Romans 4:1–7:25
4 What then shall we say that aAbraham our bfather 1has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was cjustified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? d“Abraham believed God, and it was 2accounted to him for righteousness.” 4 Now eto him who works, the wages are not counted 3as grace but 3as debt.
David Celebrates the Same Truth
5 But to him who fdoes not work but believes on Him who justifies gthe ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also hdescribes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed iare those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
Abraham Justified Before Circumcision
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. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And jhe received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that khe might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 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 lAbraham had while still uncircumcised.
The Promise Granted Through Faith
13 For the promise that he would be the mheir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For nif those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because othe law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be paccording to grace, qso that the promise might be 4sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, rwho is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, s“I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, twho gives life to the dead and calls those uthings which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, v“So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, whe did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), xand the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised yHe was also able to perform. 22 And therefore z“it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
23 Now ait was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe bin Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 cwho was delivered up because of our offenses, and dwas raised because of our justification.
5 Therefore, ahaving been justified by faith, 1we have bpeace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 cthrough whom also we have access by faith into this grace din which we stand, and erejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but fwe also glory in tribulations, gknowing that tribulation produces 2perseverance; 4 hand perseverance, 3character; and character, hope. 5 iNow hope does not disappoint, jbecause the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For when we were still without strength, 4in due time kChrist died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But lGod demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified mby His blood, we shall be saved nfrom wrath through Him. 10 For oif when we were enemies pwe were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved qby His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rrejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
12 Therefore, just as sthrough one man sin entered the world, and tdeath through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but usin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, vwho is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the 5offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded wto many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many 6offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s 7offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through 8one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through xone 9Man’s righteous act the free gift came yto all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by zone Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
20 Moreover athe law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace babounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
6 What shall we say then? aShall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who bdied to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that cas many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus dwere baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were eburied with Him through baptism into death, that fjust as Christ was raised from the dead by gthe glory of the Father, heven so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 iFor if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that jour old man was crucified with Him, that kthe body of sin might be 1done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For lhe who has died has been 2freed from sin. 8 Now mif we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that nChrist, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, oHe died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, pHe lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, 3reckon yourselves to be qdead indeed to sin, but ralive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 sTherefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your tmembers as 4instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but upresent yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as 4instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For vsin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15 What then? Shall we sin wbecause we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that xto whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart ythat form of doctrine to which you were 5delivered. 18 And zhaving been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness 6for holiness.
20 For when you were aslaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 bWhat fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For cthe end of those things is death. 22 But now dhaving been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit 7to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For ethe wages of sin is death, but fthe 8gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
7 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law 1has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For athe woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then bif, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become cdead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should dbear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law ewere at work in our members fto bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve gin the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On …