https://youtu.be/wLsb8yh_-Lg
In our word-by-word verse-by-verse study of Romans we are in the second phrase in Rom 4:9;
"for we say" the explanatory use of the conjunctive particle "gar" (for) connecting what has just been said to what has been said in the previous verses plus the present active indicative of "lego" (to say or communicate).
In the adversative atmosphere that Paul is facing it means to contend so it could be translated "for we contend." The present tense is static present for a perpetually existing condition.
All of the writers of Scripture contended this; this is always what was communicated. The active voice: Paul produces the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for the dogmatic assertion of reality. "Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness" the definite article "ho" for a possessive pronoun plus the nominative singular subject "pistis" (faith) so we have "ho pistis" (the faith).
"Pistis"(faith) can have three general connotations. First it has the connotation of confidence, then an active connotation of believing, and then a passive connotation of doctrine or what is believed.
In this case it is the active connotation of believing that is the predicate for the human mechanic of salvation adjustment to God's justice. There is no merit in faith because all of the merit resides in the object of faith.
Abraham's faith in Christ is the means of his salvation adjustment to God's justice resulting in the imputation of God's righteousness. The aorist passive indicative of "logizomai" (credited).
It means to credit to one's account, to impute, to reckon, to calculate, to evaluate, to consider. The aorist tense is a culminative aorist that views Abraham's salvation adjustment to God's justice in its entirety but puts emphasis on the primary result of the imputation of God's righteousness that results in justification from God's justice.
The passive voice tells us that Abraham received the action of the verb at the moment he believed in Christ. The indicative mood is declarative for a dogmatic statement of fact. Then the dative singular indirect object of the definite article with the indeclinable proper noun "Abraam" (Abraham).
The dative of indirect object indicates that as a result of this Abraham, in whose interest God's justice performed imputation and justification, has a future. Then we have the prepositional phrase "eis" (for) translated as "as" in the NASB plus the accusative singular of "dikaiosune" (righteousness), referring to God's righteousness as a part of God's integrity.
All blessings from God's justice require the possession of God's righteousness for compatibility with God's integrity. Therefore the importance of the imputation of God's righteousness followed by justification that must precede all other blessings from God's integrity.
Expanded Translation Rom 4:9; "Is this blessing therefore for the circumcision (the Jews) only? or is it also for the uncircumcised (the Gentiles) also? For we contend that his faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness."
We see from this that the imputation of God's righteousness is the predicate for God's direct blessing. God's direct blessing always comes from God's justice that has to function in compliance with God's righteousness.
God's justice cannot bless sinful man directly it can only curse sinful man because God's justice can only bless perfect righteousness. Perfect righteousness that is the positional half of God's integrity is required.
To solve this problem God's justice credits God's righteousness the account of any person who believes in Christ. At the moment of salvation the imputation of God's righteousness frees God's justice to provide eternal salvation and in addition all of the other advantages.
The order of blessing at salvation is the imputation of God's righteousness followed by justification, followed by all of the other blessings related to having a relationship with God.
The source of blessing is God's justice, the target is God's righteousness because God's justice can only provide blessing for God's righteousness.
This establishes an encapsulated grace pipeline and explains how all blessings from God are conveyed on the basis of His grace protocol.
Rom 4: 10; "How then was it credited?" The adverb "pos" (how) is used as an indirect particle in a question to determine how something came to be, or how something happened, or the reason something occurred.
With it is the inferential particle "oun" (then) that starts a question that is based on the preceding information. Then the aorist passive indicative of the verb "logizomai" (credit or reckon) in this case to credit God's righteousness to Abraham at the moment of his salvation.
The aorist tense is a culminative aorist that gathers Abraham's salvation adjustment to God through faith in Jesus Christ into one entirety emphasizing the results of the imputation of God's righteousness that results in justification.
The passive voice refers to a specific member of the human race. Abraham received the action of the verb at the moment of salvation. The indicative mood is the interrogative indicative that assumes that there is an actual fact that may be stated in answer to the question. "How then was it credited?"
"when he was circumcised or uncircumcised?" the present active indicative of "eimi" (was). The present tense is a historic present that views the past event with the vividness of a present occurrence.
The active voice tells us that Abraham is the subject producing the action. This is temporal so it can be translated as the temporal clause "while he was or when he was" Then a prepositional phrase, "en"(in) plus the locative of "peritomh" (circumcision) and "akrobustia" (uncircumcision) "while he was in circumcision or uncircumcision?"
The question addresses the issue of the Jewish monopoly on salvation in the Age of Israel. It also answers the question about the advantages of being a Jew that were mentioned in Rom 3:1. We have noted that there are no advantages in being a Jew apart from having a relationship with God's integrity though faith in Jesus Christ.
"Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision" the only differences between this phrase and the previous phrase is the objective negative adverb "ou" (not) that denies the reality of an alleged fact and "alla" (but) that adds emphasis to NOT. "NOT BUT." is the answer to the question. Abraham was NOT circumcised BUT he was uncircumcised.
Expanded Translation Rom 4:10; "How then was it credited? While he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision but in uncircumcision."
Abraham was not circumcised until he was 99 years old. He believed in Jesus Christ at least 25 years before his circumcision. He was 75 when he left Ur. He was saved sometime before that.
Abraham was a Gentile Semite, an Acadian, living in the third dynasty of Ur when his salvation adjustment to God's justice occurred.
That means that a minimum of 25 years elapsed between his salvation adjustment to God's justice by faith alone in Ur and his maturity adjustment to God's justice by advancing in doctrine in Canaan that became the predicate for his circumcision.
Abraham was saved as a Gentile Acadian Semite in Ur and did not become a Jew until his circumcision that occurred least 25 years later in Canaan that later became part of Israel.
That means that Abraham believed in Christ as a Gentile. When God's righteousness was imputed to Abraham he was a Gentile. When God's righteousness was imputed to his son Isaac he was a Jew.
Abraham's circumcision was related to his maturity adjustment to God's justice that occurred at least 25 years after his salvation and it occurred when God was ready to give him the promised heir because he had reached spiritual maturity
The Jews, the fourth race, was not started on the basis of Abraham's salvation but it was started when Abraham had made maximum adjustment to God's justice at spiritual maturity. It is therefore obvious historically and doctrinally, that his circumcision had nothing whatever to do with his salvation.
That means that salvation by ritual is completely ruled out. Abraham was justified by faith in Christ, not by any ritual, including circumcision.
Circumcision was a ritual to commemorate Abraham's maximum relationship with God's integrity, his ability to have children and the point at which the new race began.
The ritual was related to maximum doctrine resident in the soul at a time when Abraham was sexually dead and therefore totally helpless as far as doing anything about fulfilling the promise of the Abrahamic covenant.
Circumcision was the ritual of Abraham's total confidence in God's integrity. Ritual without reality is meaningless. Abraham had the reality of maximum doctrine resident in his soul that was the cause of his maturity adjustment to God's justice.
God's justice was free to give the uncircumcised Gentile Abraham God's righteousness and justification at the moment he believed in Christ. God's justice was free to give justified Abraham capacity for sex, sexual prosperity and an heir at the point of spiritual maturity.
Imputed righteousness was the foundation on which the superstructure of blessing and advantage were provided to Abraham in spiritual maturity. His circumcision directly relates to his spiritual maturity it does not relate directly to his salvation.
This verse teaches us that imputed righteousness from God's justice must precede any direct blessing from God.
Rom 4: 11; "And he received" includes the emphatic use of the conjunctive particle "kai" (and) that can be translated "In fact." With it is the aorist active indicative of the verb "lambano" (receive) that means to receive something on the basis of grace without earning it, deserving it, or doing anything for it.
The aorist tense is a constantive aorist that describes a momentary action. The active voice: Abraham produced the action by receiving. This is a declarative indicative for one of the most unusual moments in human history.
"the sign of circumcision" the accusative singular direct object of "semeion" (sign or semaphore) that refers to a token, or a distinguishing mark, or in this case a ritual mark. Circumcision as a ritual mark is a memorial guarantee that God's integrity always delivers on His promises.
Circumcision was a ritual mark for Abraham in spiritual maturity. It was a memorial that if understood would remind the entire race throughout human history that God always fulfills His promises. God had promised Abraham an heir from his and Sarah's own gene pool and God's justice provided the blessing that enabled that to happen.
We see from this situation with Abraham that there is a right time and a wrong time for God's justice to provide blessing. Only God's integrity knows the right time. God's blessing is perfect and God's timing is perfect.
God's blessing was provided from God's justice on the basis of the fact that Abraham possessed God's positional righteousness and therefore justification and in addition Abraham had developed capacity righteousness from maximum doctrine resident in the soul and as a result had the capacity to enjoy the blessing rather than being cursed by the blessing.
The ritual of circumcision memorialized the provision of this special blessing because thereafter every Jewish male was circumcised eight days after they were born.