Romans 4
Abraham Justified by Faith
What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, aour forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but anot before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? a“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now ato the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but abelieves in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 a“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not acount his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for athe circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? bFor we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 aHe received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was bto make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
The Promise Realized Through Faith
13 For athe promise to Abraham and his offspring bthat he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 aFor if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For athe law brings wrath, but bwhere there is no law cthere is no transgression.
16 That is why it depends on faith, ain order that the promise may rest on grace and bbe guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, cwho is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, a“I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, bwho gives life to the dead and calls into existence cthe things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, a“So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was aas good as dead (bsince he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered cthe barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that aGod was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But athe words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us awho believe in bhim who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 awho was delivered up for our trespasses and raised bfor our justification. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.