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. 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. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.  Romans 4:9-17

A. The Pastoral Heart of Paul

1. His patience with the Jewish Christians: Rom. 3:19-26; 4:13-17

2. His Commitment to unity in the church: Rom. 1:11-12, Rom. 12:18, Rom. 13:8

B. The Promise of Righteousness by Faith to All

1. Apart from circumcision: Rom. 4:9-12

–          What was circumcision?” Gen. 17:11, Gen. 15:6, Eph. 2:11-16, Rom. 4:11, 2 Tim. 2:19, Gal. 5:1-4, 6:11-15

2. Apart from the law: Rom. 4:13-15, Rom. 3:28-31

– What is the chief purpose of God’s law?: Rom. 4:15, Gal. 3:24, Ps. 51:1-2

3. Dependent on the promise by grace obtained through faith: Rom. 4:16-17, 2 Cor. 1:20-22, 2 Peter 1:3-4