1Prečo si Boh práve Abraháma vybral za telesného praotca židovského národa?2Určite nie pre jeho dobré skutky! Tým by si mohol získať chválu a uznanie v očiach ľudí, ale nie v Božích.3Sväté Písmo hovorí o ňom čosi iné: „Abrahám uveril Bohu, preto ho Boh vyhlásil za spravodlivého.“4Ak niekto vykoná nejakú prácu, má právo na odmenu. Dostane to, čo si zaslúžil.5Ale u Boha je to ináč. U Boha nič nedosiahnem, ak sa odvolávam na svoje „dobré“ skutky. Len ak dôverujem Bohu, že ma napriek môjmu previneniu ospravedlní, môžem pred ním obstáť.6O tom hovorí aj kráľ Dávid, ktorý nazýva šťastnými tých ľudí, ktorých Boh ospravedlnil bez ich vlastnej zásluhy:7„Šťastní sú tí, ktorým Boh odpustil previnenia a ktorých hriechy vymazal.8Šťastný je človek, ktorému Boh nepočíta hriechy!“9Vzťahuje sa toto zasľúbenie iba na Židov, ktorí sa podrobili náboženskému obradu obriezky? O Abrahámovi sme povedali, že ho Boh vyhlásil za spravodlivého, lebo mu uveril.10Kedy sa to stalo? Po jeho obrezaní na znamenie židovstva alebo ešte predtým?11Áno, bolo to ešte predtým, ako sa stal Židom. Obriezka ako znamenie židovstva mala iba spečatiť, že ho Boh uznal za spravodlivého ešte skôr, ako toto znamenie prijal.12Tak sa stal Abrahám nielen praotcom Židov, ale aj duchovným predchodcom všetkých, ktorí šli cestou viery, ako to urobil pred svojím obrezaním.13Abrahámovi a jeho potomkom zasľúbil Boh slávnu budúcnosť nie zato, že dodržiavali prikázania zákona, ale zato, že Bohu neochvejne dôveroval.14Keby tu platil iba zákon, viera by bola zbytočná a Božie sľuby dané Abrahámovi by stratili zmysel.15Zákon je len meradlom previnenia – bez zákona niet viny.16Pretože je Boh milostivý, zasľúbenie platilo nielen Abrahámovým zákonitým potomkom, ale aj všetkým tým, ktorých s Abrahámom spája rovnaká viera. Preto nezaložil svoj sľub na zachovávaní zákona, ale na viere.
Abrahámov príklad neochvejnej viery
17On je otcom všetkých nás. Tak treba rozumieť Písmu, ktoré hovorí: „Určil som ťa za otca mnohých národov.“ Boh prijme ľudí zo všetkých národov, ktorí dúfajú v neho podobne ako Abrahám. To je zasľúbenie samého Boha, ktorý oživuje mŕtvych, a o budúcich veciach hovorí s takou istotou, ako keby sa už boli stali.18Abrahám uveril, hoci sa to zdalo neuveriteľné, že mu Boh dá naozaj početné potomstvo.19Neochabol vo viere ani vtedy, keď si pomyslel na svoje neduživé telo – veď mal bezmála sto rokov a jeho žena Sára takisto prekročila vek, keď mohla mať deti.20Abrahám nikdy nezapochyboval. Uveril Bohu, jeho viera bola čoraz pevnejšia a chválil Boha za požehnanie ešte skôr, ako sa naplnilo.21Bol neochvejne presvedčený, že Boh je schopný splniť všetko, čo sľúbil.22A práve pre túto jeho vieru odpustil Boh Abrahámovi hriechy a vyhlásil ho za spravodlivého.23Toto však nebolo zaznamenané len kvôli Abrahámovi,24ale aj kvôli nám. Aj nás ospravedlní, ak mu uveríme. Veď on vzkriesil z mŕtvych Ježiša,25ktorý odpykal trest za naše viny a vstal z hrobu, aby nás ospravedlnil.
1What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? (Rim 4,16)2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. (1 Kor 1,31)3For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (Gn 15,6; Rim 4,9; Rim 4,22; Gal 3,6; Tit 3,8; Jak 2,23)4Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. (Dt 9,4; Rim 11,6)5And to the one who does not work but believes in[1] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, (Jn 6,29; Rim 3,22)6just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:7“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; (Ž 32,1)8blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” (2 Kor 5,19)9Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. (Rim 3,30; Rim 4,3)10How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.11He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, (Gn 17,10; Lk 19,9; Rim 3,22; Rim 4,12; Rim 4,16)12and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
The Promise Realized Through Faith
13For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. (Gn 17,4; Sk 13,32; Rim 9,8; Gal 3,16; Hebr 6,15; Hebr 6,17; Hebr 7,6; Hebr 11,9; Hebr 11,17)14For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. (Gal 3,17)15For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. (Rim 3,20; Rim 7,7; Rim 7,10; 2 Kor 3,7; 2 Kor 3,9; Gal 3,10; Gal 3,19)16That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (Rim 3,24; Rim 9,8; Rim 15,8; Gal 3,22)17as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. (Gn 17,5; Jn 5,21; Rim 4,18; 1 Kor 1,28; Hebr 11,3; Hebr 11,19)18In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” (Gn 15,5)19He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness[2] of Sarah’s womb. (Gn 17,17; Gn 18,11; Hebr 11,12)20No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,21fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (Gn 18,14; Hebr 11,19)22That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”23But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, (Ž 102,18; Rim 15,4; 1 Kor 9,9; 1 Kor 10,6; 1 Kor 10,11; 2 Tim 3,16)24but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, (Sk 2,24; Rim 10,9; 1 Pt 1,21)25who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Iz 53,5; Mt 20,28; Rim 5,6; Rim 5,8; Rim 5,18; Rim 8,32; 1 Kor 15,17; Gal 1,4)