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In our verse-by-verse study of Romans last time we started working on Rom 4:20; "yet with respect go the promise of God he did not waver." The preposition "eis" (into) goes with the accusative "ho" (the) is the accusative singular of the definite article that begins a prepositional phrase.
The postpositive conjunctive particle is "de" (but) is used as a transitional conjunction to insert an explanation so we have "de" (but) " that references the object "epaggelia" (promise).
"Promise" means that God's integrity has provided doctrinal information that is relevant to Abraham. God also has many promises for us today but these promises are only relevant to us when we have the pertinent doctrine resident and circulating in our thinking for recall and application.
Then comes the possessive genitive of the proper noun "Theos" (God). The promise belongs to God. Plus the verb that is aorist passive indicative of "diakrino" (doubt) "krino" means to judge; "diakrino" means to doubt or waver.
With the negative "me" (not) we see that "he did not waver." The aorist tense is a constantive aorist that gathers into one entirety Abraham's hopeless situation of sexual death, but in that impossible situation he continued to have perfect confidence in God
He did not for a moment doubt God. The passive voice: Abraham received the action of the verb: no doubting, no wavering, no staggering in unbelief. The indicative mood is declarative; so it regards the action of the verb from the standpoint of historical reality.
The phrase "through unbelief" is the locative singular from "apistia" (in unbelief). In this case unbelief refers to failure to utilize faith-rest. Such failure results from sin nature control of the soul from ignorance or rejection of doctrine that result in the use of human solutions rather than God's solutions.
Spiritual weakness is lack of metabolized doctrine resident in the soul from the daily function of GASP. Spiritual weakness in the believer's life comes from lack of doctrine from spiritual malnutrition.
"but was strong" the adversative conjunction "alla" (but) is used to set up a contrast. He was not weak but he was strong. Plus the aorist passive indicative of "endunamoo" (strong), meaning to become strong (en = in; dunamasj = power). It means to receive energy, or to become empowered in the passive voice it means to receive power poured in. The power being poured in is Bible doctrine.
Our translation "he received dynamic capacity" or "he received power." The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, it views the function of GASP in its entirety but it emphasizes the existing results.
The passive voice: Abraham received the action of the verb; he was empowered by doctrine resident in his soul. The declarative indicative mood is for the reality of maturity adjustment to God's justice through the daily intake of God's Word.
This verse tells us that doctrine resident in the soul is the dynamic of the Christian life.
Without indwelling doctrine through the function of GASP there is no power, there is no fuel; there is no capacity to face adversity using God's power.
Maturity adjustment to God's justice is established through maximum doctrine resident in the soul.
"in faith" is not exactly correct because "pistis" (faith) has three categories of meaning. The passive sense that is used here refers to that which is believed or doctrine so it should be translated "by means of doctrine."
Here we also have the definite article "ho" (the) the definite article with the noun makes it monadic so it is used to refer to a specific person, class, group or category.
In this case it refers to specific doctrine that is resident in the soul and separates it from everything else. In other words, when you have pertinent doctrine in your soul you are strong; if you lack that specific doctrine you are weak in that area.
The definite article isn't generally translated but it individualizes the entire realm of doctrine necessary for a specific individual to adjust to God's justice. This means that your application of the doctrine is unique to you.
The believer's spiritual power resides in "epignosis" (spirit taught doctrine) that is resident and circulating in his soul and his ability to relate that doctrine to experiences and circumstances of life under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
"giving glory to God" - the aorist active participle from the verb "didomi" (give). This is a culminative aorist, that views maturity adjustment to God's justice in its entirety but regards it from the viewpoint of existing results.
The existing result here is giving glory to God. Only maturity adjustment to God glorifies God during human history in time.
There can be no maturity adjustment to God's justice apart from doctrine resident in the soul and therefore once again there is an emphasis on the importance of Bible doctrine.
The active voice: mature Abraham produces the action of the verb, glorifying God. Man can only glorify God through a mature relationship with God's integrity that comes from maximum adjustment to God's justice.
This is a complimentary participle that is used to complete the action of the main verb, in this case the pouring of God's power into Abraham by the pouring of God's Word of truth into his soul. The purpose of becoming strong through doctrine in the soul is to glorify God.
With this is the accusative singular direct object from the noun "doca" (glory) that refers to the glorification of God through maturity adjustment to God's justice from metabolized doctrine.
Next we have the dative of indirect object from the proper noun "Theos" (God) preceded by the definite article "ho" (the).
God, in this case specifically, the Lord Jesus Christ, receives the glory. Any time a believer makes total adjustment to God's justice. His justice is free to give every category of blessing to that individual because what righteousness demands justice executes.
Expanded Translation: Rom 4:20; "That is, with reference to the promise of God he did not stagger in unbelief; but he was energized (power was poured into him) by means of doctrine (resident in the soul), giving glory to the God."
This verse refers to the significance of the ritual of circumcision. Circumcision commemorates the dynamics of doctrine resident in Abraham's soul. With maximum adjustment to God's justice Abraham had dynamic function of faith-rest from application of the doctrine in his soul to his experience.
Doctrine resident in the soul brings into focus the reality of God's integrity. God's integrity was more real to Abraham than his hopeless situation of sexual death.
Abraham willingly submitted to circumcision as the expression of his faith-rest. But it was actually more than that. His circumcision was the removal of flesh from the very place of his sexual death.
Therefore Abraham's circumcision was a demonstration that God's integrity was more real than any hopeless situation in life. Hopeless situations are an opportunity for us to glorify God when we have capacity to receive his blessing to resolve the situation.
God is glorified when the believer is occupied with Christ so that the reality lies in God's integrity rather than in the hopeless circumstances of life.
Faith-rest takes doctrine resident in the soul and converts it into the mature production that glorifies God. Faith -rest converts doctrine into spiritual energy whereby the Lord Jesus Christ is more real to the believer than the adverse situation in life.
The energy source for spiritual production is Bible doctrine resident in the soul. The power or energy of the believer is directly related to the amount of doctrine resident in his soul rather than any form of self-righteous legalistic, ascetic, ritualistic or emotional production.
This is what the book of James is describing when it emphasizes the production of doctrine resident in the soul under the title of justification by works that is actually justification by believing the working objects of doctrine because this justification is receiving God's righteousness that is one half of God's integrity through the application of metabolized doctrine through faith-rest.
Righteousness recognizes righteousness and God's justice, the operational half of God's integrity, recognizes capacity righteousness; and from that recognition provides through logistical grace the doctrine whereby production becomes a reality.
Production comes from doctrine as a result of being justified. So justification by faith-rest in the working objects of doctrine is the production of the mature believer who has attained maximum capacity adjustment to God's justice.
Rom 4:21; describes the mature believer's cognizance of the reality of God's integrity. "And being fully persuaded" the connective use of the conjunction "kai" (and), plus the aorist passive participle of the verb "plhrophoreo" (fully), often used as a synonym for "plhroeo" (to bear or to carry something that is full).
It means to bring to fullness, to fill completely. In the passive voice it means to be completely filled, to achieve complete certainty or to be fully convinced. It is talking about the greatest principle in life that is characteristic of the mature believer: complete and total confident expectation.
"And having been fully convinced" or "possessing total confidence." The constantive aorist contemplates Abraham's function of faith-rest in its entirety in spiritual maturity. Abraham has total confidence from his maximum relationship with God's integrity that is gathered up into a single entirety.
The passive voice: Abraham received the action of the verb, confidence from maximum doctrine resident in the soul. The participle is circumstantial, it not only occurs in the case of Abraham but in the case of any person at any time in history who advances to spiritual maturity.
"that what he had promised" the conjunction "hoti" (that), included after verbs of mental activity. The activity that glorifies God and he takes cognizance of it is mental activity. Not overt productivity but mental activity.
The dynamics of life are centered in one's mental attitude not overt function. Thought and decision lead to action so overt function is the implementation of mental attitude.
Then comes the nominative neuter singular from the relative pronoun "hos" (what) with the perfect middle indicative of the verb "epaggellomia" (promised).
In this case it is a reference to the specific promise, the promise regarding Abraham's sexual prosperity. This is an iterative perfect that describes a promise that was being made at intervals rather than continuously. In other words, a mature believer or a person who is advancing in doctrine doesn't have to be continuously reminded of the promise.
Only when the person is insecure is there a continuous demand for reassurance. Abraham is confident so he is not insecure. The indirect middle voice describes the agent, God, who produces the action from His integrity. The indicative mood is declarative for a dogmatic statement of fact.
The middle voice also has a reflexive connotation so it is translated "that what he himself had promised." This is a reference to the promise of blessing from God's justice. All promises from God originate His justice because justice is the functional part of God's integrity.