Take careful not that Romans 4 nowhere says that Abraham's subjective faith was imputed to him for "justification". It was imputed to him for "righteousness". These two things are not necessarily the same thing. The context decides. I believe Paul taught that Abraham's subjective faith in God was imputed to him for righteousness, but not for justification before God. Ask why Paul did not use the Greek word dikaiôsis, "justification", but always "dikaiosunê" - "righteousness", when speaking of Abraham's faith. Abraham was already a man justified (in and by Christ) before God the Judge of all the earth when he believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness, not "for justification". That saving justification which the Scripture calls "justification of life" (Rom. 5:18) is in the sight of (before) God as a holy and righteous Judge. It must precede (and it did) Abraham's believing God which was imputed to him for righteousness (not justification). The perfect obedience and blood of the Messias to come was imputed to Abraham for justification. This sovereign Divine imputation of Christ's perfect justifying righteousness to Abraham demanded his quickening into life eternal, hence the Scripture calls it "justification of life". Sometimes after God had regenerated the justified Abraham he believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness (not justification). Thus this imputation of Abraham's belief for righteousness was not "justification of life". The latter he had obtained previously, sometime prior to God regenerating him.
Christ's justifying righteousness imputed to a sinner's person justifies him/her before God, this and nothing else. This is a "justification of life", it demands life eternal, spiritual life, to the justified person. And God is faithful and sovereignly begets from above the sinner justified in and by Christ and His righteousness, His obedience and blood, and this regeneration altogether apart from human or earthly means, and on the footing of Christ's resurrection from among dead ones (1Pet. 1:3). God regenerates by His living Word (God the Son) through the Holy Spirit. Abraham's believing that was imputed to him for righteousness did not result in his new birth or regeneration, but on the contrary was a fruit of it, an evidence of Divine regeneration, a part of "the fruit of the Spirit" (cp. Gal. 5:22).
It is also interesting that in Rom. 4:24 the form of the verb translated "be imputed" (KJV) is present passive infinitive. The Spirit of Christ inspiring Paul gave such a construction that it excludes any notion of a once and for all imputing of subjective faith God-ward for justification before God. Rather it speaks about ongoing or repeated imputation of faith (cp. vv. 22 & 23) for righteousness. If the word for "impute" had been in aorist passive it had properly translated as "to be imputed" (once, once and for all). But now the infinitive passive is in the present tense - "to be being imputed". As it is quite a difficult grammatical construction it is not easy to tell how to best render it into English. The words of the KJV, "it shall be imputed", are rendered from 2 original words "...mellei logizesthai...". The first is a present active indicative, 3rd p. singular; the 2nd is present passive infinitive as stated. Literally it would read "it is being about to be being imputed", meaning the imputing which is under consideration is not a one time occurence (point action, as in aorist), but something occuring repeatedly, time and time again, or possibly constantly. Also, the verb translated "believe" in this same verse is neither an aorist, but a plural present active participle - " (ones) believing" or "believers". This also excludes a one time act of faith as that which brings about a once and for all justification or "getting right with God", as they say.
Paul taught clearly and dogmatically that true God-given faith excludes, shuts out, all boasting in the flesh.
Rom. 3:27 Where then [is] the boasting? It was excluded. By means of what kind of a law? By the works? Certainly not! but to the contrary by means of a law of faith.
Abraham was an example of this.
Rom. 4:20 And he hesitated not at the promise of God by unbelief, but to the contrary was empowered by the faith, giving glory to God,
Many professing believers have faith in their own faith. Such is a dead faith. Many make their claimed faith their co-partner with Christ in their professed justification. I dare claim that none of those who will eventually be found in the glory world when time ceases had died believing the false gospel of justification by faith in Christ. Because the Holy Spirit of Christ does not acknowledge such a gospel, for He did not inspire any such gospel to be written down in the Holy Scriptures. Some Bible versions would have people think they can be justified by "faith in Jesus Christ", cp. NASB & NKJV (plus some others as well) in both Romans 3:22 and Galatians 2:16. Also the KJV in Rom. 3:26b seemingly supports those two versions in said verses. But not so the honorable Textus Receptus, nor the tampered with Alexandrian Greek texts, nor the Majority Texts of Hodges-Farstad and Pierpont-Robinson, also they inferior to the best TR editions.
All of them read the same in Rom. 3:22a:
dikaiosunê de Theou dia pisteôs Iêsou Christou
"Namely righteousness of God by means of faithfulness OF Jesus Christ" (emphasis mine)
Yea, let God be true and every man a liar.
Harald
Christ's justifying righteousness imputed to a sinner's person justifies him/her before God, this and nothing else. This is a "justification of life", it demands life eternal, spiritual life, to the justified person. And God is faithful and sovereignly begets from above the sinner justified in and by Christ and His righteousness, His obedience and blood, and this regeneration altogether apart from human or earthly means, and on the footing of Christ's resurrection from among dead ones (1Pet. 1:3). God regenerates by His living Word (God the Son) through the Holy Spirit. Abraham's believing that was imputed to him for righteousness did not result in his new birth or regeneration, but on the contrary was a fruit of it, an evidence of Divine regeneration, a part of "the fruit of the Spirit" (cp. Gal. 5:22).
It is also interesting that in Rom. 4:24 the form of the verb translated "be imputed" (KJV) is present passive infinitive. The Spirit of Christ inspiring Paul gave such a construction that it excludes any notion of a once and for all imputing of subjective faith God-ward for justification before God. Rather it speaks about ongoing or repeated imputation of faith (cp. vv. 22 & 23) for righteousness. If the word for "impute" had been in aorist passive it had properly translated as "to be imputed" (once, once and for all). But now the infinitive passive is in the present tense - "to be being imputed". As it is quite a difficult grammatical construction it is not easy to tell how to best render it into English. The words of the KJV, "it shall be imputed", are rendered from 2 original words "...mellei logizesthai...". The first is a present active indicative, 3rd p. singular; the 2nd is present passive infinitive as stated. Literally it would read "it is being about to be being imputed", meaning the imputing which is under consideration is not a one time occurence (point action, as in aorist), but something occuring repeatedly, time and time again, or possibly constantly. Also, the verb translated "believe" in this same verse is neither an aorist, but a plural present active participle - " (ones) believing" or "believers". This also excludes a one time act of faith as that which brings about a once and for all justification or "getting right with God", as they say.
Paul taught clearly and dogmatically that true God-given faith excludes, shuts out, all boasting in the flesh.
Rom. 3:27 Where then [is] the boasting? It was excluded. By means of what kind of a law? By the works? Certainly not! but to the contrary by means of a law of faith.
Abraham was an example of this.
Rom. 4:20 And he hesitated not at the promise of God by unbelief, but to the contrary was empowered by the faith, giving glory to God,
Many professing believers have faith in their own faith. Such is a dead faith. Many make their claimed faith their co-partner with Christ in their professed justification. I dare claim that none of those who will eventually be found in the glory world when time ceases had died believing the false gospel of justification by faith in Christ. Because the Holy Spirit of Christ does not acknowledge such a gospel, for He did not inspire any such gospel to be written down in the Holy Scriptures. Some Bible versions would have people think they can be justified by "faith in Jesus Christ", cp. NASB & NKJV (plus some others as well) in both Romans 3:22 and Galatians 2:16. Also the KJV in Rom. 3:26b seemingly supports those two versions in said verses. But not so the honorable Textus Receptus, nor the tampered with Alexandrian Greek texts, nor the Majority Texts of Hodges-Farstad and Pierpont-Robinson, also they inferior to the best TR editions.
All of them read the same in Rom. 3:22a:
dikaiosunê de Theou dia pisteôs Iêsou Christou
"Namely righteousness of God by means of faithfulness OF Jesus Christ" (emphasis mine)
Yea, let God be true and every man a liar.
Harald