Romans 4–5

ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BY FAITH

4What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather^av according to the flesh, has found?^{C 2}If Abraham was justified^D by works,^aw he has something to boast about—but not before God. ³For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.^{Ea 4}Now to the one who works,^b pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. ⁵But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly,^c his faith is credited for righteousness.

DAVID CELEBRATING THE SAME TRUTH

⁶Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁷Blessed are those whose lawless acts are forgiven

and whose sins are covered.

⁸Blessed is the person

the Lord will never charge with sin.^Fd

ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BEFORE CIRCUMCISION

⁹Is this blessing only for the circumcised,^e then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.^{Ef 10}In what way, then, was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? It was not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. ¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision^g as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith^h while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the fatherⁱ of all who believe^j but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. ¹²And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

THE PROMISE GRANTED THROUGH FAITH

¹³For the promise to Abraham^k or to his descendants that he would inherit the world^l was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. ¹⁴If those who are of the law are heirs,^m faith is made empty and the promise nullified, ¹⁵because the law produces wrath.ⁿ And where there is no law,^o there is no transgression.

¹⁶This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace,^p to guarantee it to all the descendants^q—not only to the one who is of the law^A but also to the one who is of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations—^Br in the presence of the God in whom he believed, the one who gives life to the dead^s and calls^t things into existence that do not exist.^{u 18}He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations^Bv according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be.^{Cw 19}He did not weaken in faith when he considered^D his own body to be already dead^x (since he was about a hundred years old)^y and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb.^{z 20}He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,^{aa 21}because he was fully convinced^ab that what God had promised, he was also able to do.^{ac 22}Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.^{Ead 23}Now it was credited to him^E was not written for Abraham alone,^{ae 24}but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him^af who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.^{ag 25}He was delivered up for^F our trespasses^ah and raised for our justification.^ai

FAITH TRIUMPHS

5Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,^aj we have peace^G with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.^{ak 2}We have also obtained access through him^al by faith^H into this grace in which we stand,^am and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³And not only that,^an but we also boast in our afflictions,^ao because we know that affliction produces endurance,^{ap 4}endurance produces proven character,^aq and proven character produces hope. ⁵This hope will not disappoint us,^ar because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts^as through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

THE JUSTIFIED ARE RECONCILED

⁶For while we were still helpless, at the right time,^at Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. ⁸But God proves^au his own love for us^av in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood,^aw will we be saved through him from wrath.^{a 10}For if, while we were enemies,^b we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.^{c 11}And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.^d

DEATH THROUGH ADAM AND LIFE THROUGH CHRIST

¹²Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,^e and death through sin,^f in this way death spread to all people,^g because all sinned.^{A 13}In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law.^{h 14}Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression.ⁱ He is a type of the Coming One.^j

¹⁵But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man^k Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. ¹⁶And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment,^l resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.^{B 17}If by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life^m through the one man, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to lifeⁿ for everyone. ¹⁹For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners,^o so also through the one man’s obedience^p the many will be made righteous. ²⁰The law came along to multiply the trespass.^q But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more^{r 21}so that, just as sin reigned in death,^s so also grace will reign^t through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.