Romans 4

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¹What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, found?

²For if Abraham had been justified by works, he would have had a reason to boast, but not before God.

³For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

⁴Now for him who works, what he is paid is not counted as a gift, but as what is owed.

⁵But for him who does not work but instead believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

⁶David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness without works.

⁷He said, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

⁸Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count sin.”

⁹Then is this blessing pronounced only on those of the circumcision, or also on those of the uncircumcision? For we say, “Faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.”

¹⁰So how was it counted? When Abraham was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? It was not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

¹¹Abraham received the sign of circumcision. This was a seal of the righteousness of the faith that he had already possessed when he was in uncircumcision. The result of this sign was that he became the father of all those who believe, even if they are in uncircumcision. This means that righteousness will be counted for them.

¹²This also meant that Abraham became the father of the circumcision for those who are not only circumcised but also for those who follow in the steps of faith of our father Abraham before he was circumcised.

¹³For the promise to Abraham and to his descendants that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

¹⁴For if those who live by the law are to be the heirs, faith is made empty, and the promise is void.

¹⁵For the law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there is no trespass.

¹⁶For this reason it is by faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all of Abraham's descendants—not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all,

¹⁷as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations.” Abraham was in the presence of him whom he trusted, that is, God, who gives life to the dead and calls the things that do not exist into existence.

¹⁸In hope he believed against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according to what he had been told, “So will your descendants be.”

¹⁹Without becoming weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about a hundred years old)—and he considered the deadness of Sarah's womb.

²⁰But because of God's promise, Abraham did not hesitate in unbelief. Instead, he was strengthened in faith and gave praise to God.

²¹He was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to accomplish.

²²Therefore this was also counted to him as righteousness.

²³Now it was not written only for his benefit, that it was counted for him.

²⁴It was written also for us, for whom it will be counted, we who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

²⁵This is the one who was delivered up for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.