Do the works of Abraham the ungodly?

They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.

via Passage: John 8.39-40 (ESV Bible Online).

Oddly, several Evangelical commentaries on Romans when they come to Paul’s argument about Abraham in Chapter 4, claim that Paul’s view was different from the predominant Jewish view.  Most Jews, they say, regarded Abraham as righteous in his actions, whereas Paul regarded him as “ungodly.”

Which view did Jesus hold?

See also:

John Murray on Romans 4.5 and Abraham’s godliness

Gentile Abraham, David, and Phinehas

2 thoughts on “Do the works of Abraham the ungodly?

  1. Pingback: Mark Horne » Blog Archive » Revisiting Abraham’s Character

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *