Romans 4:11–18

¹¹Abraham’s faith was the basis of his approval by God while he was still uncircumcised. The mark of circumcision is the seal of that approval. Therefore, he is the father of every believer who is not circumcised, and their faith, too, is regarded as the basis of their approval by God. ¹²He is also the father of those who not only are circumcised but also are following in the footsteps of his faith. Our father Abraham had that faith before he was circumcised. 

¹³So it was not by obeying the laws in Moses’ Teachings that Abraham or his descendants received the promise that he would inherit the world. Rather, he received this promise through God’s approval that comes by faith. ¹⁴If those who obey Moses’ Teachings are the heirs, then faith is useless and the promise is worthless. ¹⁵The laws in Moses’ Teachings bring about anger. But where laws don’t exist, they can’t be broken. ¹⁶Therefore, the promise is based on faith so that it can be a gift.^aConsequently, the promise is guaranteed for every descendant, not only for those who are descendants by obeying Moses’ Teachings but also for those who are descendants by believing as Abraham did. He is the father of all of us, ¹⁷as Scripture says: “I have made you a father of many nations.” 

Abraham believed when he stood in the presence of the God who gives life to dead people and calls into existence things that don’t even exist. ¹⁸When there was nothing left to hope for, Abraham still hoped and believed. As a result, he became a father of many nations, as he had been told: “That is how many descendants you will have.”