Romans from a Torah Covenant Perspective – Chapter 4

Romans 4:1 What, then, shall we say…. Avraham Avinu/Abraham our father (‘Abraham our father’ –  to the Romans – i.e scattered Israel) , to have found, according to flesh? 4:2  for if Abraham ‘by works was declared righteous’, he hath to boast—but not before God; What does ‘ex ergon dikaiothe’/ ‘dvar tzadakah’ mean? That being this text limited to יהוהs declaration of forgiveness and innocence upon the guilty sinner; as Traditional Christianity teaches. The reality is deeper, this text delves into the covenant membership reality of Abraham and his subsequent heirs! Romans 4:3  for what doth the writing say? ‘And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him—to righteousness; (Genesis 15:6). This is hearkening back to the Gen. 12 promise of nationhood and covenantal blessing. But why; what happened? Abraham’s faith in יהוה was primary: Genesis 26:5 Abraham obeyed me and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my ‘torotai.’ Abraham had emunah/faith, faith that went far beyond any sort of adherence to a necessary required code of conduct. Abraham’s life is exemplified in, ‘Abraham believed יהוה.’ Natural byproduct of belief  Vs. Unnatural byproduct of unbelief! Deuteronomy 30:10  If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of יהוה thy Elohim to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn   unto   יהוה thy Elohim with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.  Psalms 32:1 By David An Instruction. O the happiness of him whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered, O the happiness of a man, To whom יהוה imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. Proverbs 17:15 Whoso is justifying the wicked, And condemning the righteous, Even both of these are an abomination to יהוה . Abraham understood all that was accounted to him came from belief in the promises of יהוה, ‘He rejoiced to see Yahusha’s day’ in the covenant between the pieces and new it was only the work of Yahusha in the covenant that brought about the availability of permanent forgiveness. We have to be able to differentiate between the multiple components of justification/tzadakah, righteousness – forensic, covenantal-corporate, positional and individual! Psalms 106:30 And Phinehas standeth, and executeth judgment And the plague is restrained. And it is reckoned to him to righteousness, To all generations—unto the age. (re: Numbers 25:7). This isn’t a verdict of innocence attributed to an individual, personal righteousness,  because the next verse has, ‘v’dor ad-olam’  which draws our attention to the clan of Phinehas being reckoned as YHWH’s own – covenantal-corporate/clan. Romans 4:4  and to him who is working, the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt; 5  and to him who is not working, and is believing upon Him who is declaring righteous the impious, his faith is reckoned—to righteousness. Romans 4:6  even as David also doth speak of the happiness of the man to whom Elohim doth reckon righteousness apart from works 7  ‘Happy they whose lawless acts were forgiven, and whose sins were covered;:8  happy the man to whom the Lord may not reckon sin. Romans 4:9  Is this happiness, then, upon the circumcision, or also upon the uncircumcision—for we say that the faith was reckoned to Abraham—to righteousness?10  how then was it reckoned? he being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. Romans 4:11  and a sign he did receive of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith in the uncircumcision, for his being father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for the righteousness also being reckoned to them, Romans 4:12  and father of circumcision to those not of circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of the faith, that is in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham. Genesis 15  is the covenant, where Yahusha said, ‘Abraham, your father, was glad that he might see my day; and he saw, and did rejoice.’  (John 8:56). The cu