Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Paul continues to pound this idea of the law of works versus the law of faith. If it was by grace then it had to be by faith, by the faith of Christ. If the condition was left for man to fulfill then grace is made a debt. Abraham being the father of us all represents all who the arm of the Lord is revealed. All those whom the gospel is preached. All those of the faith of Christ. All who look to the law of faith.
Abraham believed God; it was not just that he believed in God. Abraham was persuaded of what God had revealed to him and believed that He was able to perform that very promise. Abraham saw the day of Christ and was glad. He saw the coming seed and rested in that promise. Abraham had peace with the plan that God had given.
Verse 17 is a verse of great significance. Paul writes here and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Could God in His word say that Abraham was righteous. He could with certainty as He made that promise that by his seed, by Christ, Abraham would find salvation. That is how we see these words here in Romans 4. God promised a righteousness to come. God promised Abraham to be the father of many nations. There are many instances of this kind of speech in the Old Testament. Look at Isaiah 53.
Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Could Isaiah be saying that He has borne our griefs? He was bruised for our iniquities. Was He oppressed? This was a prophecy. God purposed all that Isaiah wrote here to occur. These events did not occur though until Christ came. The imputation of righteousness we read of in Romans 4 is of the same language. It is prophetic. Righteousness did not exist in the day of Abraham, it had to be worked out. Just as Christ did not suffer as read in Isaiah 53 above until He came. Do not confuse the message Paul is proclaiming.
Hebrews 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
Christ would tell us of His blood of the New Testament in Matthew 26:28. The writer of Hebrews shows us in the above verses that testament has no force until the death of the testator occurs. What we take from this is until Christ died, any effect of His death could not take place. To say that the righteousness that would come by His obedience unto death could be imputed to Abraham prior to the death of Christ goes against these words in Hebrews. These words we read in Romans 4 were of a promise or prophecy. We see them in the light that Abraham saw them and look to the cross of Christ.