Romans 4:1–6:14
4 What then shall we sayt that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh,u discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.v 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”a w
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a giftx but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.y 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”b z
9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised?a We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.b 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.c So then, he is the fatherd of all who believee but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promisef that he would be heir of the world,g but through the righteousness that comes by faith.h 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,i 15 because the law brings wrath.j And where there is no law there is no transgression.k
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by gracel and may be guaranteedm to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.n 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”c o He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives lifep to the dead and callsq into being things that were not.r
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations,s just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”d t 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as deadu—since he was about a hundred years oldv—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.w 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthenedx in his faith and gave glory to God,y 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.z 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”a 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us,b to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in himc who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.d 25 He was delivered over to death for our sinse and was raised to life for our justification.f
5 Therefore, since we have been justifiedg through faith,h wea have peacei with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,j 2 through whom we have gained accessk by faith into this grace in which we now stand.l And web boast in the hopem of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but wec also glory in our sufferings,n because we know that suffering produces perseverance;o 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hopep does not put us to shame, because God’s loveq has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,r who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time,s when we were still powerless,t Christ died for the ungodly.u 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.v
9 Since we have now been justifiedw by his blood,x how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrathy through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies,z we were reconcileda to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!b 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.c
Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,d and death through sin,e and in this way death came to all people, because all sinnedf—
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.g 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam,h who is a pattern of the one to come.i
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man,j how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ,k overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, deathl reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in lifem through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people,n so also one righteous act resulted in justificationo and lifep for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one manq the many were made sinners,r so also through the obediences of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase.t But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,u 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death,v so also gracew might reign through righteousness to bring eternal lifex through Jesus Christ our Lord.
6 What shall we say, then?y Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?z 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin;a how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptizedb into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into deathc in order that, just as Christ was raised from the deadd through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.e
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.f 6 For we know that our old selfg was crucified with himh so that the body ruled by sini might be done away with,a that we should no longer be slaves to sinj—7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.k
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.l 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,m he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.n 10 The death he died, he died to sino once for all;p but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sinq but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reignr in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness,s but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.t 14 For sin shall no longer be your master,u because you are not under the law,v but under grace.w