4Verse 1What then shall we say that our father Abraham discovered, as a man?Verse 2If Abraham was really justified by works, he has a boast—but not before God.Verse 3So what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”+Verse 4Now to him who works, the pay is not counted as a gift but as an obligation.Verse 5But to him who does not work+but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.Verse 6Just as David speaks of the blessing of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:Verse 7“Blessed are they whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,and whose sins have been covered up.Verse 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin!”+
Before circumcision
Verse 9Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? Since we say that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness,Verse 10how then was it credited? After he was circumcised or while still uncircumcised? Not circumcised, but uncircumcised!Verse 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness from his faith while still uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all those who believe while uncircumcised, in order that this righteousness may be credited to them also,+Verse 12and the father of the circumcised—not only those who are circumcised, but especially those who follow in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham while still uncircumcised.+
The promise
Verse 13Now the promise that he would be the heir of the world+was not to Abraham, or his seed, through law, but through the righteousness of faith.Verse 14For if those who are of law are heirs, the faith is made empty and the promise has been invalidated;Verse 15because the law produces wrath, since where there is no law neither is there transgression.+Verse 16For this reason it is of faith so that it may be according to grace, in order that the promise be guaranteed to all the seed—not only to those of law, but also to those of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all;Verse 17just as it is written: “I have made you a father of many ethnic nations”+—in the presence of Him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead and calls the nonexistent things as though they did exist.+Verse 18Contrary to hope, Abraham in hope believed, so as to become a father of many ethnic nations, according to what had been spoken: “So shall your seed be.”+Verse 19And not being weak in faith, he did not+consider his own body, already dead+(being about a hundred years old), or the deadness of Sarah's womb.Verse 20He did not waver at God's promise in unbelief; rather, he was strengthened by the faith, giving glory to God,Verse 21being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform+Verse 22—that is why it was credited to him as righteousness.Verse 23Now it was not only for his sake that it was written that it was credited to him,Verse 24but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, we who believe on Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,Verse 25who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.+