By Grace Through Faith – Romans 4:13-16

Bethel Baptist Church – David Rising

Romans 4:13-16; August 9, 2026 Sunday AM

By Grace Through Faith

In our study last Sunday morning we learned that the blessing of forgiveness is not just for Jews, but for Gentiles as well – for all who believe.

The apostle Paul showed that Abraham was justified by faith before he was circumcised, and as a result he is the father of all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile.

In our study today we will hear similar things but the language is slightly different. Last week the words that stood out were the circumcised and uncircumcised.

Today the key terms will be law and faith with a concluding emphasis upon grace.

Romans has argued that our sin has put us in peril, and the only solution is justification – to be declared righteous. Our sin ruined us but Jesus made it possible that we can be restored – justified.

This justification is available not only to Jews but also to Gentiles – to all who believe. Pray.

Follow along as I read our text for today:

Romans 4:13–16 (NKJV) 13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

1. Promise: heir of the world (4:13)

Notice here in verse 13 that Paul now uses the word promise. He speaks about ‘the promise.’ He says in verse 13 that the promise was not through the law but rather faith. Paul is refining his teaching here about justification and he does so by using the term ‘promise.’

What is this promise? What is a promise?

A promise is a word given that indicates a future action or outcome.

This particular promise is a word that the LORD spoke to Abraham. It is something He said would take place in the future.

Paul explains in verse 13 that this promise was that Abraham would be heir of the world.

An heir is someone who inherits something from someone else. We think of it when parents or uncles or some family member dies and bequeaths certain assets in a will.

God promised Abraham that he would be heir of the world? That is a big promise!

Abraham was promised a most unique inheritance – the world, the – the earth, where we dwell. Dirt, sand, land, etc.

We might ask: where in the OT do we read that Abraham would be the heir of the world? How did God make this promise to Abraham?

Notice …

Genesis 17:4–6 (NKJV) 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

These are words God spoke to Abraham as he was about to change his name from Abram to Abraham and also right when he established the rite of circumcision to point back to His promise.

We often think of the Jewish people as the primary nation which came from Abraham, but God spoke about many nations. That casts the promise into a world-wide focus.

Some bible students also point to Genesis 22:17 (NKJV) which comes right after God stopped Abraham from piercing through Isaac on the altar.

God told Abraham because he was willing to obey God even by striking down his only son, God extended again to him this promise:

17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

Abraham would be the father of many nations, which also would include kings. This is language that extends throughout the world.

Genesis 22:17 also references Abraham’s descendants possessing ‘the gate of their enemies.’ That is language of “worldwide dominion” (Daniel Davey). Davey also cites Zechariah 9:10b which states that the Messiah’s rule will be “from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Paul frames God’s promise to Abraham that he would be heir of the world.

Notice a second truth about the promise which focuses on the recipients:

2. Promise: to Abraham & his descendants (4:13, 16)

Verse 13 and 16 reminds us that God’s promise extended to Abraham and to his seed – his offspring, his descendants, his posterity.

We don’t usually refer to our children as ‘seed’ but that is a biological way of speaking that is accurate and emphasizes the “ancestor’s role in founding the lineage” (Louw & Nida).

In verse 16 we see that the phrase “all the seed” includes both Jews and Gentiles. Notice the end of verse 16:

so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

Paul explains this in a similar way in

Galatians 3:26–29 (NKJV) 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

We don’t often think of the Gentile connection to the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 12, but it certainly is there. It is made much more clear from God’s revelation in the New Testament.

And so God’s promise extends to Abraham and his seed.

Notice a third point about the promise:

3. Promise: not through law but through faith (4:13b-15)

When you read verse 13 in the original language, you see the negative point emphasized:

Here is a wooden rendering: “for not through (the) law (was) the promise to Abraham or to his seed, (that is) (for) him to be heir of the world.”

This promise, Paul argues, did not come through the law. Abraham did not somehow know the contents of God’s law and then act accordingly. God probably did reveal many things to Abraham, and even to Adam and Eve. But God’s law was revealed later in time during the time of Moses.

God’s promise to Abraham and his seed was not given through the law. Notice in verse 14 how Paul explains this:

14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

If the only heirs of God’s promise were Abraham and his physical offspring (those who are of the law), then God’s promise is null and void. Not only would God’s promise be invalid, but then faith would be meaningless.

Paul is applying the reality of God’s promise to Abraham within the framework of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If the promise God made to Abraham is reserved only for the physical children of Abraham, then there is no hope for anyone other than Jews.

But of course Paul has shattered that point in Romans and makes it clear that both Jews and Gentiles are recipients of God’s blessing through faith.

Verse 15 reminds us what the law does.

15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

The law bring about wrath. The law does not provide the means by which we become recipients of God’s promise. Rather, the law condemns us.

In other words, keeping the law is not the path to justification. Rather, the path to justification is through faith.

When we teach the OT and seek to understand what the nation of Israel was to do, yes they were to obey God as He revealed Himself in the law. That was His instruction for their daily life. His instruction to the nation was very important for them to understand and to apply.

But that law was never meant to be the means by which they were justified before God because no one Jew could have ever perfectly kept the law.

Verse 15 helps make that point.

15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

Why would Paul say that “the law brings about wrath” if it was entirely keepable? I believe Paul said this because he was implying that no one could ever perfectly keep it.

Yes, the law had an important role in the daily life of Israel, but keeping the law was not the way one was made right before God.

The law understood the nature of man, and thus made provisions for cleansing through sacrifices that God accepted as temporary covering over sin. But the ultimate sacrifice and remedy for their sin would ultimately come in the fullness of time when God sent forth His Son.

That last phrase “for where there is no law there is no transgression” might seem strange in this argument, but I think he is merely illustrating the nature of law.

If there is no particular law on a subject, then one cannot technically be guilty of violating that particular law because it does not exist.

But were not people guilty before God before the law formally was revealed? Did not people die because of their sins before the law was given? Remember Paul discussed this in chapter two and said (2:12):

For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law….

Sin was in the world before the law came. Paul will make that argument in Romans 5.

When the law came, then transgression also increased. We’ll see more about this in Romans 6 & 7.

Verse 14 reminds us that law works differently than faith:

14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,

No one can obtain a right standing before God apart from faith.

In other words, God’s promise cannot be obtained by keeping the law because we can’t keep the law! We only need one day in our lives to prove that point.

Paul is stressing in these verses that being right with God is a matter of promise which is a matter of faith.

Notice in verse 16 our final point about the promise:

4. Promise: by grace through faith (4:16)

16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

You will notice that Paul concludes verse 16 in the same way he concluded his argument in verses 9-12, emphasizing the fatherhood of Abraham for all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile.

Verse 16 draws a conclusion from the preceding argument.

God’s promise is granted to all by grace because it is granted through faith.

Paul’s mention of grace (< /span>) is only the 4th time we have seen it in Romans (1:5, 7; 3:24, here). We’ll see it plenty more times now, starting in chapter 5.

Faith and grace are companion terms that are put together here in verse 16.

God promise comes by faith “so that it may be by grace” (NET).

If God’s promise comes by law, then it would not be by grace but by a physical family connection to Abraham.

If God’s promise comes by law, then it would come by compliance with that law, which Paul argues does not work. The law brings wrath which is God’s response to sin.

This may seem like complicated theology, but it is extremely important to understand and stand upon.

Aren’t you so glad that inheriting God’s promise is not based upon family connections or our ability to comprehend and obey God’s law?

We have all met that super person who seems to have it all together, but even they fall short.

Even the most gifted and most energetic and talented person stands in the need of God’s grace.

The third stanza of the hymn “Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy” states it well: “All the fitness he requireth is to feel your need of Him.”

That’s what we contribute to salvation: our awareness by God’s Spirit that we need His help.

Faith ties closely with grace because grace simply receives what God has provided.

God’s grace extends to Jews and to Gentiles. That grace is tied closely with our faith as God grants to us what we need.

In our study next time, we’ll pick up in verse 17 and see more from the life of Abraham and Sarah and see some great verses that will help us understand better what faith and hope are all about.

Application

1. These verses are not trashing the law nor the Jews. Paul simply is explaining how all this fits into God’s redemptive plan. Paul will say much more about Israel in chapter 9-11 and we’ll learn more about the law in chapter 7.

2. These verses emphasize faith and grace. God’s grace to us – justification, the forgiveness of sins – is available to us by faith. Like Abraham, we simply believe that what God says is true.

If you are unsure about your standing before God, the gospel calls you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and God has promised He will save you.

Why trust in Jesus? Because He is One Whom the Father sent to this world to bear our sins in His body as He hung on that cross, paying the price for our sins.

God put forth Jesus as a propitiation by His blood through faith to demonstrate that He is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans goes well beyond the cliff notes about the gospel and gives us plenty to ponder. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and be made new by His marvelous grace.