to believing Gentiles also, and the father of circumcision to those who are not of the circumcision only but who also walk in the steps of Abraham's faith.

The promises, blessing, and inheritance of the world belong through faith and grace to all who share Abraham's faith, whether Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised. Circumcision was therefore not required for salvation or for a share in Abraham's promises, nor a condition for receiving righteousness or God's promise, and the blessing of forgiveness of sins and righteousness by faith was not limited to those who were circumcised. His righteousness and the promise that he would inherit the world came through faith, not circumcision or the law. Believing Gentiles are fellow heirs and partakers of the promise in Christ and are not excluded from salvation, for Gentiles like Jews can receive the blessing of Abraham and have righteousness counted to them through faith.

God's people and Abraham's children are not defined by physical descent, Jewish descent, or circumcision alone. Descent from Jacob does not by itself secure the name or standing of Abraham's children, but the children of the promise are counted as the seed, and the claim belongs to those who believe, including uncircumcised Gentiles, not to the unfaithful on the basis of birth. God makes no distinction between Jew and Greek but offers the gospel equally to all, so claiming that one nation has special blessings unavailable to others denies the gospel of grace.

The verse helps answer who are Israelites by showing who are heirs of God's promise and how alone the promise is obtained, with the teaching given in Romans 2-4 carried forward without change in Romans 9-11. Abraham, who lived even before Moses, is the father of the faithful, proving faith was as necessary in God's work anciently as today and works followed faith as inevitably then as now. People of this age can only be counted as Abraham's children in the Christian faith and are prepared to labor for the Lord in no different way than God's servants under the old dispensation, refuting any contrast between a Mosaic covenant of works and a Christian economy of grace.

Covenant Law and Ceremony

The covenant blessings, righteousness, and promise of inheriting the world rested on God's promise received through faith, not on the law, circumcision, or later laws. Abraham was counted righteous by faith while still uncircumcised, before he received circumcision as a sign and seal of the righteousness he already had by faith, so his acceptance did not depend on circumcision and his justification could not have come by means of circumcision and the later laws. This makes him the father of all who believe, whether circumcised or not, with the promise received through faith and grace, and the faith that receives righteousness also works in obedience to God. The moral law was never given to the Jews as an exclusive possession, but they were for a season its keepers in trust and in charge, and through them the law, oracles, and testimony have been handed down. God's people are not defined only by physical descent or circumcision, for the children of the promise are counted as Abraham's seed, and the change in who belongs to God's people does not change that law.

Outward circumcision was therefore not essential to being counted righteous, and Jewish Christians could yield it as a ceremonial difference without annulling the Decalogue. Circumcision was an outward sign and seal of righteousness already possessed, not righteousness itself, so ceremonial observance cannot replace inward conformity to God's moral law or establish who belongs to God. Ritualism, or mere human organization, had nothing to do with Abraham's salvation, since he received justification before he was circumcised as part of the proof that all are under sin irrespective of nationality and that justification and life come through Jesus Christ.

Outward circumcision is not real circumcision and has no power to save, for it did not give power to be saved or make righteous but served only as a sign and reminder of the heart's true circumcision. Abraham was already truly circumcised in heart with the circumcision made without hands by the Spirit before the outward mark, worked through faith and expressed in obedience to God's law. Real circumcision is obedience to God's law through faith, worshiping God in the Spirit and having no confidence in the flesh, so Gentile converts from heathenism who have received Christ by faith just as Abraham did already have the true circumcision, and to require outward circumcision for salvation is to give up the reality for the empty sign. Circumcision and related ceremonies did not come before faith in Christ but express faith already held in Christ and His promised work, and without faith the ceremonies had no meaning. Faith in the promised Messiah comes first and is necessary before partaking, signifying separation from heathen associates and the putting off of old sinful habits, while with faith retained the ordinances that prefigure the promised sacrifice and atonement gladly manifest that faith and quicken it into renewed activity.

Scripture Setting and Christian Experience

The question belongs to Paul's proof that man is sinful and utterly needy and is saved in grace through Jesus Christ. Righteousness is received through faith in Christ, not earned by human effort or by circumcision, covering past sins and giving power for an obedient life. Men are saved by faith, justified by faith, and kept by faith in Jesus Christ, with the emphasis upon Christ, not by human doing or human works to save self. Only those transgressing the law are under the law, while those walking in Jesus Christ, who is the personified law, have peace.

It stands in the doctrinal part of Romans in chapters 1-8, parallel with Galatians in teaching salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. It follows the proof that all are under sin irrespective of nationality, showing Abraham received justification before he was circumcised. It begins an argument that gathers force with every chapter until its climax that there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Ritualism, or mere human organization, had nothing to do with his salvation.

The same order holds for believers now, for the blessing of Abraham is righteousness by faith reckoned while in uncircumcision, with circumcision coming afterward as its sign and seal. Having that same righteousness by faith, they may freely receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. They circumcise the heart unto holiness as the seal of the righteousness of the faith they have, and as sons of God receive the Spirit of His Son sent forth into their hearts. What was written about righteousness imputed to Abraham was not for his sake alone but for believers now also, to whom it shall be imputed if they believe on Him that raised Jesus from the dead, who was delivered for offenses and raised for justification.

The same order holds for a heathen, for faith in the promised Messiah comes before circumcision and is necessary before taking part in it. The moral law impressed by the Holy Spirit on the heart convicts of sin and drives earnest seeking for freedom from condemnation. That seeking leads to finding the Messiah as the only one who can take away sin, and joyful seizing of that hope leads to circumcision. Circumcision does not make a person righteous but signifies faith already held, separation from heathen associates, and the putting off of old sinful habits. Without faith in Christ the ceremonies are meaningless, but with faith they express that faith, so that so long as faith in Christ is retained, celebrating the ordinances that prefigure the promised sacrifice and atonement gladly manifests that faith and quickens it into renewed activity.