Romans 4 — Legacy Standard Bible

Abraham and David’s Faith Counted as Righteousness

4What then shall we say that Abraham, ¹our forefather ^aaccording to the flesh, has found? ²For if Abraham was justified ¹by works, he has something to boast about—but ^anot ²before God! ³For what does the Scripture say? “^aAbraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” ⁴Now to the one who ^aworks, his wage is not counted according to grace, but according to what is due. ⁵But to the one who does not work, but ^abelieves upon Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, ⁶just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

⁷“^aBlessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,And whose sins have been covered.⁸“^aBlessed is the man whose sin the ¹Lord will not ^btake into account.”

⁹Therefore, is this blessing on ¹^,^athe circumcised, or on ²the uncircumcised also? For ^bwe say, “^cFaith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.” ¹⁰How then was it counted? While he was ¹circumcised, or ²uncircumcised? Not while ³circumcised, but while ⁴uncircumcised; ¹¹and he ^areceived the sign of circumcision, ^ba seal of the righteousness of the faith which ¹he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be ^cthe father of ^dall who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be counted to them, ¹²and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which ¹he had while uncircumcised.

¹³For ^athe promise to Abraham or to his seed ^bthat he would be heir of the world was not ¹through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴For ^aif those who are ¹of the Law are heirs, faith has been made empty and the promise has been abolished; ¹⁵for ^athe Law brings about wrath, but ^bwhere there is no law, there also is no trespass.

¹⁶For this reason it is ¹by faith, in order that it may be according to ^agrace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to ^ball the seed, not only to ²those who are of the Law, but also to ³^,^cthose who are of the faith of Abraham, who is ^dthe father of us all— ¹⁷as it is written, “^aA father of many nations have I made you”—in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, ^bwho gives life to the dead and ¹^,^ccalls into being ^dthat which does not exist. ¹⁸In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become ^aa father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “^bSo shall your seed be.” ¹⁹And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now ^aas good as dead since ^bhe was about a hundred years old, and ^cthe deadness of Sarah’s womb; ²⁰yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, ^agiving glory to God, ²¹and ^abeing fully assured that ^bwhat God had promised, He was able also to do. ²²Therefore ^ait was also counted to him as righteousness. ²³Now ^anot for his sake only was it written that it was counted to him, ²⁴but for our sake also, to whom it will be counted, as those ^awho believe upon Him who ^braised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵He who was ^adelivered over on account of our transgressions, and was ^braised on account of our justification.