Romans 4:13-25

Romans 4:13-25
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Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
- Chapter VI, On Patience, Tertullian (c. 202)
- II.2, On The Apparel of Women, Tertullian (c. 202)
- Chapter VII, Scorpiace, Tertullian (c. 213)
- From Martin Luther's Bible Commentary (1545).
- From the Geneva Notes.
  - "...the condition of faith would be joined in vain to the promise if it could be apprehended by works."
- From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
  - "God honours faith; and great faith honours God."
- From Wesley's Notes.
  - "Against all probability, believed and hoped in the promise. The same thing is apprehended both by faith and hope; by faith, as a thing which God has spoken; by hope, as a good thing which God has promised to us."
- From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
  - "These things were not recorded as mere historical facts, but as illustrations for all time of God's method of justification by faith."
- From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
  - "The same God who quickened Abraham's body, as good as dead, raised up our Lord."
Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
- Commentary, Romans 4:13-25, Arland J. Hultgren, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2015.
  - "The beginnings of the Christian community are not to be found in sources outside the Bible, even though many sources outside the Bible have contributed to Christian theological and institutional developments over time. The community's history reaches far back into the biblical story, beginning with Abraham."
- The Center for Excellence in Preaching, Scott Hoezee, resources from Calvin Theological Seminary: Comments & Observations, Textual Points, illustration ideas, 2015.
  - "There are no qualifications for salvation, no conditions, no performance standards, no levels of achievement, no rungs to climb."
- Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2015.
- Commentary, Romans 4:13-25, Daniel G. Deffenbaugh, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012.
  - "The law has always been a means of pointing the way toward God, an instrument that helps us to know and do the divine will. As such it is meant to liberate. But when the means is mistaken for an end in itself, the consequence can be a state of spiritual confusion in which all hope is obscured."
- "The Law Is Wrath," Martha Spong, Reflectionary, 2012.
- "Why Rules?" Caspar Green, Scarlet Letter Bible, 2012.
  - "There are lots of rules that have been set out in holy writ. But the life well lived is not about following the rules, it's about one's commitment to the art."
- "Reading the Bible with Jews," Carl Gregg, The Hardest Question, 2012.
  - "Are we saved not by faith or belief, but by Jesus' faithfulness?"
- Commentary, Romans 4:13-25 (Pentecost 4), David Bartlett, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008.
  - "To this day, any time we are tempted to limit God to the size of our purposes or to doubt the breadth of God's generosity or the surprising power of God's activity we can return to Romans 4 as an astonishing elaboration of the familiar but life-changing claim: God is great; God is good."
- Commentary, Romans 4:13-25 (Lent 2), Richard Carlson, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008.
  - "The overarching focus of Paul's letter to Christian communities in Rome is the multifaceted nature of faith."
- "First Thoughts on Passages on Year B Epistle Passages in the Lectionary: Lent 2," William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
  - "Similar struggles emerge today when people ponder whether there can be such faith in God without the culturally specific reference to Christianity."
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
- Third Sunday after Pentecost, God's Saving Work in the Letter to the Romans: Lectionary Texts for the Pentecost Season, Arland J. Hurtgren, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1993.
- "God's Promise Received by Faith," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
- "Abraham: The Faith of our Father (Romans 3:27 - 4:25)," by Robert Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
  - "Abraham’s name is mentioned many other times in the Old Testament. Most often in the books of Israel’s history God’s name is mentioned to demonstrate that God’s actions were in fulfillment of His promise to Abraham."
- "The Eschatological Aspect of Justification," James T. Dennison, Jr., in Kerux: The Online Journal of Biblical Theology (Reformed).
  - "It is precisely at this point?the eschatological character of justification that neither broad evangelicals, Roman Catholics or radicals like Sanders and Dunn grasp the unique character of the Pauline theology."
- "First Thoughts on Year A Epistle Passages in the Lectionary," Pentecost 4, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
  - "What is it we acknowledge in Christ which remains 'non-negotiable'? Is any of that so culturally specific as to exclude others?"
- "Abraham and the Righteousness of God," Lloyd Gaston, at the Jewish-Christian Relations site.
  - "The displacement theory, which says that the church has effectively displaced Israel as God's people, goes back to the earliest days of the emerging church and is still the pervasive Christian presupposition for doing theology or Biblical study. Not only does this theory cut off all possibility of theological cooperation between Christians and Jews, but it introduced an unbridgeable chasm into Scripture itself."
- "The Right to Hope," Paul Tillich, at Religion OnLine.
  - "But these hopes, in both Testaments, have to struggle with continuous attacks of hopelessness, attacks against the faith in a meaning of life and against the hope for life's fulfillment."
Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
- Baird, William, "Abraham in the New Testament: Tradition and the New Identity," Interpretation, 1988.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Bartlett, David, "Preaching for Ordinary Time," Journal for Preachers, 2008. (Section on this text begins on page 45.)
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Bell, Daniel M., "Jesus, The Jews, and the Politics of God's Justice," Ex Auditu, 2006.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Bird, Michael F., "Incorporated Righteousness: A Response to Recent Evangelical Discussion Concerning the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness in Justification," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 2004.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Boers, Henrikus, "Polarities at the Roots of New Testament Thought: Methodological Considerations," Perspectives in Religious Studies, 1984.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Cosgrove, Charles H., "Justification in Paul: A Linguistic and Theological Reflection," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1987.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- DeGraaf, David, "Some Doubts about Doubt: The New Testament Use of DIAKRINW," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 2005.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Eisenbaum, Pamela, "A Remedy for Having Been Born of Woman: Jesus, Gentiles, and Genealogy in Romans," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2004.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Gathercole, Simon, "After the New Perspective: Works, Justification and Boasting in Early Judaism and Romans 1-5," Tyndale Bulletin, 2001.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Goppelt, Leonhard, translated by Mathias Rissi, "Paul and Heilgeschichte: Conclusions from Romans 4 and 1 Corinthians 10:1-13," Interpretation, 1967.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Hays, Richard B., "'Have We Found Abraham to Be Our Forefather according to the Flesh?' A Reconsideration of Romans 4:1," Richard B. Hays, Novum Testamentum, 1985.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Hultgren, Arland J., "God's Saving Work in the Letter to the Romans: Lectionary Texts for the Pentecost Season," Word & World, 1993.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Leithart, Peter J., "Justification as Verdict and Deliverance: A Biblical Perspective," Pro Ecclesia, 2007.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Schumacher, William W., "Homiletical Helps on LSB Series A - Epistles," (Romans 4:13-25 begins on page 104), Concordia Journal, 2008.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Snodgrass, Klyne, "Spheres of Influence: A Possible Solution to the Problem of Paul and the Law," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 1988.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Spitaler, Peter, "DIAKRINESTHAI in Mt. 21:21, Mk. 11:23, Acts 10:20, Rom. 4:20, 14:23, Jas. 1:6, and Jude 22 -- the 'Semantic Shift' That Went Unnoticed by Patristic Authors," Novum Testamentum, 2007.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Steinmetz, David C., "Calvin and Abraham: The Interpretation of Romans 4 in the Sixteenth Century, Church History, 1988.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Tobin, Thomas H., S.J., "What Shall We Say that Abraham Found? The Controversy behind Romans 4," Harvard Theological Review, 1995.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
Sermons:
- "The Center: Faith in Christ," from a series of sermons on the book of Romans by Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines, Washington.
With Children:
- Worshiping with Children, Lent 2B, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2015.
- "Storypath Lectionary Links: Connecting Children's Literature with our Faith Story," February 8, 2015, Union Presbyterian Seminary. 2012.
- "Paul Writes About Faith," children's study, puzzles, coloring sheet, etc. Higher Praise Christian Center.
Drama:
- "The Captain's Promise," Michele Pitman, dramatix.
Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
Hymns and Music:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
- Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Romans 4:16, 25. The Cyber Hymnal.
- Hymnal Scripture References, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
- "These Thousand Hills," Brenton Prigge, NewHymn, a new, relevant hymn set to traditional tunes.
Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Abraham
Movies Linked at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Abraham
- Covenant
- Faith
Study Links and Resources for the Book of Romans