So then they who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
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Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. This is the conclusion from the premisses of the three preceding verses. God promised to Abraham that in him, i.e, in his seed, i.e, in Christ, all nations should be blessed, i.e, justified. But the promise of God cannot fail; therefore the consequence contained in this verse follows.
If the second sense of in thee, given above, is preferred, the argument is the same. In thee, i.e, like thee, all nations shall be blessed. But thou, 0 Abraham, wast justified by faith; therefore, the Gentiles too shall be justified in the same way. And from this it follows that they who are of faith shall be blessed, i.e, justified with faithful Abraham. This last phrase rather favours the second rendering of in thee, and hints that the Gentiles shall be justified by faith like faithful Abraham.
Observe again the Grcism, they who are of faiih, i.e, who are faithful. Similarly, he speaks of those who are of the circumcision, i.e, the Jews...
Then, that they might not turn round, and object that, true it was Abraham was justified by Faith, for the Law was not then given, but what instance would be found of Faith justifying after the delivery of the Law? He addresses himself to this, and proves more than they required: namely, not only that Faith was justifying, but that the Law brought its adherents under a curse. To be sure of this, listen to the very words of the Apostle.
