Romans 4:3-25

3For what does the Scripture say? “1Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4Now to the one who 2works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5But to the one who does not work, but 3believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, 6just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:7“4Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered.85Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not 6take into account.”

9Is this blessing then on 78the circumcised, or on 9the uncircumcised also? For 10we say, “11Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10How then was it credited? While he was 12circumcised, or 13uncircumcised? Not while 14circumcised, but while 15uncircumcised; 11and he 16received the sign of circumcision, 17a seal of the righteousness of the faith which 18he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be 19the father of 20all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited 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 21he had while uncircumcised.

13For 22the promise to Abraham or to his 23descendants 24that he would be heir of the world was not 25through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14For 26if those who are 27of the Law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15for 28the Law brings about wrath, but 29where there is no law, there also is no violation.

16For this reason it is 30by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with 31grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to 32all the 33descendants, not only to 34those who are of the Law, but also to 3536those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is 37the father of us all, 17(as it is written: “I have made you 38a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, that is, God, 39who gives life to the dead and 40calls into being 41things that do not exist. 18In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become 42a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “43So shall your 44descendants be.” 19Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now 45as good as dead since 46he was about a hundred years old, and 47the deadness of Sarah’s womb; 20yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, 48giving glory to God, 21and 49being fully assured that 50what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 22Therefore 51it was also credited to him as righteousness. 23Now 52not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, to us 53who believe in Him who 54raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25He who was 55delivered over because of our wrongdoings, and was 56raised because of our justification.