Romans 4:3-22

New King James Version

³ For what does the Scripture say? ^(A)“Abraham believed God, and it was ^[a]accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁴ Now ^(B)to him who works, the wages are not counted ^[b]as grace but as debt.

David Celebrates the Same Truth

⁵ But to him who ^(C)does not work but believes on Him who justifies ^(D)the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, ⁶ just as David also ^(E)describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:

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 ^(G)he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that ^(H)he 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 ^(I)Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

The Promise Granted Through Faith

¹³ For the promise that he would be the ^(J)heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For ^(K)if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, ¹⁵ because ^(L)the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be ^(M)according to grace, ^(N)so that the promise might be ^[c]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, ^(O)who is the father of us all ¹⁷ (as it is written, ^(P)“I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, ^(Q)who gives life to the dead and calls those ^(R)things 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, ^(S)“So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, ^(T)he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), ^(U)and 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 ^(V)He was also able to perform. ²² And therefore ^(W)“it was accounted to him for righteousness.”