What does "calls into being things that were not" mean in Romans 4:17? Text of Romans 4:17 “As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.” Immediate Literary Context Paul is demonstrating that Abraham was justified by faith long before the Law. Verse 17 culminates his proof, highlighting two divine attributes: (1) giving life to the dead and (2) calling nonexistent realities into existence. These attributes undergird Abraham’s confidence that God could grant a son to a barren couple and, by extension, grant righteousness to the ungodly (v. 5). Old Testament Background 1. Genesis 1:1-3 – Creation ex nihilo: “God said… and there was.” 2. Genesis 17:5 – God renames Abram to Abraham, promising nations before a single covenant son existed. 3. Isaiah 48:3 – God declares “new things” before they spring forth. In every case God’s verbal decree is performative; His speech produces reality. Creation ex Nihilo and Intelligent Design The phrase directly echoes Genesis 1 and affirms ontological creation from nothing. Scientific work on information theory (e.g., specified complexity in DNA) demonstrates that information always traces back to an intelligent source, buttressing Paul’s point philosophically: order and life require an eternal mind capable of originating being itself. Resurrection Motif Paul couples creation power with resurrection power. “Gives life to the dead” anticipates Romans 4:19 (“Abraham considered his own body as good as dead”) and Romans 6:4-5 (“raised… as Christ was”). The empty tomb, attested by the early creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 (dated within five years of the crucifixion and preserved in P46, c. AD 200), is the historical anchor of this claim. Application to Abraham’s Situation Abraham and Sarah’s reproductive incapacity forms a living parable: from their “dead” bodies God brought Isaac into existence. Likewise, the promised worldwide family (Genesis 12:3) emerged from utter nonexistence. Paul argues that salvation by faith mirrors this pattern—God justifies sinners who have no intrinsic righteousness. Cosmic Sovereignty and Naming In Scripture, naming equals authority (Genesis 2:19; 41:45). When God “calls” realities, He sovereignly defines them. Romans 9:25-26 cites Hosea: those once “not My people” are named “My people.” Salvation history is God’s continuous act of renaming what was “not” into what eternally “is” (Revelation 2:17). Archaeological and Historical Corroboration • The Merneptah Stele (c. 1208 BC) verifies an early Israel in Canaan, supporting Genesis’ ethnic beginnings. • The Tel Dan Inscription (9th cent. BC) references the “House of David,” aligning with the messianic line through which the creative word becomes flesh (John 1:14). Such finds reinforce Scripture’s historical reliability, validating Paul’s trust in the same God of history. Philosophical Implications Only a necessary, self-existent Being can account for contingent reality. Paul’s phrase eliminates the possibility of an eternal universe or self‐creating matter. By asserting that God speaks being into existence, the text supplies the metaphysical foundation for all science: the universe is rational and contingent because it proceeds from a rational, non-contingent Author. Pastoral and Practical Takeaways 1. Faith rests on God’s character, not visible circumstances. 2. Prayer invokes the same creative word; when God wills, barren areas of life flourish. 3. Evangelism appeals to God’s power to regenerate; the gospel is not self-help but divine re-creation. Conclusion “Calls into being things that were not” encapsulates God’s sovereign, life-giving creativity—manifest in Genesis, fulfilled in Christ’s resurrection, and applied in the new birth of every believer. The phrase assures that the God who made everything from nothing can keep every promise, justify every sinner who believes, and ultimately renew the entire cosmos. |
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