Romans 4
1 So then, what shall we say that Abraham had achieved, who is our father according to the flesh?
What then, it may be asked, are we to say about Abraham, the ancestor of our nation?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he would have glory, but not with God.
If he was pronounced righteous as the result of obedience, then he has something to boast of. Yes, but not before God.
3 For what does Scripture say? “Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.”
For what are the words of scripture? ‘Abraham had faith in God, and his faith was regarded by God as righteousness.’
4 But for he who works, wages are not accounted according to grace, but according to debt.
Now wages are regarded as due to the person who works, not as a favor, but as a debt;
5 Yet truly, for he who does not work, but who believes in him who justifies the impious, his faith is reputed unto justice, according to the purpose of the grace of God.
while, as for the person who does not rely on their obedience, but has faith in him who can pronounce the godless righteous, their faith is regarded by God as righteousness.
6 Similarly, David also declares the blessedness of a man, to whom God brings justice without works:
In precisely the same way David speaks of the blessing pronounced on the person who is regarded by God as righteous apart from actions –
7 “Blessed are they whose iniquities have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered.
‘Blessed are those whose wrongdoings have been forgiven and over whose sins a veil has been drawn!
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord has not imputed sin.”
Blessed the man whom the Lord will never regard as sinful!’
9 Does this blessedness, then, remain only in the circumcised, or is it even in the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was reputed to Abraham unto justice.
Is this blessing, then, pronounced on the circumcised only or on the uncircumcised as well? We say that – ‘Abraham’s faith was regarded by God as righteousness.’
10 But then how was it reputed? In circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
Under what circumstances, then, did this take place? After his circumcision or before it?
11 For he received the sign of circumcision as a symbol of the justice of that faith which exists apart from circumcision, so that he might be the father of all those who believe while uncircumcised, so that it might also be reputed to them unto justice,
Not after, but before. And it was as a sign of this that he received the rite of circumcision – to show the righteousness due to the faith of an uncircumcised man – in order that he might be the father of all who have faith in God even when uncircumcised, so that they also may be regarded by God as righteous;
12 and he might be the father of circumcision, not only for those who are of circumcision, but even for those who follow the footsteps of that faith which is in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham.
as well as father of the circumcised – to those who are not only circumcised, but who also follow our father Abraham in that faith which he had while still uncircumcised.
13 For the Promise to Abraham, and to his posterity, that he would inherit the world, was not through the law, but through the justice of faith.
For the promise that he should inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his descendants through Law, but through the righteousness due to faith.
14 For if those who are of the law are the heirs, then faith becomes empty and the Promise is abolished.
If those who take their stand on Law are to inherit the world, then faith is robbed of its meaning and the promise comes to nothing!
15 For the law works unto wrath. And where there is no law, there is no law-breaking.
Law entails punishment; but, where no Law exists, no breach of it is possible.
16 Because of this, it is from faith according to grace that the Promise is ensured for all posterity, not only for those who are of the law, but also for those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all before God,
That is why everything is made to depend on faith: so that everything may be God’s gift, and in order that the fulfillment of the promise may be made certain for all Abraham’s descendants – not only for those who take their stand on the Law, but also for those who take their stand on the faith of Abraham. (He is the father of us all;
17 in whom he believed, who revives the dead and who calls those things that do not exist into existence. For it is written: “I have established you as the father of many nations.”
as scripture says – ‘I have made you the father of many nations.’) And this they do in the sight of that God in whom Abraham had faith, and who gives life to the dead, and speaks of what does not yet exist as if it did.
18 And he believed, with a hope beyond hope, so that he might become the father of many nations, according to what was said to him: “So shall your posterity be.”
With no ground for hope, Abraham, sustained by hope, put faith in God; in order that, in fulfillment of the words – ‘So many will your descendants be,’ he might become ‘the father of many nations.’
19 And he was not weakened in faith, nor did he consider his own body to be dead (though he was then almost one hundred years old), nor the womb of Sarah to be dead.
Though he was nearly a hundred years old, yet his faith did not fail him, even when he thought of his own body, then utterly worn out, and remembered that Sarah was past bearing children.
20 And then, in the Promise of God, he did not hesitate out of distrust, but instead he was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
He was not led by want of faith to doubt God’s promise.
21 knowing most fully that whatever God has promised, he is also able to accomplish.
On the contrary, his faith gave him strength; and he praised God, in the firm conviction that what God has promised he is also able to carry out.
22 And for this reason, it was reputed to him unto justice.
And therefore his faith ‘was regarded as righteousness.’
23 Now this has been written, that it was reputed to him unto justice, not only for his sake,
Now these words – ‘it was regarded as righteousness’ – were not written with reference to Abraham only;
24 but also for our sake. For the same shall be reputed to us, if we believe in him who raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead,
but also with reference to us. Our faith, too, will be regarded by God in the same light, if we have faith in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead;
25 who was handed over because of our offenses, and who rose again for our justification.
for Jesus was given up to death to atone for our offenses, and was raised to life that we might be pronounced righteous.
