ROM 4
4
Faith and Righteousness: The Example of Abraham
1 What then shall we conclude that Abraham, our forefather according to physical descent, has discovered or obtained regarding righteousness before God?
2 For if Abraham was justified or declared righteous by God on the basis of his works and accomplishments, he would have grounds for boasting and taking credit—but he has no such grounds for boasting before God.
3 For what does the Scripture declare? "And Abraham believed God, and this faith was counted and credited to him as righteousness."*
4 Now to the person who works and earns wages, the payment is not credited as a gracious gift, but rather as an obligation owed—something deserved and earned.
5 But to the person who does not attempt to work for salvation, but instead believes and trusts in the God who justifies or declares righteous the ungodly sinner, that person's faith is credited and counted as righteousness—a free gift, not wages earned.
6 Just as David also speaks of the profound blessing and happiness of the person to whom God credits righteousness completely apart from any works:
7 "Blessed and spiritually fortunate are those whose lawless deeds and violations have been forgiven,
and whose sins have been covered over and hidden from view;
8 Blessed and spiritually fortunate is the person
whose sin the Lord will never count against him
or take into account for judgment."*
Abraham Justified Before Circumcision
9 Therefore, is this pronouncement of blessedness only for the circumcised Jewish people, or is it also for the uncircumcised Gentiles? For we are saying clearly, "Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness."
10 How then and under what circumstances was it credited to him? Was he in a state of being circumcised, or in a state of being uncircumcised? He was not yet circumcised, but was still in a state of uncircumcision when God declared him righteous.
11 And he received the physical sign of circumcision later as a seal—an authenticating mark and confirmation—of the righteousness based on faith that he already possessed while he was still uncircumcised. This was so that he might become the spiritual father of all those who believe while in a state of uncircumcision—that is, believing Gentiles—so that righteousness might be credited to them as well.
12 And Abraham is also the father of the circumcised Jewish people—not merely those who have the physical mark of circumcision, but specifically those who also follow in the footsteps and pattern of the faith that our father Abraham exercised while he was still in a state of uncircumcision.
The Promise Through Faith, Not Law
13 For the promise given to Abraham and to his spiritual descendants—that he would be heir of the world or father of many nations—did not come through keeping the Mosaic Law (which did not yet exist), but through the righteousness that is grounded in and comes by faith.
14 For if those who rely on keeping the Law are the true heirs of the promise, then faith is made empty and meaningless, and the promise based on grace is rendered completely ineffective and nullified.
15 For the Law produces God's wrath by exposing and condemning sin, but where there is no law given, there can be no violation or transgression of that law to be charged.
16 For this reason, the inheritance comes by faith, so that it may be according to grace—in order that the promise may be guaranteed and made certain to all of Abraham's spiritual descendants. This includes not only those who follow and possess the Law—believing Jews—but also those who follow the pattern of Abraham's faith—believing Gentiles. Abraham is the spiritual father of us all, both Jews and Gentiles who believe.
17 Just as it stands written in Scripture: "A father of many nations I have appointed and made you"*—and this is true in the presence of the God in whom Abraham believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not yet exist, speaking of future realities as though they already are.
Abraham's Unwavering Faith
18 Abraham, contrary to all human hope, believed and trusted God's promise, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken to him: "So numerous will your descendants be."*
19 And not being weak or wavering in his faith, he fully considered and acknowledged the reality of his own body, which was as good as dead for reproductive purposes (since he was approximately one hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.
20 Yet he did not waver in unbelief regarding the promise of God, but rather was made powerful in his faith, giving glory and honour to God.
21 And he was completely convinced that what God had promised, He was also fully able to bring to fulfilment.
22 As a consequence of this faith, it was credited and counted to him as righteousness before God.
23 But the statement "it was credited to him as righteousness" was not written in Scripture for Abraham's sake alone, merely as a historical record,
24 But it was also written for our sake—for us who live now—to whom righteousness is going to be credited in exactly the same way: to those who believe in the God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25 Jesus who was handed over to death because of our trespasses and was raised from the dead for the purpose of our justification—our being declared righteous before God.
Notes
3 Quoted from Gen. 15:6
7-8 Quoted from Ps. 32:1-2
17 Quoted from Gen. 17:5
18 Quoted from Gen. 15:5
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
ROM 4
4
Faith and Righteousness: The Example of Abraham
1 What then shall we conclude that Abraham, our forefather according to physical descent, has discovered or obtained regarding righteousness before God?
2 For if Abraham was justified or declared righteous by God on the basis of his works and accomplishments, he would have grounds for boasting and taking credit—but he has no such grounds for boasting before God.
3 For what does the Scripture declare? "And Abraham believed God, and this faith was counted and credited to him as righteousness."*
4 Now to the person who works and earns wages, the payment is not credited as a gracious gift, but rather as an obligation owed—something deserved and earned.
5 But to the person who does not attempt to work for salvation, but instead believes and trusts in the God who justifies or declares righteous the ungodly sinner, that person's faith is credited and counted as righteousness—a free gift, not wages earned.
6 Just as David also speaks of the profound blessing and happiness of the person to whom God credits righteousness completely apart from any works:
7 "Blessed and spiritually fortunate are those whose lawless deeds and violations have been forgiven,
and whose sins have been covered over and hidden from view;
8 Blessed and spiritually fortunate is the person
whose sin the Lord will never count against him
or take into account for judgment."*
Abraham Justified Before Circumcision
9 Therefore, is this pronouncement of blessedness only for the circumcised Jewish people, or is it also for the uncircumcised Gentiles? For we are saying clearly, "Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness."
10 How then and under what circumstances was it credited to him? Was he in a state of being circumcised, or in a state of being uncircumcised? He was not yet circumcised, but was still in a state of uncircumcision when God declared him righteous.
11 And he received the physical sign of circumcision later as a seal—an authenticating mark and confirmation—of the righteousness based on faith that he already possessed while he was still uncircumcised. This was so that he might become the spiritual father of all those who believe while in a state of uncircumcision—that is, believing Gentiles—so that righteousness might be credited to them as well.
12 And Abraham is also the father of the circumcised Jewish people—not merely those who have the physical mark of circumcision, but specifically those who also follow in the footsteps and pattern of the faith that our father Abraham exercised while he was still in a state of uncircumcision.
The Promise Through Faith, Not Law
13 For the promise given to Abraham and to his spiritual descendants—that he would be heir of the world or father of many nations—did not come through keeping the Mosaic Law (which did not yet exist), but through the righteousness that is grounded in and comes by faith.
14 For if those who rely on keeping the Law are the true heirs of the promise, then faith is made empty and meaningless, and the promise based on grace is rendered completely ineffective and nullified.
15 For the Law produces God's wrath by exposing and condemning sin, but where there is no law given, there can be no violation or transgression of that law to be charged.
16 For this reason, the inheritance comes by faith, so that it may be according to grace—in order that the promise may be guaranteed and made certain to all of Abraham's spiritual descendants. This includes not only those who follow and possess the Law—believing Jews—but also those who follow the pattern of Abraham's faith—believing Gentiles. Abraham is the spiritual father of us all, both Jews and Gentiles who believe.
17 Just as it stands written in Scripture: "A father of many nations I have appointed and made you"*—and this is true in the presence of the God in whom Abraham believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not yet exist, speaking of future realities as though they already are.
Abraham's Unwavering Faith
18 Abraham, contrary to all human hope, believed and trusted God's promise, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken to him: "So numerous will your descendants be."*
19 And not being weak or wavering in his faith, he fully considered and acknowledged the reality of his own body, which was as good as dead for reproductive purposes (since he was approximately one hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.
20 Yet he did not waver in unbelief regarding the promise of God, but rather was made powerful in his faith, giving glory and honour to God.
21 And he was completely convinced that what God had promised, He was also fully able to bring to fulfilment.
22 As a consequence of this faith, it was credited and counted to him as righteousness before God.
23 But the statement "it was credited to him as righteousness" was not written in Scripture for Abraham's sake alone, merely as a historical record,
24 But it was also written for our sake—for us who live now—to whom righteousness is going to be credited in exactly the same way: to those who believe in the God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25 Jesus who was handed over to death because of our trespasses and was raised from the dead for the purpose of our justification—our being declared righteous before God.
Notes
3 Quoted from Gen. 15:6
7-8 Quoted from Ps. 32:1-2
17 Quoted from Gen. 17:5
18 Quoted from Gen. 15:5
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).