John Calvin Commentary Romans 4:13

"For not through the law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith." — Romans 4:13 (ASV)

For the promise, etc. He now more clearly sets the law and faith in opposition to each other, which he had previously done to some extent; and this should be carefully observed: for if faith borrows nothing from the law in order to justify, we therefore understand that it relates to nothing else but the mercy of God.

And further, the fanciful notion of those who would have it that this was said about ceremonies can be easily disproved; for if works contributed anything towards justification, it should not have been said to be through the written law, but rather, through the law of nature. But Paul does not oppose spiritual holiness of life to ceremonies, but rather faith and its righteousness. The meaning then is that heirship was promised to Abraham, not because he deserved it by keeping the law, but because he had obtained righteousness by faith. And undoubtedly (as Paul will soon show), consciences can only then enjoy solid peace when they know that what is not justly due is freely given to them.

From this it also follows that this benefit, the principle of which applies equally to both, belongs to the Gentiles no less than to the Jews; for if the salvation of humankind is based on the goodness of God alone, those who exclude the Gentiles from it impede and hinder its course as much as they can.

That he should be the heir of the world, etc. Since he is now speaking of eternal salvation, the Apostle seems to have led his readers to the world somewhat unseasonably; but he broadly includes under this word world the restoration that was expected through Christ. The chief thing was indeed the restoration of life; yet it was also necessary that the fallen state of the whole world be repaired.

The Apostle, in Hebrews 1:2, states that Christ is the heir of all the good things of God. For the adoption we obtain through His favor restores to us the possession of the inheritance we lost in Adam. And, just as under the symbol of the land of Canaan not only was the hope of a heavenly life shown to Abraham but also the full and complete blessing of God, so the Apostle rightly teaches us that the dominion of the world was promised to him.

The godly have some foretaste of this in the present life; for however much they may at times be oppressed with need, yet, because they partake with a peaceable conscience of those things God has created for their use and enjoy His earthly benefits through His mercy and goodwill only as pledges and foretastes of eternal life, their poverty in no way prevents them from acknowledging heaven, earth, and sea as their own possessions.

Though the ungodly swallow up the riches of the world, they still can call nothing their own; instead, they snatch them, as it were, by stealth, for they possess them under God’s curse. It is indeed a great comfort to the godly in their poverty that, though they live modestly, they still steal nothing that belongs to another. Instead, they receive their lawful allowance from the hand of their heavenly Father, continuing until they enter into the full possession of their inheritance, when all creatures will be made subservient to their glory. For both heaven and earth will be renewed for this purpose: that according to their capacity, they may contribute to making the kingdom of God glorious.