From: Romans 4:13, 16-18
The Example of Abraham (Continuation)
[13] The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should
inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the
righteousness of faith.
[16] That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may
rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants--not only to the
adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham,
for he 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. [18] In hope he believed against hope, that
he should become the father of many nations; as he had been told, "So
shall your descendants be."
Commentary:
13-14. God made this promise to Abraham about his having countless
descendants (cf. Genesis 15:5-6) centuries before the Mosaic Law was
given to the people of Israel through Moses. Therefore, the promise
made to Abraham was not linked to the Law but rather to the Patriarch's
faith. That is why the heirs of the promise are those who follow the
faith of Abraham.
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
