The Letter of St. Paul
to
The Romans
Chapter
4
¹ What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? ² For it Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 1 to 2)
Oh God my beloved Father, what is of the flesh is of the flesh, however what is of the Spirit is of the Spirit, and this is the way that I am to follow Amen.
³ For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 3)
Blessed be oh God my Father who keeps You as our point of reference. St. Paul did not refer to Philosophers or the law that he was grounded in but in scripture. Therefore in order to discern the will of God in this or that situation there is no better than to refer to the Word of God and ask what would Jesus would have done in such a situation, how would God have felt as in the Old Testament, when I decide to follow other gods instead of him. Amen.
⁴ Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. ⁵ But to one who without work trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God my Father when one works one receives the wages that one has worked for because it is merited to that person. On the other hand when one works for Your kingdom, the persons wages are also given not in this world but when we appear in Your presence. In this world we may receive part of the wages in blessings and the experience of Your presence in us, however when we appear before You we are paid in full Amen.
⁶ So also David speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: ⁷ "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; ⁸ blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not recon sin."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 6 to 8)
Blessed are we my God and Father, for You have taken on Yourself a cruel passion in order to atone for our sins so that our sins will no longer be reckoned Amen. Thank You for paying such a painful price for me Amen.
⁹ Is this blessedness, then, pronounced only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We say, "Faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 9)
Oh God my Father, the gift of faith has been given to the whole world by means of your death and resurrection. This is a gift beyond all the gifts that can ever be offered by the world Amen.
¹⁰ How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after; but before he was circumcised.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 10)
Oh God my beloved Father as humans we ask many questions and get not as much answers, or maybe we end up choosing the answers that we like most that satisfy our wills, however instead of asking questions it is best to give the issues to You and in God time, You will give us the answers to our questions Amen.
¹¹ He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the ancestor of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them, ¹² and likewise the ancestor of the uncircumcised who are not only circumcised but who also follow the example of the faith that our ancestor Abraham had before he was circumcised.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 11 to 12)
Oh God my Father, I thank You for being proactive and not reactive. You cater for our needs even those of a spiritual nature even before we have experienced them Amen. Thank You for aiming to keep in righteousness and truth Amen.
¹³ For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 13)
Oh brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, let us always be aware of our inheritance that is not the world with all its glory that will one day come to and end, but one which has no end and no limitations Amen. Therefore let us invest in that which is never ending Amen.
¹⁴ If it is the adherents of the law who are to be heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵ For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 14)
Oh God my Father we cannot live without Your laws because they give us direction and a way of life. Unlike the laws of the world, Your laws are just and are applicable for all people from all walks of life without any form of discrimination Amen.
¹⁵ For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 15)
Oh God my Father, to those who oppose discipline, the law is a stumbling block and breeds wrath, however when we violate such laws and experience the consequences such as death by a driving accident, then many people agree that violating this law is indeed a dangerous thing to do and that it is very unlawful. I pray that we learn to respect the laws of both the material world and that of our heavenly home Amen.
¹⁶ For this reason 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 all of us, ¹⁷ as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 16 to 17)
I thank You, Lord my God for the gift of faith, for the Church that You use in order to guide me in the ways of life by means of the Bible, morals and other means. I pray that I remain obedient to Your ways Amen.
¹⁸ Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 18)
Oh God my Father, when I have ever placed my trust in You and in Your Word the Bible, I have never been disappointed, for You always keep Your word and it is us who lack in both trust and faith. I pray that we learn to trust more in You than in ourselves and the ways of the world. Amen.
¹⁹ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. ²⁰ No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, ²¹ being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 19 to 21)
As You know my God and Father, my present state of being is rather stressful and hectic. I am like a goldfish surrounded by sharks without an escape route, however with the hope that a situation will change the appetites and attitude of the sharks which would enable it to find an escape route. Oh God my Father, I am trusting in You to provide that escape route since the chances of collaborating with the sharks is becoming very limited. However, I place my trust in You alone my God and Father Amen.
²² Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." ²³ Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, ²⁴ but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 22 to 25)
Oh God my Father we did not merit to have our faith given to us. It is the price of Your passionate love for us, for we were all sinners Amen. Therefore the gift of faith is an act of love and not of righteousness Amen, for we did nothing to deserve it Amen.
Oh God my beloved Father and Redeemer I would like to end this meditation on the fourth chapter of the letter of St. Paul to the Romans with the following prayer.
If You had to ask me my God and Father if I deserve to be loved by You I would say no, because Your love for me is not because I reckon that I deserve it, but only because You reckon that I deserve it. The only thing that I merit or deserve as a human is not heaven but the torments of hell. However Your love is greater than all my sins, so much that You paid the price of my redemption and that of the world Amen.
Thank You Jesus.
Oh God my beloved Father, what is of the flesh is of the flesh, however what is of the Spirit is of the Spirit, and this is the way that I am to follow Amen.
³ For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 3)
Blessed be oh God my Father who keeps You as our point of reference. St. Paul did not refer to Philosophers or the law that he was grounded in but in scripture. Therefore in order to discern the will of God in this or that situation there is no better than to refer to the Word of God and ask what would Jesus would have done in such a situation, how would God have felt as in the Old Testament, when I decide to follow other gods instead of him. Amen.
⁴ Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. ⁵ But to one who without work trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God my Father when one works one receives the wages that one has worked for because it is merited to that person. On the other hand when one works for Your kingdom, the persons wages are also given not in this world but when we appear in Your presence. In this world we may receive part of the wages in blessings and the experience of Your presence in us, however when we appear before You we are paid in full Amen.
⁶ So also David speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: ⁷ "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; ⁸ blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not recon sin."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 6 to 8)
Blessed are we my God and Father, for You have taken on Yourself a cruel passion in order to atone for our sins so that our sins will no longer be reckoned Amen. Thank You for paying such a painful price for me Amen.
⁹ Is this blessedness, then, pronounced only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We say, "Faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 9)
Oh God my Father, the gift of faith has been given to the whole world by means of your death and resurrection. This is a gift beyond all the gifts that can ever be offered by the world Amen.
¹⁰ How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after; but before he was circumcised.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 10)
Oh God my beloved Father as humans we ask many questions and get not as much answers, or maybe we end up choosing the answers that we like most that satisfy our wills, however instead of asking questions it is best to give the issues to You and in God time, You will give us the answers to our questions Amen.
¹¹ He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the ancestor of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them, ¹² and likewise the ancestor of the uncircumcised who are not only circumcised but who also follow the example of the faith that our ancestor Abraham had before he was circumcised.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 11 to 12)
Oh God my Father, I thank You for being proactive and not reactive. You cater for our needs even those of a spiritual nature even before we have experienced them Amen. Thank You for aiming to keep in righteousness and truth Amen.
¹³ For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 13)
Oh brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, let us always be aware of our inheritance that is not the world with all its glory that will one day come to and end, but one which has no end and no limitations Amen. Therefore let us invest in that which is never ending Amen.
¹⁴ If it is the adherents of the law who are to be heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵ For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 14)
Oh God my Father we cannot live without Your laws because they give us direction and a way of life. Unlike the laws of the world, Your laws are just and are applicable for all people from all walks of life without any form of discrimination Amen.
¹⁵ For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 15)
Oh God my Father, to those who oppose discipline, the law is a stumbling block and breeds wrath, however when we violate such laws and experience the consequences such as death by a driving accident, then many people agree that violating this law is indeed a dangerous thing to do and that it is very unlawful. I pray that we learn to respect the laws of both the material world and that of our heavenly home Amen.
¹⁶ For this reason 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 all of us, ¹⁷ as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 16 to 17)
I thank You, Lord my God for the gift of faith, for the Church that You use in order to guide me in the ways of life by means of the Bible, morals and other means. I pray that I remain obedient to Your ways Amen.
¹⁸ Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verse 18)
Oh God my Father, when I have ever placed my trust in You and in Your Word the Bible, I have never been disappointed, for You always keep Your word and it is us who lack in both trust and faith. I pray that we learn to trust more in You than in ourselves and the ways of the world. Amen.
¹⁹ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. ²⁰ No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, ²¹ being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 19 to 21)
As You know my God and Father, my present state of being is rather stressful and hectic. I am like a goldfish surrounded by sharks without an escape route, however with the hope that a situation will change the appetites and attitude of the sharks which would enable it to find an escape route. Oh God my Father, I am trusting in You to provide that escape route since the chances of collaborating with the sharks is becoming very limited. However, I place my trust in You alone my God and Father Amen.
²² Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." ²³ Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, ²⁴ but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 4 verses 22 to 25)
Oh God my Father we did not merit to have our faith given to us. It is the price of Your passionate love for us, for we were all sinners Amen. Therefore the gift of faith is an act of love and not of righteousness Amen, for we did nothing to deserve it Amen.
Oh God my beloved Father and Redeemer I would like to end this meditation on the fourth chapter of the letter of St. Paul to the Romans with the following prayer.
If You had to ask me my God and Father if I deserve to be loved by You I would say no, because Your love for me is not because I reckon that I deserve it, but only because You reckon that I deserve it. The only thing that I merit or deserve as a human is not heaven but the torments of hell. However Your love is greater than all my sins, so much that You paid the price of my redemption and that of the world Amen.
Thank You Jesus.
