What is the meaning of Romans 4:9? Is this blessing only on the circumcised Paul has just cited David: “Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven” (Romans 4:7–8; cf. Psalm 32:1–2). • The “blessing” refers to the full pardon of sin and the crediting of righteousness apart from works. • By raising this question, Paul confronts the long-held Jewish assumption that covenant blessing is tied to physical circumcision (Genesis 17:10-14). • Earlier he reminded readers that God “will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith” (Romans 3:30). • Galatians 3:13-14 shows the same pattern: Christ redeems “so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles.” • Peter echoes it when he announces that God “made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:9). Paul’s point: forgiveness is not locked inside Jewish ritual; it is God’s free gift to all who believe. or also on the uncircumcised? • The phrase “also on the uncircumcised” widens the lens to every nation (Isaiah 49:6; Romans 1:16). • Abraham himself received the gospel promise “that he would be heir of the world” (Romans 4:13), signaling a global family (Revelation 7:9). • Ephesians 2:11-13 reminds Gentile believers that though once “excluded from citizenship in Israel,” they have been “brought near by the blood of Christ.” • Paul is not proposing a new plan; he is unveiling God’s original design—one people of faith, not two peoples divided by ceremony. Thus the blessing clearly embraces the uncircumcised, confirming God’s unchanging purpose to save both Jew and Gentile through faith alone. We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness • Romans 4:3 quotes Genesis 15:6 verbatim: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”. • This crediting is a legal declaration, God counting the believer righteous on the basis of faith, not performance (2 Corinthians 5:21). • Importantly, Genesis 15 precedes Genesis 17 by about 14 years; Abraham was declared righteous while still uncircumcised. Paul will stress this in Romans 4:10-11. • The sequence proves that faith, not ritual, was (and remains) the ground of acceptance with God. • Hebrews 11:8-12 highlights Abraham as the prototype of faith for all generations, making him “the father of all who believe” (Romans 4:11). Paul’s argument is airtight: if the patriarch was justified before circumcision existed, then circumcision cannot be the channel of justification for anyone. summary Romans 4:9 answers a critical question: the blessing of forgiveness and righteousness is not confined to the physically circumcised but is offered equally to the uncircumcised. Abraham’s own experience—being counted righteous solely by faith long before he was circumcised—demonstrates that God’s saving promise transcends rituals and ethnic boundaries. In Christ, every believer, Jew or Gentile, receives the same gracious credit of righteousness by faith alone. |
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