https://youtu.be/Q1VlT2fXF60
In our verse by verse study of Romans we are in Rom 4:17; at the Greek word "hoti" that normally means (that) but it is translated as "quote marks" in this passage.
"I have made thee a father of many nations" but we must remember that in Gen 17:5 Abraham was not yet the father of many nations, he had Ishmael through Hagar but he was not the heir of the promise because heir of the promise would be Sarah's child Isaac.
"Many nations" requires many children. God gave him this promise from His justice. Since we are dealing with God's justice we definitely have certainty so this begins with the perfect active indicative of the verb "tithemi" (I have made) that means to put, to place, to establish, to appoint, to destine, to make or to decree.
A good translation is "I have appointed" or "I have decreed." This is a consummative perfect tense that not only emphasizes an existing state from a completed action but it also emphasizes the process that was involved in completing the action.
The active voice, God's integrity produces the action of the verb of fulfilling God's promise to Abraham. The indicative mood is declarative; that represents the God's decree from the viewpoint of doctrinal reality.
Plus the accusative singular direct object from the personal pronoun "su" (you) Abraham in the status of maturity adjustment to God's justice plus the double accusative singular direct object from the noun "pater" (father) that refers to Abraham as the founder of the Jewish race and many of the Arab nations.
Next is the objective genitive plural from the adjective "polos" (many) it means "many" in the sense of numerous, and the noun "ethnos" (nations).
This promise does not apply to the progeny of Ishmael, only the progeny of Sarah and Keturah because only the sons of Abraham's sexual prosperity from God's justice are included in the promise.
"in the presence of Him whom he believed" the adverb "katenanti" (in the presence) that is used as an improper preposition with the masculine genitive singular from the relative pronoun "hos" (whom), referring to God, translated "in the presence of Him whom" in the NASB.
Next the aorist active indicative of the verb "pisteuo" (believed) that refers to the function of faith rest. The aorist tense is a constantive aorist that gathers up into one entirety the function of the faith-rest technique of Abraham between salvation and spiritual maturity.
Spirituality is the link, and spirituality in the Old Testament was the function of faith rest so we have gathered up into one entirety every time that Abraham claimed a promise by using faith rest. There were some times when he didn't but he learned to persistently and consistently use faith rest.
As he advanced to spiritual maturity he had maximum function of faith-rest whereby his reality was not in the adverse circumstances of his situation in life but it was characterized by confidence in God's ability to provide blessing and security while he was living in those adverse circumstances.
The active voice: Abraham as growing believer was positive toward the doctrine contained in the promises and as a result produced the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative indicating the fact that doctrine resident in Abraham's soul produced the power for his faith to claim impossible promises in impossible circumstances.
The mature Abraham believed the promise of Gen 17:5 when he was sexually dead and in a completely hopeless situation. Doctrine resident in the soul was much more real to Abraham than his years of sexual death.
Doctrine in the soul gave him a viewpoint from God's integrity that was far greater than the reality of his own complete inability. "As it stands written, 'A father of many nations I have made you, "in the presence Him whom he believed...."
At some time in your life you are going to be in a totally hopeless situation where you are helpless. What we are studying today is how God delivered Abraham so that we can understand what He will do for us when we are in a similar situation.
"even God, who gives life to the dead" this passage is not about resurrection it is about God delivering us when we are in an impossible situation and unable to do anything about it.
This is the objective genitive singular of "Theos" (God) the proper name for God, minus the definite article to emphasize the quality of God's integrity that is the source of all blessing to mankind.
Then the present active participle of "zoopoieo" (zoe = life; poieo = make), so we have (gives life or makes life. It means make alive.
The definite article "ho" (the) is used as a relative pronoun refers to God. The present tense is an historical present that goes with the perfect tense.
This is a Greek idiom where a past event is viewed as though it is a present reality. The present tense is used to describe something that hasn't really happened yet but it certain to happen, and since God is going to do it, it doesn't make any difference whether it has happened yet or not because it will certainly happen because God decrees it.
Something is going to be made alive. The only thing about Abraham that is dead is his ability to have children so that is what is going to be made alive.
He will be circumcised, and after he is he is going to have great sexual capacity, and he will have a sexual prosperity that will last for nearly eighty more years.
The active voice: God's justice produces the action of the verb and provides Abraham and Sarah with sexual prosperity. The participle is circumstantial; next come the accusative plural direct object "nekros" (dead ones).
Abraham and Sarah were the dead ones in the sense that they were unable to have children because they were sexually dead. Nothing is impossible with God so when God keeps His word He does it no matter if it is by using natural channels or by doing what is humanly impossible.
Romans emphasize Abraham's sexual death and the doctrine chapter in Hebrews emphasizes Sarah's in Heb 11:11-12.
In spiritual maturity both Sarah and Abraham had a doctrinal viewpoint regarding God's integrity. "Abraham believed him (God)"; Sarah "concluded Him faithful who had promised" that means she understood and believed in the veracity of God's integrity.
Rom 4:17; "and calls into being what which does not exist" - the connective use of "kai" (and) is used to complete the relative clause. Then we have the present active participle of "kaleo" (to call).
In this case the word means more than simply calling because it means to designate or establish. God is designating or establishing or calling something that does not exist as existing. He is calling into existence something that is nonexistent. Net note 30
The present tense is a historical present that views God's past action with the clarity of the present situation. The active voice: God's justice provides the action of the verb because He restores the sexual ability of Abraham and Sarah.
Next we have the accusative neuter plural from the plural definite article "tous" (the) that is used here as a demonstrative pronoun emphasizing the sexual death and inability of Abraham and Sarah.
Then the negative particle "me" (not) that makes the first of two occurrences of the present active participle of "eimi" (to be) that means to exist here, but with the negative so it means not existing or non-existent. So "God calls the non existent...."
The present tense is a retroactive progressive present that describes Abraham's sexual death that had begun in the past and continued into the present time.
God had made the promise to Abram when He changed his name to Abraham in Gen 17:5,
The participle is circumstantial. Plus the comparative conjunction "hos" (as), and then once again the present active participle of "eimi" (to be).
This time the historical rather than the retroactive progressive present that views the event of Abraham and Sarah's sexual prosperity with the vividness of a present occurrence is used.
The active voice: God's justice produces the action, and the circumstantial participle describes something "as existing"-"and designated (called). "God calls the non existent into existence"
Rom 4:17; Expanded Translation: "(As it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations"). He is our father in the presence of God whom he believed-the God who makes the dead alive and summons the non existent into existence."
Rom 4:18; "Who from hope believed in hope" begins with the nominative singular relative pronoun "hos" (who). With it is a prepositional phrase "para" (from) plus the accusative singular of the noun "elpis" (hope).
When there is "para" (from) plus the ablative it means from (ablative of source). When it is "para" (from) plus the locative case it means by the side of, before, with, or in the presence of. But when it is "para" (from) plus the accusative, as here, it means "beyond."
The NASB translation "hope against hope" is a good literal word for word translation but a more modern translation is "Who beyond hope." Abraham was sexually dead so there was no normal hope that he could father anything but God had promised so there was hope.
Followed by the aorist active indicative of "pisteuo" (faith) that means to believe in the sense of the persistent consistent enduring faith of the application of the faith-rest drill. The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, that views Abraham's super-grace status in its entirety from the viewpoint of existing situation.
Super-grace means maximum metabolized doctrine in the soul that enables the believer to wait patiently with confident expectation for God to provide what He promised. In Abraham's case an heir. It corresponds to Abraham's total adjustment to God's justice resulting in a mature relationship with God's integrity.
The active voice: Abraham as a mature believer produces the action of the verb. The power in life is in thought; everything else must be subordinated to what you think. For Abraham reality was in God's promise of an heir.
The indicative mood is declarative representing the verbal idea from the viewpoint of reality. Abraham's faith-rest technique in spiritual maturity was dynamic, and while he was sexually dead he was very alive mentally and spiritually.
Maturity adjustment to God's justice gives great spiritual power to our thinking. Doctrine in the soul is the basis for that thinking. So the believer has the privilege and opportunity of facing hopeless situations with doctrine.
Remember metabolized doctrine in the soul is the coin of the spiritual realm. God was waiting for Abraham to reach the doctrinal viewpoint that God would deliver on His promise regardless of Abraham's inability.
The challenge to Abraham was to believe God's promise and wait patiently with confident expectation for God to come through at the right time. Lam 3:21-25; Isa 40:31; Psa 23:5-6; Mark 10:27;