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According to Paul, God ushered in a new era through the death of
His Son. Under the old covenant, people, such as Abraham, were justified by believing God, looking forward to the promise
of the coming Messiah (Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
He believed in the Lord, that is, he believed the truth of that promise which God had now made him, resting upon the
irresistible power and the inviolable faithfulness of him that made it. Hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Note, Those who would have the comfort of the promises must mix faith with the promises. See how the apostle magnifies this
faith of Abram, and makes it a standing example. He was not weak in faith; he staggered not at the promise; he was
strong in faith; he was fully persuaded. The Lord work such a faith in every one of us! Some think that his believing
in the Lord respected, not only the Lord promising, but the Lord promised, the Lord Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant.
He believed in him, that is, received and embraced the divine revelation concerning him, and rejoiced to see his
day, though at so great a distance. 2. God counted it to him for righteousness; that is, upon the score of this
he was accepted of God, and, as the rest of the patriarchs, by faith he obtained witness that he was righteous. This
is urged in the New Testament to prove that we are justified by faith without the works of the law; for Abram was so justified
while he was yet uncircumcised. If Abram, that was so rich in good works, was not justified by them, but by his faith, much
less can we, that are so poor in them.; Romans 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Because
with such a confidence he ventured his all in the divine promise, God graciously accepted him, and not only answered, but
out-did, his expectation. This way of glorifying God by a firm reliance on his bare promise was so very agreeable to God's
design, and so very conducive to his honour, that he graciously accepted it as a righteousness, and justified him, though
there was not that in the thing itself which could merit such an acceptance. This shows why faith is chosen to be the prime
condition of our justification, because it is a grace that of all others gives glory to God). Now we are justified,
or declared righteous before God, through faith in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and His atoning death on our behalf. Our
justification is based on the work of Christ, accomplished through His blood (Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now
justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Saved from wrath, saved by his life.
When that which hinders our salvation is taken away, the salvation must needs follow. Nay, the argument holds very strongly;
if God justified and reconciled us when we were enemies, and put himself to so much charge to do it, much more will he save
us when we are justified and reconciled. He that has done the greater, which is of enemies to make us friends, will certainly
the less, which is when we are friends to use us friendly and to be kind to us. And therefore the apostle, once and again,
speaks of it with a much more. He that hath digged so deep to lay the foundation will no doubt build upon that foundation.--We
shall be saved from wrath, from hell and damnation.), and brought to His people through His resurrection (Romans 4:25 Who
was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. He was raised again for our justification,
for the perfecting and completing of our justification. By the merit of his death he paid our debt, in his resurrection he
took out our acquittance. When he was buried he lay a prisoner in execution for our debt, which as a surety he had undertaken
to pay; on the third day an angel was sent to roll away the stone, and so to discharge the prisoner, which was the greatest
assurance possible that divine justice was satisfied, the debt paid, or else he would never have released the prisoner: and
therefore the apostle puts a special emphasis on Christ's resurrection; it is Christ that died, yea, rather that has risen
again. So that upon the whole matter it is very evident that we are not justified by the merit of our own works, but
by a fiducial obediential dependence upon Jesus Christ and his righteousness, as the condition on our part of our right to
impunity and salvation, which was the truth that Paul in this and the foregoing chapter had been fixing as the great spring
and foundation of all our comfort.
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