Rom.4.1
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
Rom.4.1
So how do we fit what we know of Abraham, our first father in the faith, into this new way of looking at things?
Rom.4.1
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?
Rom.4.1
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
Rom.4.1
Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What were his experiences concerning this question of being saved by faith?
Rom.4.2
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
Rom.4.2
If Abraham, by what he did for God, got God to approve him, he could certainly have taken credit for it. But the story we're given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story.
Rom.4.2
If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about--but not before God.
Rom.4.2
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
Rom.4.2
Was it because of his good deeds that God accepted him? If so, he would have had something to boast about. But from God's point of view Abraham had no basis at all for pride.
Rom.4.3
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Rom.4.3
What we read in Scripture is, "Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own."
Rom.4.3
What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
Rom.4.3
For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
Rom.4.3
For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous."
Rom.4.4
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom.4.4
If you're a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don't call your wages a gift.
Rom.4.4
Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.
Rom.4.4
Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
Rom.4.4
When people work, their wages are not a gift. Workers earn what they receive.
Rom.4.5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Rom.4.5
But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it--you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked--well, that trusting-him--to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.
Rom.4.5
However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
Rom.4.5
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
Rom.4.5
But people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work.
Rom.4.6
Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Rom.4.6
David confirms this way of looking at it, saying that the one who trusts God to do the putting-everything-right without insisting on having a say in it is one fortunate man:
Rom.4.6
David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
Rom.4.6
just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
Rom.4.6
King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of an undeserving sinner who is declared to be righteous:
Rom.4.7
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Rom.4.7
Fortunate those whose crimes are carted off, whose sins are wiped clean from the slate.
Rom.4.7
"Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Rom.4.7
"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;
Rom.4.7
"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.
Rom.4.8
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Rom.4.8
Fortunate the person against whom the Lord does not keep score.
Rom.4.8
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
Rom.4.8
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin."
Rom.4.8
Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord."
Rom.4.9
Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
Rom.4.9
Do you think for a minute that this blessing is only pronounced over those of us who keep our religious ways and are circumcised? Or do you think it possible that the blessing could be given to those who never even heard of our ways, who were never brought up in the disciplines of God? We all agree, don't we, that it was by embracing what God did for him that Abraham was declared fit before God?
Rom.4.9
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness.
Rom.4.9
Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.
Rom.4.9
Now then, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it for Gentiles, too? Well, what about Abraham? We have been saying he was declared righteous by God because of his faith.
Rom.4.10
How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
Rom.4.10
Now think: Was that declaration made before or after he was marked by the covenant rite of circumcision? That's right, before he was marked.
Rom.4.10
Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!
Rom.4.10
How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.
Rom.4.10
But how did his faith help him? Was he declared righteous only after he had been circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? The answer is that God accepted him first, and then he was circumcised later!
Rom.4.11
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
Rom.4.11
That means that he underwent circumcision as evidence and confirmation of what God had done long before to bring him into this acceptable standing with himself, an act of God he had embraced with his whole life.
Rom.4.11
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
Rom.4.11
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,
Rom.4.11
The circumcision ceremony was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous--even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are made right with God by faith.
Rom.4.12
And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Rom.4.12
And it means further that Abraham is father of all people who embrace what God does for them while they are still on the "outs" with God, as yet unidentified as God's, in an "uncircumcised" condition. It is precisely these people in this condition who are called "set right by God and with God"! Abraham is also, of course, father of those who have undergone the religious rite of circumcision not just because of the ritual but because they were willing to live in the risky faith-embrace of God's action for them, the way Abraham lived long before he was marked by circumcision.
Rom.4.12
And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Rom.4.12
and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
Rom.4.12
And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Rom.4.13
For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Rom.4.13
That famous promise God gave Abraham--that he and his children would possess the earth--was not given because of something Abraham did or would do. It was based on God's decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered when he believed.
Rom.4.13
It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
Rom.4.13
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Rom.4.13
It is clear, then, that God's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was not based on obedience to God's law, but on the new relationship with God that comes by faith.
Rom.4.14
For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
Rom.4.14
If those who get what God gives them only get it by doing everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly signed, that eliminates personal trust completely and turns the promise into an ironclad contract! That's not a holy promise; that's a business deal.
Rom.4.14
For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless,
Rom.4.14
For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,
Rom.4.14
So if you claim that God's promise is for those who obey God's law and think they are "good enough" in God's sight, then you are saying that faith is useless. And in that case, the promise is also meaningless.
Rom.4.15
Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Rom.4.15
A contract drawn up by a hard-nosed lawyer and with plenty of fine print only makes sure that you will never be able to collect. But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise--and God's promise at that--you can't break it.
Rom.4.15
because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Rom.4.15
because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
Rom.4.15
But the law brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
Rom.4.16
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Rom.4.16
This is why the fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God's promise arrives as pure gift. That's the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them. For Abraham is father of us all. He is not our racial father--that's reading the story backwards. He is our faith father.
Rom.4.16
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
Rom.4.16
Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
Rom.4.16
So that's why faith is the key! God's promise is given to us as a free gift. And we are certain to receive it, whether or not we follow Jewish customs, if we have faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.
Rom.4.17
As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Rom.4.17
We call Abraham "father" not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing.
Rom.4.17
As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
Rom.4.17
(as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
Rom.4.17
That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, "I have made you the father of many nations." This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who brings into existence what didn't exist before.
Rom.4.18
Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Rom.4.18
When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!"
Rom.4.18
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
Rom.4.18
who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be."
Rom.4.18
When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed him. God had also said, "Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars," even though such a promise seemed utterly impossible!
Rom.4.19
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
Rom.4.19
Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, "It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child." Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up.
Rom.4.19
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead.
Rom.4.19
And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.
Rom.4.19
And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred and that Sarah, his wife, had never been able to have children.
Rom.4.20
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Rom.4.20
He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God,
Rom.4.20
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
Rom.4.20
He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
Rom.4.20
Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.
Rom.4.21
And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Rom.4.21
sure that God would make good on what he had said.
Rom.4.21
being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Rom.4.21
and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
Rom.4.21
He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised.
Rom.4.22
And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Rom.4.22
That's why it is said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right."
Rom.4.22
This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness."
Rom.4.22
And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."
Rom.4.22
And because of Abraham's faith, God declared him to be righteous.
Rom.4.23
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom.4.23
But it's not just Abraham;
Rom.4.23
The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone,
Rom.4.23
Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,
Rom.4.23
Now this wonderful truth--that God declared him to be righteous--wasn't just for Abraham's benefit.
Rom.4.24
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Rom.4.24
it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless.
Rom.4.24
but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Rom.4.24
but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,
Rom.4.24
It was for us, too, assuring us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead.
Rom.4.25
Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Rom.4.25
The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.
Rom.4.25
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Rom.4.25
who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
Rom.4.25
He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.
