In this chapter, Paul is using the people and events of the Old Testament to illustrate tension between following the law and accepting the forgiveness from Jesus Christ. The issue he is addressing here is that those with a Jewish background who had accepted the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, but were upset when people of a Greek background were joining their group without first practicing the law of the Jews or getting circumcised to symbolized their adherence to that law.

In the last chapter, Paul spoke about Moses, here he focuses on Abraham. Abraham, he argues earned his righteousness not through doing the right things, but having faith in God. A person who works earns pay, but forgiveness is a gift and not earned, just like the poet king David talks about in his Psalms. 

Then Paul asks if it matters if the gift receiver is or isn’t circumcised? The use of circumcision to show one’s faith started with Moses who lived 400 years after the time of the Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and his twelve sons who became the tribes of Israel. Abraham, while called by God, did not have the external symbol that Moses practiced, yet still showed faith by his obedience to God. 

Paul goes on to say that Abraham did not even have the Ten Commandments, which also Moses received. His point is that the law makes rules whose consequences separate us from God. God promised Abraham to make him the father of many nations, and he did it before Abraham even had the laws or the symbol of fulfilling the law. Additionally, when Abraham and Sarah received their promise having an infinite family when they were old and infertile. They had to have faith in the promise of God despite the circumstance of their advanced age. Their blessings came through their faith in God, not through their previous progeny, knowledge or adherence to rules. 

Paul is speaking about people who lived 2000 years before him and he lived 2000 years before us. Yet, his words apply to us today. The image I think are tickets to ride the train. If we tried to earn the money for tickets, but we fell short, legally we could not ride. If someone else bought us tickets, we received free rides. As guests riding on another’s purchase, who we to charge for that we got for free?