1535英翻中(羅馬書第三章) FATHER ABRAHAM 以色列國的國父亚伯拉罕 29/03/2026

1535英翻中(羅馬書第三章)    FATHER ABRAHAM  以色列國的國父亚伯拉罕          29/03/2026

 
CHAPTER THREE FATHER ABRAHAM Romans 3:21—4:25
第三章     以色列國的國父亚伯拉罕          罗马书3：21—4：25
 
Paul’s theme in the second section of his letter was Salvation —Righteousness Declared. He had proved that all men are sinners; next he was to explain how sinners can be saved. The theological term for this salvation is justification by faith. Justification is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous in Christ on the basis of the finished work of Christ on the cross. Each part of this definition is important, so we must consider it carefully.
保罗在书信第二部分的主题是“救赎 — 宣扬正义”。他证明了所有人都是罪人。接下来，他将解释如何拯救罪人。救恩的神学术语是"因信称義"。称義是上帝的作为，借着基督在十字架上完成的工作，祂在基督中宣布信徒的罪人是義的。该教義的任何部分都很重要，因此我们必须仔细考虑。 

To begin with, justification is an act, not a process. There are no degrees of justification; each believer has the same right standing before God. Also, justification is something God does, not man. No sinner can justify himself before God. Most important, justification does not mean that God makes us righteous, but that He declares us righteous. Justification is a legal matter. God puts the righteousness of Christ on our record in the place of our own sinfulness. And nobody can change this record.
首先，称義是行为，而不是过程。没有任何理由可言。信徒在上帝面前都有同等的权利。同样，称義是上帝所做的，而不是人為的。没有罪人自己可以在上帝面前称義。最重要的是，称義并不是說，上帝使我们成为義，而是祂宣布我们为義。稱義是法律问题。上帝将基督的義代替了罪人自己的犯罪記錄。而且没有任何人可以更改此记录。

Do not confuse justification and sanctification. Sanctification is the process whereby God makes the believer more and more like Christ. Sanctification may change from day to day. Justification never changes. When the sinner trusts Christ, God declares him righteous, and that declaration will never be repealed. God looks on us and deals with us as though we had never sinned at all!
不要混淆称義和成圣。成圣是上帝使信徒越来越像基督的过程。成圣可能会是天天发生变化的過程。称義却永远不改变。当罪人信靠基督时，上帝就宣告他是義的，而这宣告将永远不会被废除。上帝看着我们并与我们打交道，好像我们从未犯过罪一樣！

But, how can the holy God declare sinners righteous? Is justification merely a “fictional idea” that has no real foundation? In this section of Romans, Paul answered these questions in two ways.
但是，圣洁的上帝怎么能宣布罪人为義呢？ 称義仅仅是没有真实根据的“虚构观念”吗？  在罗马书的这一段中，保罗以两种方式回答这些问题。 

1.  Justification Explained (Rom. 3:21–31)
1.  稱義的銓释                  （罗   3：21–31）
 
 “But now the righteousness of God … has been manifested” (Rom. 3:21, literal translation). God had revealed His righteousness in many ways before the full revelation of the gospel: His law, His judgments against sin, His appeals through the prophets, His blessing on the obedient. But in the gospel, a new kind of righteousness has been revealed (Rom. 1:16–17), and the characteristics of this righteousness are spelled out in this section.
“但是现在……上帝的公義已经显现了”（罗3:21，依字面译）。在福音充分启示之前，上帝已经通过许多方式彰显了祂的公義：祂的律法，祂对罪的审判，祂通过先知的呼吁，祂对顺服者的祝福。但是在福音中，新的公義被揭露了（罗1：16-17），本节详细说明了这种公義的特質。

a. Apart from the law (v. 21). Under the Old Testament law, righteousness came by man behaving, but under the gospel, righteousness comes by believing. The law itself reveals the righteousness of God, because the law is “holy and just and good” (Rom. 7:12). Furthermore, the law bore witness to this gospel righteousness even though it could not provide it. Beginning at Genesis 3:15, and continuing through the entire Old Testament, witness is given to salvation by faith in Christ. The Old Testament sacrifices, the prophecies, the types, and the great “gospel Scriptures” (such as Isa. 53) all bore witness to this truth. The law could witness to God’s righteousness, but it could not provide it for sinful man. Only Jesus Christ could do that (see Gal. 2:21).
1.)  與律法隔離（第21节）。根据旧约律法，正義来自人的举止，但在福音之下，正义来自于信仰。法律本身就彰显了上帝的公义，因为律法是“圣洁，公正和善良”（罗7：12）。此外，律法为福音的公義作见证，即使它不能提供。从创世记3章15節开始，一直延续到整个旧约，见证人因对基督的信心而得救。旧约的牺牲，预言，类型和伟大的“福音信息”（例如  赛   53章）都是这一真理的见证。律法可以见证上帝的公義，但不能为有罪的人提供律法。只有耶稣基督才能做到（參见  加2:21）。

b.  Through faith in Christ (v. 22a). Faith is only as good as its object. All men trust something, if only themselves, but the Christian trusts Christ. Law righteousness is a reward for works. Gospel righteousness is a gift through faith. Many people say, “I trust in God!” But this is not what saves us. It is personal, individual faith in Jesus Christ that saves and justifies the lost sinner. Even the demons from hell believe in God and tremble, yet this does not save them (James 2:19).           
2.)  在基督裡的信心（22节）。信心只能與它的对象一样的美好。所有人都相信某事，甚至對他们自己，但基督徒却信靠基督。律法的義是善行的报酬。福音的義却是由信心而来的礼物。许多人说，“我信靠上帝！”但靠說這句話不能拯救我们。只有與耶稣基督建立个人和單獨的関係，才能拯救并使喪失的罪人稱義。即使是来自地狱的恶魔也相信上帝并战栗，但这并不能挽救牠们（雅   2:19）。

c.  For all men (vv. 22b–23). God gave His law to the Jews, not to the Gentiles, but the good news of salvation through Christ is offered to all men. All men need to be saved. There is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile when it comes to condemnation. “All have sinned, and are coming short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23, literal translation). God declared all men guilty so that He might offer to all men His free gift of salvation.
3.)  為所有的人（22b-23 22節下及23節）。上帝把律法交给了犹太人，而不是外邦人，但是，借着基督得救的好消息是传给了所有的人。所有的人都需要得救。在谴责方面，犹太人与外邦人之间没有区别。 “所有的人都犯了罪，缺乏上帝的荣耀”（罗3：23，直译）。上帝宣布所有的人有罪，以便祂可以将白白的救恩賜给所有的人。
 
d.  By grace (v. 24). God has two kinds of attributes: absolute (what He is in Himself), and relative (how He relates to the world and men). One of His absolute attributes is love: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). When God relates that love to you and me, it becomes grace and mercy. God in His mercy does not give us what we do deserve, and God in grace gives us what we do not deserve. The Greek word translated “freely” is translated in John 15:25 as “without a cause.” We are justified without a cause! There is no cause in us that would merit the salvation of God! It is all of grace!
4.)  是靠恩典（第24节）。上帝有两种属性：绝对属性（祂自己本來的属性）和相对属性（祂与世界和人的关系）。绝对属性之一是爱：“上帝就是爱”（约壹   4：8）。当上帝将爱与你我联繫起来时，愛就变成恩典和怜悯。上帝在祂的怜悯中的賜予，不是我们該得的，而祂在恩典中给予了我们的，也不是应得的。在约翰福音15章25節中，希腊语“白白地”翻译为“没有原因的”。我们是没有道理的接受上帝的稱義！没有任何理由值得上帝救赎我們！都是恩典！ 

e.  At great cost to God （vv 24b-25）. Salvation is free, but it is not cheap. Three words express the price God paid for our salvation: propitiation, redemption, and blood. In human terms, “propitiation” means appeasing someone who is angry, usually by a gift. But this is not what it means in the Bible. “Propitiation” means the satisfying of God’s holy law, the meeting of its just demands, so that God can freely forgive those who come to Christ. The word blood tells us what the price was. Jesus had to die on the cross in order to satisfy the law and justify lost sinners.
5.)  上帝付出了巨大的代价(24b–25  24節下半段及25節)。救赎是白白的，但不是廉價的。三个單词表达了，上帝为我们救恩所付出的代价：挽回祭，救赎和寶血。用人的话说，“挽回祭”通常是指使用礼物，來平息對我們罪人生气者。但这不是圣经中的意思。 “挽回祭”在聖經的記載是指用挽回祭，來满足上帝的圣洁律法，满足其對公義的要求，以便上帝可以自由地宽恕，那些来到基督面前的罪人。“血” 這字告诉我们它价格是多麼的大。耶稣必须死在十字架上流量當挽回祭，才能满足上帝律法的要求，才能使喪失的罪人得以稱義。
 
The best illustration of this truth is the Jewish day of Atonement described in Leviticus 16. Two goats were presented at the altar, and one of them was chosen for a sacrifice. The goat was slain and its blood taken into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the mercy seat, that golden cover on the ark of the covenant. This sprinkled blood covered the two tablets of the law inside the ark. The shed blood met (temporarily) the righteous demands of the holy God.                                                                                               关于闡釋該真理的最好例证，是用利未记16章中所描述的犹太人赎罪日的慶典。祭坛上献上两隻山羊，一隻选为祭物。殺死這山羊，將牠的血用圣洁器皿带进至聖所，洒在施恩典的上帝寶座约柜金盖上。这血滴滿覆盖約櫃内部的两片法板。這流下的鲜血满足了（暫时）圣神上帝的公義要求。
 
The priest then put his hands on the head of the other goat and confessed the sins of the people. Then the goat was taken out into the wilderness and set free to symbolize the carrying away of sins. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12). In the Old Testament period, the blood of animals could never take away sin; it could only cover it until the time when Jesus would come and purchase a finished salvation. God had “passed over” the sins that were past (Rom. 3:25, literal translation), knowing that His Son would come and finish the work. Because of His death and resurrection, there would be “redemption”—a purchasing of the sinner and setting him free.
祭师然后把手放在另一隻山羊的头上，供认了人的罪。之后，把山羊带到旷野释放牠，来象征人罪孽的釋放。 “从东方釋放到西方” ，象徵罪遠遠的離開我们（诗     103：12）。在旧约时期，动物的鲜血永远无法消除罪；它只能掩盖罪，直到耶稣再来世上，以自己的死作購買罪的代價，到完成救恩为止。上帝知道祂的儿子会再来完成這工作，就“越过”我們所犯的罪（罗3:25，直译）。由于祂的死和复活，這就是祂的“救赎”大恩，用來购买世人的罪，并使罪人得自由。
 
Dr. G. Campbell Morgan was trying to explain “free salvation” to a coal miner, but the man was unable to understand it. “I have to pay for it,” he kept arguing. With a flash of divine insight, Dr. Morgan asked, “How did you get down into the mine this morning?” “Why, it was easy,” the man replied. “I just got on the elevator and went down.”
坎贝尔·摩根（G. Campbell Morgan）博士试图向煤矿工人解释“白白的救恩”，但人无法領會。他不断争辩說，“我必须为此付出代价。” 摩根博士經過神靈閃電的感動道，“今天早上你是怎么进入矿坑的？”该男子回答，“为什么，这很容易，我是從电梯下来进入矿坑。”
 
Then Morgan asked, “Wasn’t that too easy? Didn’t it cost you something?”
然后，摩根问道，“是那麼容易的吗？  你沒有花費什么吗？”
 
The man laughed. “No, it didn’t cost me anything, but it must have cost the company plenty to install that elevator.” Then the man saw the truth: “It doesn’t cost me anything to be saved, but it cost God the life of His Son.”
那人笑著說，“沒有，没有花費我任何東西，是開礦公司花很多钱來安裝。”然后那人受聖靈感動，悟出真理的說，“那表明我是白白的得救，上帝儿子却牺牲祂的性命。”
 
f.  In perfect justice (vv. 25a–26). God must be perfectly consistent with Himself. He cannot break His own law or violate His own nature. “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and “God is light” (1 John 1:5). A God of love wants to forgive sinners, but a God of holiness must punish sin and uphold His righteous law. How can God be both “just and the justifier”? The answer is in Jesus Christ. When Jesus suffered the wrath of God on the cross for the sins of the world, He fully met the demands of God’s law and also fully expressed the love of God’s heart. The animal sacrifices in the Old Testament never took away sin, but when Jesus died, He reached all the way back to Adam and took care of those sins. No one (including Satan) could accuse God of being unjust or unfair because of His seeming passing over of sins in the Old Testament time.
6.)  算他完全稱義（25a–26  25節上至26節）。上帝必须与自己完全一致。不能违反祂自己的律法或违反自己的本性。 “上帝是爱”（约壹  4：8）和“上帝是光明”（约壹  1：5）。爱的上帝想宽恕人的罪，但圣洁的上帝必须惩罚罪恶，并维护祂的公義律法。上帝怎么能既是“公義而又為罪辩护”？  答案在耶稣基督身上。耶稣因世人的罪釘在十字架上，遭受上帝的愤怒时，祂完全满足了上帝律法的要求，也充分表达了上帝内心的爱。旧约中牺牲的动物从未消除过罪，但是当耶稣死后，把一直回到亚当的那些罪，都照顾了。没有人（甚至包括撒但）可以指责上帝是否公義，因为祂在旧约时代似乎就越过了罪。
 
g. To establish the law (vv. 27–31). Because of his Jewish readers, Paul wanted to say more about the relationship of the gospel to the law. The doctrine of justification by faith is not against the law, because it establishes the law. God obeyed His own law in working out the plan of salvation. Jesus in His life and death completely fulfilled the demands of the law. God does not have two ways of salvation, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles, for He is one God. He is consistent with His own nature and His own law. If salvation is through the law, then men can boast, but the principle of faith makes it impossible for men to boast. The swimmer, when he is saved from drowning, does not brag because he trusted the lifeguard. What else could he do? When a believing sinner is justified by faith, he cannot boast of his faith, but he can boast in a wonderful Savior.
7.)  律法的制定（27-31等节）。由于有犹太人读者，保罗想多在他的書信中，對福音与律法的关系多加述說。因信称義的教義并不违反律法，因为它确立了律法。上帝制定救赎计划时，遵守了自己的律法。耶稣的生与死完全满足了律法的要求。上帝没有一种是针对犹太人的救赎计划，另一种是针对外邦人的，因为祂是惟一的上帝，所以沒有两种救赎的方式。祂為了要符合自己的本性和自己的律法。若通过法律可以得救，那么人可以自夸，但是對耶穌信心的原则是使人不可以自夸。当游泳者免于溺水时，他不会吹噓，因为他信任救生员。他不能做什么？ 当有信心的罪人，因信而称義时，他不能吹嘘自己的信心，却可以頌揚奇妙的救主。
 
In Romans 4—8, Paul explained how God’s great plan of salvation was in complete harmony with the Old Testament Scriptures. He began first with the father of the Jewish nation, Abraham.
保罗在罗马书4-8等节中，解释了上帝伟大的救赎计划，与旧约圣经完全一致。他首先从犹太人的国父 — 亚伯拉罕开始。

2.  Justification Illustrated ( 4:1–25)
2.   因信稱義的例證（4：1–25）
 
The Jewish Christians in Rome would immediately have asked, “How does this doctrine of justification by faith relate to our history? Paul, you say that this doctrine is witnessed to by the law and the prophets. Well, what about Abraham?”
罗马的犹太基督徒会立即问，“因信称義的教義与我们的历史有何关系？保罗，你说这教義是律法和先知的见证。好吧，對國父亚伯拉罕怎麼樣說？”
 
Paul accepted the challenge and explained how Abraham was saved. Abraham was called “our father,” referring primarily to the Jews’ natural and physical descent from Abraham. But in Romans 4:11, Abraham was also called “the father of all them that believe,” meaning, all who have trusted Christ (see Gal. 3:1–18). Paul stated three important facts about Abraham’s salvation that prove that the patriarch’s spiritual experience was like that of believers today.
保罗接受這挑战，并解释了亚伯拉罕如何得救。亚伯拉罕被称为“我们的國父”，主要是指犹太人从亚伯拉罕那里获得的自然血统。但是在罗马书4章11節中，亚伯拉罕也被称为“所有信仰人之父”，意指所有信靠基督的人（见  加   3：1-18）。保罗陈述了有关亚伯拉罕得救的三件重要事实，证明先祖的属灵经历就像今天的信徒一样。
 
a.  He was justified by faith, not works (vv. 1–8). Paul called two witnesses to prove that statement: Moses (Gen. 15:6) and David (Ps. 32:1–2). In Romans 4:1–3, Paul examined the experience of Abraham as recorded in Genesis 15. Abraham had defeated the kings (Gen. 14) and was wondering if they would return to fight again. God appeared to him and assured him that He was his shield and “exceeding great reward.” But the thing that Abraham wanted most was a son and heir. God had promised him a son, but as yet the promise had not been fulfilled.
1.)  他因信而称義，而不是因行事（1-8节）。保罗召集了两见证人来证明这一说法：摩西（创   15：6）和 大衛（诗   32：1-2）。保罗在罗马书4章1-3等節中，检查了创世纪15章中，所有對亚伯拉罕经历的记录。亚伯拉罕击败了五王（创　14）之後，想知道他们是否会再次战斗。上帝向他显现，并向他保证，祂是他的盾牌，“賜至高的祝福”。但是亚伯拉罕最想要的是儿子和继承人。上帝已应许他有一个儿子，但至今尚未兑现。
 
It was then that God told him to look at the stars. “So shall thy seed [descendants] be!” God promised, and Abraham believed God’s promise. The Hebrew word translated believed means “to say amen.” God gave a promise, and Abraham responded with “Amen!” It was this faith that was counted for righteousness.
那时上帝告诉他看星星。 “你的后裔也将如天上的星星！”上帝的应许，亚伯拉罕深深的相信。用希伯来语翻译 "深信" 是“说，阿们”。上帝应许了，亚伯拉罕回答说，“阿们！”这种信心才配算是公義。
 
The word counted in Romans 4:3 is a Greek word that means “to put to one’s account.” It is a banking term. This same word is used eleven times in this chapter, translated “reckoned” (Rom. 4:4, 9–10) and “imputed” (Rom. 4:6, 8, 11, 21–24), as well as “counted.” When a man works, he earns a salary and this money is put to his account. But Abraham did not work for his salvation; he simply trusted God’s Word. It was Jesus Christ who did the work on the cross, and His righteousness was put on Abraham’s account.
罗马书4章3節所指的单词，在希腊语的意思是“算為”。这是银行术语。在本章中，该词使用了11次，分别翻译为“算為”（罗4：4、9–10）和“放入”（罗4：6、8、11、21–24），以及“算数。”當工人工作时，將赚取的薪水，存放入他的帐户。但是亚伯拉罕没有为他的得救而工作；他只是相信上帝的话。耶稣基督在十字架上做的工，祂的義被算在亚伯拉罕的帳戶。
 
Verse 5 makes a startling statement: God justifies the ungodly! The law said, “I will not justify the wicked” (Ex. 23:7). The Old Testament judge was commanded to “justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked” (Deut. 25:1). When Solomon dedicated the temple, he asked God to condemn the wicked and justify the righteous (1 Kings 8:31–32)! But God justifies the ungodly—because there are no godly for Him to justify! He put our sins on Christ’s account that He might put Christ’s righteousness on our account.　　
第5节記載惊人的陈述：上帝为不敬虔的人算為義！ 律法说，“我不会为恶人稱義”（出　23：7）。旧约聖經的記載，法官被命令“為敬虔的人称義，谴责恶人”（申　25：1）。当所罗门奉献圣殿时，他要求上帝谴责恶人，并为敬虔的人稱義（王上     8：31–32）！但是上帝为不敬虔的人稱義，因为世上没有一個敬虔的人，可讓上帝为他稱義！祂将我们的罪算為基督的，而将基督的義算在我们的帳戶上。
 
In Verses 6 through 8, Paul used David as a witness, quoting from one of David’s psalms of confession after his terrible sin with Bathsheba (Ps. 32:1–2). David made two amazing statements: (1) God forgives sins and imputes righteousness apart from works; (2) God does not impute our sins. In other words, once we are justified, our record contains Christ’s perfect righteousness and can never again contain our sins. Christians do sin, and these sins need to be forgiven if we are to have fellowship with God (1 John 1:5–7), but these sins are not held against us. God does keep a record of our works, so that He might reward us when Jesus comes, but He is not keeping a record of our sins.
保罗在第6至8节中，以大卫为证人，引用了大卫的詩篇，供认他與拔示巴所犯的可怕罪行后（诗32：1-2）。大卫作了两个惊人的認罪：（1）上帝宽恕了罪，并且将稱義不算在行为上； （2）上帝不計算我们的惡。换句话说，一旦我们被称義，所有犯罪的记录都算在基督完全的义義上，再也不計算我们的罪。基督徒犯了罪，如果我们要与上帝相交，就必须宽恕这些罪（约壹   1：5-7），但是，这些罪不再是我們的负擔。上帝的确记录了我们的作为，以便当耶稣来时，可以奖励我们，但祂并未记录我们的罪。
 
b.  He was justified by grace, not law (vv. 9–17). As we have seen, the Jews gloried in circumcision and the law. If a Jew was to become righteous before God, he would have to be circumcised and obey the law. Paul had already made it clear in Romans 2:12–29 that there must be an inward obedience to the law, and a “circumcision of the heart.” Mere external observances can never save the lost sinner.
2.)  人因上帝的恩典而不是祂的律法算為義（9-17等节）。犹太人在割礼和律法方面引以為荣可如此來說。若犹太人要在上帝面前成为義人，就必须受割礼，并遵守律法。保罗在罗马书2章12-29等節中已经明确指出，必须有内在的服从律法和“内心的割礼”。仅靠外表的遵守律法，那失喪的罪人永远无法得救。
 
But Abraham was declared righteous when he was in the state of uncircumcision. From the Jewish point of view, Abraham was a Gentile. Abraham was ninety nine years old when he was circumcised (Gen. 17:23–27). This was more than fourteen years after the events in Genesis 15. The conclusion is obvious: circumcision had nothing to do with his justification.                   但是亚伯拉罕在未割礼之前时，上帝就宣稱他為義。从犹太人的角度来看，亚伯拉罕是外邦人。亚伯拉罕是在99岁時行割礼（创   17：23–27）。这距创世记十五章中的事件已经14年多了。显而易见的结论是：割禮与稱義是兩回事。
 
Then why was circumcision given? It was a sign and a seal (Rom. 4:11). As a sign, it was evidence that he belonged to God and believed His promise. As a seal, it was a reminder to him that God had given the promise and would keep it. Believers today are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God (Eph. 1:13–14). They have also experienced a spiritual circumcision in the heart (Col. 2:10–12), not just a minor physical operation, but the putting off of the old nature through the death and resurrection of Christ. Circumcision did not add to Abraham’s salvation; it merely attested to it.
那为什么要有割禮呢？这是标志和印記（罗4：11）。作为標誌，表明他是属于上帝，并且相信祂的应许。作为印記，是使他想起上帝曾经应许，并会保守遵行。今天的信徒有上帝圣灵的印記（弗   1：13-14）。他们还有內心屬靈割礼（西2：10-12），不仅是轻微的動手，而且依靠耶穌基督的死和祂的復活，治死老我。割禮并没有使亚伯拉罕的救恩增添；它只是增添了些對稱義的证明。
 
But Abraham was also justified before the law was given, and this fact Paul discusses in Romans 4:13–17. The key word here is “promise.” Abraham was justified by believing God’s promise, not by obeying God’s law, for God’s law through Moses had not yet been given. The promise to Abraham was given purely through God’s grace. Abraham did not earn it or merit it. So today, God justifies the ungodly because they believe His gracious promise, not because they obey His law. The law was not given to save men, but to show men that they need to be saved (Rom. 4:15).
但是亚伯拉罕在颁布律法之前，就已經被算為義，保罗在罗马书4章13-17等節中讨论了这一事实。这里的关键词是“應許”。亚伯拉罕因信上帝的应许，而不是因遵守上帝的律法，因为那时摩西尚未颁布上帝的律法。上帝給亚伯拉罕的应许，纯粹是靠祂的憐憫。不是亚伯拉罕赚得的。因此，今天，上帝为不敬虔的人算為義，是因为相信祂的恩典承诺，而不是因为他们遵守了祂的律法。律法不能拯救人，而是顯示人需要拯救
（罗4：15）。
 
The fact that Abraham was justified by grace and not law proves that salvation is for all men.   Abraham is the father of all believers, both Jews and Gentiles (Rom. 4:16; Gal. 3:7, 29). Instead of the Jew complaining because Abraham was not saved by law, he ought to rejoice that God’s salvation is available to all men, and that Abraham has a spiritual family (all true believers) as well as a physical family (the nation of Israel). Paul saw this as a fulfillment of Genesis 17:5: “I have made thee a father of many nations.”
亚伯拉罕靠恩典而不是靠守律法称義，这一事实证明了救恩是对所有人的。亚伯拉罕是犹太人和外邦人所有信徒的祖先（罗4:16;  加3：7，29）。犹太人不要因为亚伯拉罕没有因遵守律法得救而抱怨，反而要因此庆幸上帝的救恩，是对所有人的，亚伯拉罕拥有属灵的家庭（所有真正的信徒）以及肉体的家庭（以色列国） 。保罗认为这是创世记17章5節的應驗：“我使你成为多国的父。”
 
c. He was justified by resurrection power, not human effort (vv. 18–25). These verses are an expansion of one phrase in Romans 4:17: “who quickeneth the dead.” Paul saw the rejuvenation of Abraham’s body as a picture of resurrection from the dead, and then he related it to the resurrection of Christ.
3.) 亚伯拉罕靠耶穌基督复活的大能，而不是人的努力稱義（18-25等节）。这些经文是罗马书4章17節中， “叫死人復活的上帝” 這短语的延伸。保罗視亚伯拉罕返老還童的身体，为从死里复活的影射，然后，他将其与基督的复活联系起来。
 
One reason why God delayed in sending Abraham and Sarah a son was to permit all their natural strength to decline and then disappear. It was unthinkable that a man ninety-nine years old could beget a child in the womb of his wife who was eighty-nine years old! From a reproductive point of view, both of them were dead.
上帝為什麼延迟亚伯拉罕和撒拉生儿子的原因，是让他们靠人的本能所有力量消失後。 99岁的人怎会與他89岁的妻子生育呢！从生殖的原則来看，都不能行。 上帝沒有難成的事。
 
But Abraham did not walk by sight; he walked by faith. What God promises, He performs. All we need do is believe. Abraham’s initial faith in God as recorded in Genesis 15 did not diminish in the years that followed. In Genesis 17—18, Abraham was “strong in faith.” It was this faith that gave him strength to beget a son in his old age.
但是，亚伯拉罕不是憑眼見。而是凭信心走世上的路。上帝应许，他去應驗。我们需要做的，只是憑信心去作。创世记15章记载，亚伯拉罕最初对上帝的信心，在随后的几年中從未减少。在创世记17-18等章中，亚伯拉罕有 “坚强的信心”。正是这信心使他有能力生儿子。
 
The application to salvation is clear: God must wait until the sinner is “dead” and unable to help himself before He can release His saving power. As long as the lost sinner thinks he is strong enough to do anything to please God, he cannot be saved by grace. It was when Abraham admitted that he was “dead” that God’s power went to work in his body. It is when the lost sinner confesses that he is spiritually dead and unable to help himself that God can save him.
拯救的原則很明确：上帝必须要等到罪人 “死去” ，并且深知无法自救之前，祂才能释放自己的拯救能力。只要失喪的罪人還认为自己足够坚强，可以做任何事来取悦上帝，他就不会因恩典得救。当亚伯拉罕承认自己  “死了”  时，上帝的力量开始在他的身体中发動。当失喪的罪人承认自己在灵裡已经死了，并且无法自救时，上帝才能拯救他。
 
The gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16) because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Romans 4:24 and Romans 10:9–10 parallel each other. Jesus Christ was “delivered up to die on account of our offenses, and was raised up because of our justification” (Rom. 4:25, literal translation). This means that the resurrection of Christ is the proof that God accepted His Son’s sacrifice, and that now sinners can be justified without God violating His own law or contradicting His own nature.
因为耶稣基督从死里复活，所以福音就是 “上帝拯救的大能”（罗1:16）。罗马书4章24節和罗马书10章9-10等節是互相平行的。耶稣基督  “因贖我们的罪而捨身，并因我们的称義而复活”（罗4:25，直译）。这意味着基督的复活是上帝接受了祂儿子的牺牲的证明，而现在罪人可以在上帝不违背自己律法，或与自己本性相抵触的情况下能因信稱義。
 
The key, of course, is “if we believe” (Rom. 4:24). There are over sixty references to faith or unbelief in Romans. God’s saving power is experienced by those who believe in Christ (Rom. 1:16). His righteousness is given to those who believe (Rom. 3:22). We are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1). The object of our faith is Jesus Christ who died for us and rose again.
誠然，关键是“若我们信”（罗   4:24）。 在罗马人中有60多种关于信或不信的說法。 信靠基督的人会经历上帝的拯救的大能（罗    1:16）。 祂的公義赐给了凡信祂的人（罗3：22）。 我们因信称義（罗5：1）。 我们信靠对象是为我们的罪而死，并再次复活的耶稣基督。
 
All of these facts make Abraham’s faith that much more wonderful. He did not have a Bible to read; he had only the simple promise of God. He was almost alone as a believer, surrounded by heathen unbelievers. He could not look back at a long record of faith; in fact, he was helping to write that record. Yet Abraham believed God. People today have a complete Bible to read and study. They have a church fellowship, and can look back at centuries of faith as recorded in church history and the Bible. Yet many refuse to believe!
所有这些事实，使亚伯拉罕的信心变得更加美好。在他那個時代，没有圣经可以阅读；他只有上帝的简单应许。他几乎是惟一的信徒，被异教信徒包围。他无法回憶長期以来的信心记录。实际上，他正在帮助記載這些實存。然而亚伯拉罕却相信上帝。今天的人手中有完整的圣经可供阅读和学习。他们在教会裡還有团契，可以回顾教会历史和圣经中记录的千百年的信心事實。然而许多人却拒绝相信！
 
Dr. Harry Ironside, for eighteen years pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago, told of visiting a Sunday school class while on vacation. The teacher asked, “How were people saved in Old Testament times?”
哈里·艾恩赛（Harry Ironside）博士是芝加哥慕迪教堂（Moody Church）的牧师，已有18年的历史。曾在度假期间拜訪过主日学授课。老师问：“人在旧约时代是如何得救的？”
 
After a pause, one man replied, “By keeping the law.” “That’s right,” said the teacher.
片刻后，有人回答，“遵守法律。”   老师说，“說得對。”
 
But Dr. Ironside interrupted: “My Bible says that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
但是艾恩賽博士插入話說，“我的圣经说，凭律法的行为，没有人可以稱義。”
 
The teacher was a bit embarrassed, so he said, “Well, does somebody else have an idea?”
老师有点不好意思，然後说，“好吧，其他人有別的主意吗？”   

Another student replied, “They were saved by bringing sacrifices to God.”                                                                                             另一位学生回答，“他们是向上帝帶來献祭而得救的。”
 
“Yes, that’s right!” the teacher said, and tried to go on with the lesson.
老师说，“恩，那就对了！”  并试图继续上课。
 
But Dr. Ironside interrupted, “My Bible says that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin.”
但是艾恩赛博士打断道，“我的圣经上说，公牛和山羊的血不能赦罪。”
 
By this time the unprepared teacher was sure the visitor knew more about the Bible than he did, so he said, “Well, you tell us how people were saved in the Old Testament!”
此时，没有准备好上主日學課的老师确信，访者比他对圣经要熟得多，所以他说，“好吧，請你告诉我们在旧约時代中，是如何得救的！”
 
And Dr. Ironside explained that they were saved by faith—the same way people are saved today! Twenty-one times in Hebrews 11 you find the same words, “by faith.”
艾恩赛博士解释说，他们是因信心而得救的，就像今天的人得救一样！在希伯来书11章中，你會发现同样的词，“凭信心”，有21次。
 
If you are a Jew, you are a child of Abraham physically, but are you a child of Abraham spiritually? Abraham is the father of all who believe on Jesus Christ and are justified by faith. If you are a Gentile, you can never be a natural descendant of Abraham, but you can be one of his spiritual descendants. Abraham “believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
你若是犹太人，那么你的肉體是亚伯拉罕的後裔，但是在靈命上也是亚伯拉罕的後輩吗？  亚伯拉罕是所有信靠耶稣基督，并因信称義人的祖先。如果你是外邦人，那么永远不可能成为亚伯拉罕的肉體出生的后裔，但可以成为他的属灵的后裔。亚伯拉罕  “因相信上帝，他才被祂算為義。”