Abraham's Righteousness and Salvation Without Christ's Atonement
Abraham was justified by faith in the promise of redemption through the Messiah, not by works or by any righteousness of his own [1, 2]. Paul's argument in Romans 4 establishes that Abraham's faith "was put to his account as righteousness" [2], demonstrating that justification has always operated on the same principle: trust in God's promise of salvation through Christ.
The Object of Abraham's Faith
The faith that justified Abraham was not generic piety or confidence in God's general providence, but faith in a specific promise—that of salvation through Christ [7]. Charles Hodge argues that "what Abraham believed, was that the seed of the woman, the Shiloh, the promised Redeemer of the world, was to be born of him. He believed in Christ, as his Saviour, as his righteousness, and deliverer" [5]. Calvin similarly maintains that Abraham "embraced God as his Father" and that "faith does not justify us for any other reason, than that it reconciles us unto God" through the grace offered in the promises [9]. Adam Clarke notes that "Abraham's strong faith in the promise of the coming Savior, for this was essential to his faith, was reckoned to him for justification" [8].
One Method of Justification Across Redemptive History
The apostolic teaching insists that there has never been any other way of justification since the fall [10]. God justified Abraham because he believed in the promise of redemption through the Messiah, just as He justifies those who believe in the fulfillment of that promise [10]. This continuity is central to Paul's argument: the righteousness revealed in the gospel is "the righteousness of faith" that operated in Abraham's case and continues under the new covenant [3, 6]. The promise made to Abraham was redemption through Christ, making those who are Christ's "Abraham's seed and heirs of his promise" [5].
Irenaeus, confronting Marcion's attempt to exclude Abraham from Christ's salvation, affirms that the Spirit through Paul bears witness that Abraham "believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness" [11]. The atonement—reconciliation brought about by Christ's death [4]—was the object of Abraham's forward-looking faith, just as it is the ground of justification for believers after the cross.
Sources
- Romans “Romans 4:2 (BBE) — For if Abraham got righteousness by works, he has reason for pride; but not before God.”
- Romans “Romans 4:9 (BBE) — Is this blessing, then, for the circumcision only, or in the same way for those who have not circumcision? for we say that the faith of Abraham was put to his account as righteousness.”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Righteousness Imputed — Predicted -- Isa 56:1; Eze 16:14. Revealed in the gospel -- Ro 1:17. Is of the Lord -- Isa 54:17. Described as The righteousness of faith. -- Ro 4:13; 9:30; 10:6. The righteousness of God, without the law. -- Ro 3:21. The righteousness of God by faith in Christ. -- Ro 3:22. Christ being made righteousness to us. -- 1Co 1:30. Our being made the righteousness of God, in Christ. -- 2Co 5:21. Christ is the end of the law for -- Ro 10:4. Christ called THE LORD OF OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS -- Jer 23:6. Christ brings in an everlasting righteousness -- Da 9:2”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Atonement — This word does not occur in the Authorized Version of the New Testament except in Rom. 5:11, where in the Revised Version the word "reconciliation" is used. In the Old Testament it is of frequent occurrence. The meaning of the word is simply at-one-ment, i.e., the state of being at one or being reconciled, so that atonement is reconciliation. Thus it is used to denote the effect which flows from the death of Christ. But the word is also used to denote that by which this reconciliation is brought about, viz., the death of Christ itself; and when so used it”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 25: come on” us. The promise made to Abraham, therefore, was redemption through Christ. Hence those who are Christ’s, the Apostle teaches, are Abraham’s seed and heirs of his promise. What, therefore, Abraham believed, was that the seed of the woman, the Shiloh, the promised Redeemer of the world, was to be born of him. He believed in Christ, as his Saviour, as his righteousness, and deliverer, and therefore it was that he was accepted as righteous, not for the merit of his faith, and not on the ground of faith, or by taking faith in lieu of ”
- Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 1:17: For therein - In the Gospel of Christ. Is the righteousness of God - God's method of saving sinners. Revealed from faith to faith - Shown to be by faith, and not by the works of any law; for Abraham, the father and founder of the Jewish people, was justified by faith, before even the law was given; and by believing, in reference to the spiritual object held forth in the various ordinances of the law, and now revealed under the Gospel, he and all his believing descendants have been justified. And thus the faith of the old covenant led on to the faith of the new coven”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 25: nor in the Scriptures; and not by faith in a specific divine promise such as that made to Abraham of a numerous posterity, or of the possession of the land of Canaan; but only by faith in one particular promise, namely, that of salvation through Christ. It is, therefore, not on account of the state of mind, of which faith is the evidence, nor of the good works which are its fruits, but only by faith as an act of trust in Christ, that we are justified. This of necessity supposes that He, and not our faith, is the ground of our justificatio”
- Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 4:22: And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness - The verse is thus paraphrased by Dr. Taylor: "For which reason God was graciously pleased to place his faith to his account; and to allow his fiducial reliance upon the Divine goodness, power, and faithfulness, for a title to the Divine blessing, which, otherwise, having been an idolater, he had no right to." Abraham's strong faith in the promise of the coming Savior, for this was essential to his faith, was reckoned to him for justification: for it is not said that any righteousness, either his own, or that of”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 19.13: God, and are evidences of that paternal love, and of that gratuitous adoption, on which their salvation is founded. Therefore, we do not say that Abram was justified because he laid hold on a single word, respecting the offspring to be brought forth, but because he embraced God as his Father. And truly faith does not justify us for any other reason, than that it reconciles us unto God; and that it does so, not by its own merit; but because we receive the grace offered to us in the promises, and have no doubt of eternal life, bein”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 23: and yet the justifier of them that believe. The Apostle teaches that such has been the method of justification from the beginning. It was witnessed by the law and the prophets. There had never, since the fall, been any other way of justification possible for men. As God justified Abraham because he believed in the promise of redemption through the Messiah; so He justifies those now who believe in the fulfilment 153 of that promise. ( Rom. iv. 3, 9, 24 .) It was not Abraham’s believing state of mind that was taken for righteousness. It is ”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 1: Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus — CHAP. VIII.--VAIN AttEMPTS OF MARCION AND HIS FOLLOWERS, WHO EXCLUDE ABRAHAM FROM THE SALVATION BESTOWED BY CHRIST, WHO LIBERATED NOT ONLY ABRAHAM, BUT THE SEED OF ABRAHAM, BY FULFILLING AND NOT DESTR (part 1): 1. Vain, too, is [the effort of] Marcion and his followers when they [seek to] exclude Abraham from the inheritance, to whom the Spirit through many men, and now by Paul, bears witness, that "he believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness."(14) And the Lord [also bears witness to him,] in”