What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse begins by asking what Abraham, our ancestor "according to the flesh," has gained. This phrasing subtly implies that Abraham's status as the forefather of the Jewish people, tied to physical lineage and heritage, might be the very thing that initially seems to offer him an advantage. However, Paul's real aim is to pivot from this seemingly obvious connection to reveal that Abraham's true, foundational gain was something entirely different and deeply spiritual.
What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?
English Standard Version (ESV)
After arguing that no one can be declared righteous by obeying the law, Paul turns to Abraham, the revered patriarch of Israel, to address the Jewish objection that Abraham, their ancestor, must have been justified by his own merits or by circumcision. Paul anticipates the question: "What did Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, achieve for himself through his own efforts or privileges?" He's setting up Abraham's example to show that even this great figure was justified by faith, not by works or ritual, paving the way for Gentiles to also be counted righteous.
We all have things we're proud of, right? But when it comes to our standing with God, can we really 'boast'?
Paul kicks off this chapter by setting up a crucial question: 'What then did Abraham, our forefather, gain?' (v. 1). The Jewish people of Paul's day heavily relied on their lineage and Abraham's special status as a reason for their acceptance with God. They believed their heritage and practices like circumcision gave them an edge.
Paul knows this line of thinking leads to boasting. If Abraham, the 'friend of God,' somehow earned his standing through his actions or heritage ('according to the flesh'), then others might also claim merit. But Paul's entire argument up to this point is that no one can boast before God because salvation comes by grace through faith, not by works.
So, Paul throws down the gauntlet: If Abraham gained anything significant through his own 'flesh' – his heritage, his actions, his religious rites – it would give him (and by extension, all who follow him in that way) grounds for pride. This is exactly what Paul wants to dismantle.
Was Abraham's standing with God based on his impressive life, or something else entirely?
The phrase 'according to the flesh' is key here. It doesn't just mean physical descent. In Paul's letter to the Romans, 'flesh' often refers to human effort, natural ability, or adherence to the law and its rituals. The Jewish people thought Abraham's covenant status, including circumcision, proved his 'works of the flesh' were meritorious.
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Paul, however, is about to show that Abraham's 'gain' wasn't from these fleshly advantages. Instead, his foundational relationship with God was established before circumcision, based purely on his belief in God's promise (Genesis 15:6). This belief was reckoned to him as righteousness.
This sets up a stark contrast: Abraham's acceptance wasn't secured by anything he did or was naturally (his 'flesh'), but by what he believed about God's faithfulness.
Understand the original words
sarx · Greek Noun
A term referring to the biological or ancestral line of a people group; in the NT, it often distinguishes physical descent from spiritual status.
Paul uses Abraham, the revered patriarch and father of the Jewish people, to argue that salvation has always been by faith, not by adherence to the Law or physical markers like circumcision, challenging Jewish pride and emphasizing God's grace for all.
c. 2000 BC
Abraham's Call and Covenant
God calls Abraham from Ur and makes a covenant with him, promising numerous descendants and land, initiating a relationship based on faith.
c. 1993 BC— this verse
Abraham's Faith Counted as Righteousness
Abraham believes God's promise about his descendants, and this faith is credited to him as righteousness, years before circumcision is instituted.
c. 1980 BC
Circumcision Instituted
God institutes circumcision as a sign of His covenant with Abraham when Abraham is 99 years old, and his son Ishmael is 13.
c. 1450-1400 BC
The Law Given at Sinai
God gives the Mosaic Law, including detailed ceremonial and moral commands, to the Israelites through Moses after their exodus from Egypt.
c. 586 BC
Babylonian Exile Begins
The destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple, leading to a major deportation of Jewish people to Babylon.
c. AD 45-50
Council of Jerusalem
The early church leaders debate and decide that Gentile believers do not need to be circumcised or follow the Mosaic Law to be part of the community.
This is the foundational verse Paul is referencing, stating Abraham 'believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.' It directly supports the idea that faith, not works, was key to Abraham's standing with God.
Galatians 3:6Paul directly quotes Genesis 15:6 here as well, reinforcing that Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness. This passage further argues that those who believe, whether Jew or Gentile, are Abraham's spiritual offspring.
Romans 9:7-8This passage explains that Abraham's true descendants are not just biological but those born according to the promise of faith. It highlights the distinction Paul is making between physical lineage ('according to the flesh') and spiritual lineage through faith.
Psalm 32:1-2While not directly about Abraham, this psalm beautifully describes the blessedness of the one whose iniquity is forgiven and sin is not counted, which is the essence of what Paul argues Abraham experienced through faith, separate from works.
James 2:21-23This passage presents a seeming contrast by saying Abraham was justified by works, referencing the same event (offering Isaac). However, it actually *complements* Paul's point by showing that Abraham's 'works' were the *evidence* of his existing faith, not the cause of his righteousness.
expositorsRomans 4:1: "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?"
Chapter 10 ABRAHAM AND DAVID Romans 4:1-12 THE Jewish disputant is present still to the Apostle’s thought. It could not be otherwise in this argument. No question was more pressing on the Jewish mind than that of Acceptance; thus far, truly, the teaching and discipline of the Old Testament had not been in vain. And St. Paul had not only, in his Christian Apostleship, debated that problem countl…
bensonRomans 4:1: "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?"
Romans 4:1-2 . What shall we say then — The apostle, in the preceding chapter, having shown the impossibility of man’s being justified by the merit of his obedience to any law, moral or ceremonial, or any otherwise than by grace through faith, judged it necessary, for the sake of the Jews, to consider the case of Abraham, on being whose progeny, and on whose merits, the Jews placed great depend…
The verse begins by asking what Abraham, our ancestor "according to the flesh," has gained. This phrasing subtly implies that Abraham's status as the forefather of the Jewish people, tied to physical lineage and heritage, might be the very thing that initially seems to offer him an advantage. However, Paul's real aim is to pivot from this seemingly obvious connection to reveal that Abraham's true, foundational gain was something entirely different and deeply spiritual.
After arguing that no one can be declared righteous by obeying the law, Paul turns to Abraham, the revered patriarch of Israel, to address the Jewish objection that Abraham, their ancestor, must have been justified by his own merits or by circumcision. Paul anticipates the question: "What did Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, achieve for himself through his own efforts or privileges?" He's setting up Abraham's example to show that even this great figure was justified by faith, not by works or ritual, paving the way for Gentiles to also be counted righteous.
After arguing that no one can be declared righteous by obeying the law, Paul turns to Abraham, the revered patriarch of Israel, to address the Jewish objection that Abraham, their ancestor, must have been justified by his own merits or by circumcision. Paul anticipates the question: "What did Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, achieve for himself through his own efforts or privileges?" He's setting up Abraham's example to show that even this great figure was justified by faith, not by works or ritual, paving the way for Gentiles to also be counted righteous.
"What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?" — The verse begins by asking what Abraham, our ancestor "according to the flesh," has gained. This phrasing subtly implies that Abraham's status as the forefather of the Jewish people, tied to physic…
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Last reviewed October 2026