Abraham's Spiritual Offspring in Romans 4
In Romans 4, Paul explores the concept of Abraham's spiritual offspring, arguing that true descent from Abraham is determined by faith, not by physical lineage or works of the law. Paul begins by asking, "What, then, may we say that Abraham, our father after the flesh, has got?" (Romans 4:1 BBE). He immediately counters the idea that Abraham's justification came through works, stating, "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God" (Romans 4:2). This sets the stage for Paul's central argument that Abraham's righteousness was credited to him through faith.
The apostle emphasizes that Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness before he was circumcised, thereby demonstrating that justification is not dependent on adherence to the Mosaic Law or ritual practices. God's promise to Abraham included a vast number of descendants, symbolized by the stars, which Paul uses to highlight the strength of Abraham's faith (Genesis 15:4-6; Romans 4:18) [6].
The distinction between physical and spiritual offspring is crucial in Paul's argument. John Calvin notes that while terrestrial promises were given to the Jewish nation, the spiritual promise always held the primary place [1]. Similarly, John Gill explains that the Jews highly valued their natural descent from Abraham, but Paul denies that all who are Abraham's natural seed are truly his children in the spiritual sense (Romans 9:6) [2]. Calvin further elaborates that Paul carefully distinguishes between the "sons of Abraham according to the flesh" and the "children of promise" (Romans 9:7), indicating that carnal relationship alone is insufficient [4, 7].
Therefore, those who are "of faith" are considered Abraham's true children [5]. This means that believers in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, become Abraham's spiritual seed and heirs to the promises made to him (Galatians 3:29) [3]. The Israelites were indeed adopted into God's family and called his sons, a privilege that underscored their high dignity [8]. However, Paul's argument in Romans 4 extends this privilege beyond ethnic boundaries, establishing faith as the defining characteristic of Abraham's true offspring.
Sources
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 98: place a manifest indication of favour before his eye, added the promise of possession of the land of Canaan. In the same way we should understand all the terrestrial promises which were given to the Jewish nation, the spiritual promise, as the head to which the others bore reference, always holding the first place. Having handled this subject fully when treating of the difference between the old and the new dispensations, I now only glance at it. 12. Under the appellation of children the difference they observe is this, that the ch”
- Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 9:6: Neither because they are the seed of Abraham,.... The Jews highly valued themselves, upon being the natural seed of Abraham; and fancied, upon this account, that they were children, which the apostle here denies: neither are they all children; as in the former verse, he explains in what sense they were Israelites, which he had mentioned among their high characters and privileges, as descending from Jacob, and in what sense they were not; so in this he shows in what manner the "adoption", Rom 9:4, belonged to them, and it did not; being Abraham's seed, they were his n”
- Galatians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Galatians 3:29: For if ye be Christ's,.... Or seeing ye are his, not by creation only, but by the Father's gift to him, by the purchase of his own blood, by the power of his grace, making them willing to give up themselves to him; not only his by profession, saying they are the Lord's, calling themselves by his name; but by possession, Christ dwelling in their hearts by faith, and they having his Spirit as a spirit of regeneration and adoption: then are ye Abraham's seed; not his natural but his spiritual seed, the seed that should come, and to whom the promises were made, Gal 3”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 98: of those who, in baptism, seek nothing but water. 14. But in opposition to this is produced a passage from the Epistle to the Romans, in which the apostle says, that those who are of the flesh are not the children of Abraham, but that those only who are the children of promise are considered as the seed ( Rom. 9:7 ). For he seems to insinuate, that carnal relationship to Abraham, which we think of some consequence, is nothing. But we must attend carefully to the subject which the apostle is there treating. His object being to show ”
- Galatians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Galatians 3:7: they which are of faith--as the source and starting-point of their spiritual life. The same phrase is in the Greek of Rom 3:26. the same--these, and these alone, to the exclusion of all the other descendants of Abraham. children--Greek, "sons" (Gal 3:29).”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 15:4: 15:4-6 God affirmed that the promise was for Abram’s own offspring and showed him the stars as a promise of the vast number of descendants that he would have (22:17; 26:4). Paul quotes this promise in Rom 4:18 to underscore the strength of Abram’s faith.”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 76: it appeared that his calling was without repentance. When God ever and anon gathered his Church from among the sons of Abraham rather than from profane nations, he had respect to his covenant, which, when violated by the great body, he restricted to a few, that it might not entirely fail. In short, that common adoption of the seed of Abraham was a kind of visible image of a greater benefit which God deigned to bestow on some out of many. This is the reason why Paul so carefully distinguishes between the sons of Abraham according to”
- Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 9:4: Who are Israelites - Descendants of Jacob, a man so highly favored of God, and from whom he received his name Israel - a prince of God, Gen 32:28; from which name his descendants were called Israelites, and separated unto God for his glory and praise. Their very name of Israelites implied their very high dignity; they were a royal nation; princes of the most high God. The adoption - The Israelites were all taken into the family of God, and were called his sons and first-born, Exo 4:22; Deu 14:1; Jer 31:9; Hos 11:1; and this adoption took place when God made the coven”