Romans 4

4 ¹What then should we say that Abraham, our physical forefather, has found? ²For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before our Father. ³For what does Scripture say? Abraham believed our Father, and it was counted to him as righteousness. ^a a v3 "Counted" is an accounting word, but our Father is no cold bookkeeper. Abraham simply trusted him, and our Father looked at his empty hands and declared him righteous. ⁴To the one who works, wages aren't credited as a gift but as what's owed. ⁵But to one who does not work, but trusts him who justifies the wicked, his faith is counted as righteousness. ⁶As David also speaks of the blessing of the person our Father credits righteousness to, apart from works: ⁷"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; ⁸blessed is the one whose sin our Father will never count against him."

⁹Is this blessing only for the circumcised, or also the uncircumcised? We say Abraham's faith was credited as righteousness. ¹⁰How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. ¹¹He received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness he had by faith while still uncircumcised, so he would be father of all who believe though uncircumcised, with righteousness credited to them too, ¹²and father of the circumcised who are not only circumcised but also walk in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while uncircumcised.

¹³For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would inherit the world did not come through the law, but through faith's righteousness. ¹⁴For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is emptied and the promise nullified. ¹⁵Law brings wrath; where there is no law, there is no violation.

¹⁶So it comes by faith, to be by grace, guaranteeing the promise to all the offspring—not only those tied to the law but also those who share Abraham's faith, father of us all,

¹⁷as it is written, "I have made you father of many nations"—before our Father, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls things that do not exist into being. ¹⁸Against hope, he believed in hope, becoming father of many nations, as he'd been told: "So will your offspring be."

¹⁹Not weak in faith, he considered his own body already as good as dead—he was about one hundred—and Sarah's womb lifeless. ²⁰He did not doubt our Father's promise in lack of faith, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to our Father, ²¹fully convinced that what our Father had promised he was also able to do. ²²That is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." ²³But the words "it was credited to him" were written not for his sake alone, ²⁴and also for us who will be credited with it—those trusting the one who raised our Lord Jesus from the dead, ²⁵who was delivered over for our sins and raised to make us right with our Father.