The Grace Commentary – Your free verse-by-verse Bible commentary Romans 4

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Romans 4:1

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?

(a) Abraham. Paul mentions Abraham to illuminate three great truths: First, God justifies the ungodly (Rom. 4:5) on the basis of faith (Rom. 4:3, 5, 9, 11–12, 16) and without any regard for our works or law-keeping (Rom. 4:6, 13–14). Second, God’s rescue plan always included the Gentiles (Rom. 4:12, 16–18). Third, through Abraham’s spiritual descendants (believers), God plans to bless the whole world (Rom. 4:13, 8:19).

(b) Our forefather according to the flesh. Abraham was the patriarch of Israel (John 8:39).

Romans 4:2

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

(a) If Abraham was justified by works. If Abraham was made right with God because of what he did, that would be something to brag about. But no one can make such a boast (Eph. 2:9).

(b) Justified. To be justified means God has declared you not guilty of sin; see entry for Rom. 3:24.

(c) He has something to boast about. Society applauds people who are clever, generous, and decent. If Abraham were alive today, he be would lauded as a successful businessman who showed hospitality to strangers, made peace deals with foreign kings, and liberated prisoners of war. But his good deeds and our good deeds can never make us righteous in God’s eyes. Compared with God’s high standards, our best deeds are like filthy rags (Is. 64:6).

Romans 4:3

For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

(a) The Scripture, which Paul quotes three times in this chapter (in verses 3, 9, and 22), is Genesis 15:6. God did not give Abraham a law to keep or a work to do but a promise to believe (see Rom. 4:13).

God has been making promises to humanity from the very beginning. He promised Adam and Eve a Savior (Gen. 3:15). He promised Noah that he would never again flood the earth (Gen. 9:11). He promised to make Abraham into a great nation (Gen. 12:2), and he made similar promises to Isaac and Jacob (Gen. 26:3–4, 28:13–14). He promised David that his throne and kingdom would endure forever (2 Sam. 7:13, 16). The promises of God signal his faithfulness and righteousness. God does not abandon us to our fates, but he intervenes, rescues, and resurrects.

(b) Abraham believed God. Abraham was neither the first person to believe in God nor the first to receive promises from God. But God’s promises to Abraham were so extraordinary and generous that they are collectively known as the Abrahamic Covenant.

When Abraham received these promises, he was neither circumcised nor law-observant. He wasn’t even Jewish. Yet, God promised to bless him, and to his lasting credit, Abraham believed that God would keep his promise. Abraham is not known as the law-keeper (the Law had not yet been given) or the circumciser (circumcision came later), but the believer (Gal. 3:9).

Abraham is remembered for his faith in God. While humanity ignored God (Rom. 1:19–21), Abraham believed him. While humanity suffered as a result of unbelief (Rom. 1:22–24), Abraham was blessed because of his faith. While humanity fell under the sentence of death (Rom. 5:12), Abraham—though old and “as good as dead”—experienced God’s life-giving power.

God is God whether we believe him or not, but believing in him is the difference between life and death. Believing in God’s promises put Abraham in the center of God’s righteous plans. The same is true for us. By trusting God’s word, we put ourselves right where we need to be.

(c) Credited. The original verb logízomai is related to the English word “logic.” It means “reckon, compute, calculate, or take into account,” and it appears nearly twenty times in Romans. Sometimes it is translated as “suppose” (e.g., Rom. 2:3), “consider” (e.g., Rom. 6:11), or “take into account” (Rom. 4:8). Abraham was counted or reckoned righteous on account of his faith in God.

Before the cross, no one could be made righteous because the gift of righteousness had not been given and the “one act of righteousness” had not been done (Rom. 5:18). This is why Old Testament saints such as Abraham were credited with righteousness on account of their faith in God (Gen. 15:6, Rom. 4:9, 22, Gal. 3:6, Jas 2:23). Before the cross, righteousness was credited to those who believed; now righteousness is created in the believer.

Pre-cross believers who were credited as righteous include Abel (Matt. 23:35, Heb. 11:4), Noah (Gen. 6:9, Heb. 11:7, 2 Pet. 2:5), Lot (2 Pet. 2:7–8), Simeon (Luke 2:25), Rahab (Jas. 2:25), John the Baptist (Mark 6:20), Joseph the husband of Mary (Matt. 1:19), and Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:50).

(d) Righteousness is the state of being right with God. To be righteous is to be acceptable and pleasing to God. If sin is missing the mark, righteousness is hitting the bullseye.

In the next chapter, Paul describes righteousness as a gift we receive by faith (Rom. 5:17). Your right standing with God is not earned by passing some test or meeting some standard. We become righteous by trusting in the One who is faithful and righteous (Rom. 10:3). We are not made righteous because of the sacrifices we make, but on account of the sacrifice Christ made (Rom. 5:18–19, 2 Cor. 5:21).

See entry for Righteousness.

Romans 4:4

Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.

(a) His wage. Wages earned from working are not gifts or favors. In the same way, if righteousness could be earned, it would not be a free gift of grace (Rom. 5:17).

(b) Credited; see entry for previous verse.

Romans 4:5

But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

(a) The one who does not work. Faith is not a work but a rest (Heb. 4:3). Faith is being persuaded that God is who he says he is, has done what he said he’s done, and will do what he has promised to do. Faith is believing in the faithfulness of a God who makes and keeps his promises.

See entry for Faith.

(b) Does not work. Saint, you do not need to beg God to forgive you. You do not need to examine yourself for sin, make yourself holy, or get closer to God. You do not need to practice spiritual disciplines, make things happen, or strive to become a better Christian. God has already given you everything you need for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). Your part is to believe that God has you in his hand and he will complete the good work he began in you (Php. 1:6).

(c) Believes. The original verb pisteuō means “to be persuaded or convinced.” It is related to the word for faith (pistis) which means “persuasion” or “conviction.” If faith is the noun, then believing is the verb, or activity, that flows from our persuasions and convictions. It’s being convinced that Jesus is the Risen Lord of all creation (Rom. 4:24, 10:9). It’s being persuaded that God is righteous in justifying the ungodly.

In the New Testament, more than 200 imperative statements are linked with faith. Some of these statements exhort us to receive Jesus (John 1:11–12, 5:43), receive the message of Jesus (John 17:8), obey or heed the message or good news of Jesus (John 17:6), and turn to God in repentance (Acts 26:20). Other scriptures encourage us to accept the word (Mark 4:20), confess Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9), call on the name of the Lord (Act 2:21), eat the bread of life (John 6:50–51), be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20), submit to God’s righteousness (Rom. 10:3), and be born again (John 3:3, 7). However, the one imperative that appears far more than any other is the instruction to believe. We are to believe in God and the Son he sent to save us (see entry for John 3:16).

(d) Believes in him who justifies the ungodly. It takes no faith to believe that God accepts good people. The real test of grace is whether you believe that he saves sinners and justifies the ungodly. To some, this is scandalous. It does not seem fair that God would welcome the ungodly along with the good and the great. But when you realize that none of us is good and great, and that all of us are sinners in need of saving, then grace becomes attractive indeed.

(e) Justifies. To be justified means God has declared you not guilty of sin; see entry for Rom. 3:24.

(f) Justifies the ungodly. God does not merely leave sinners unpunished; he justifies them (“You are not guilty”) and makes them righteous (“You are now mine”). This is the surprising announcement of the gospel.

We were lost, but God found us. We were dead in our sins, but God made us alive in Christ Jesus. We were part of Adam’s family, but when we turned to the Lord in faith, we were adopted into his family. It’s as though a king had torn down all the prisons and adopted the prisoners as his royal heirs.

To say, “God is righteous,” as Paul does in chapter 1, is to say “God is faithful to himself (he is just and merciful) and he is faithful to his creation (he has not abandoned us, but he is for us and with us).”And to say “God justifies the ungodly” is to say, “God makes sinners righteous.” These are two sides of the same coin: Because God is righteous, he makes sinners righteous. And in making sinners righteous, God reveals his righteousness.

(g) The ungodly. Before he was Abraham the believer, he was Abraham the ungodly.

Abraham was the ungodly man who was made right by God on account of faith. When Abraham, or Abram as he was known then, first encountered God, he was an ungodly Chaldean living in Haran (Gen. 11:26–31). Abram was seventy-five years old and childless. He had no prospects, and death was not far away. But God spoke, Abram listened, and the ungodly man became the father of many nations and the heir of the world (Rom. 4:13, 17).

(h) Faith means being persuaded or fully convinced that God is good and trustworthy. See entry for Rom. 1:8.

(i) Credited; see entry for Rom. 4:3.

Romans 4:6

just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

(a) David also speaks. “David understood all this,” says Paul. “He was amazed that God forgives and justifies sinners” (see next two verses).

(b) Blessing. The original noun makarismos means “the state of being blessed or happy.”

(d) Righteousness is the state of being right with God; see entry for Rom. 4:3.

(e) Works done to earn righteousness are dead works; see entry for Rom. 11:6.

Romans 4:7-8

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,
and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”

(a) Blessed. The original adjective makarios means “happy” or “privileged.” It is usually translated as “blessed” but is sometimes translated as “happy” (Rom. 14:22), “happier” (1 Cor. 7:40), and “fortunate” (Acts 26:2). Knowing that you have been completely forgiven of all your sins should make you happy. The “blessed is the man” quote from David comes from Psalm 32:1–2.

(b) Forgiven. The original verb aphiemi means “to send away, let go, or disregard.” Forgiveness is not merely ceasing to be angry; it is dismissing a debt or offense. To say, “Your sins have been forgiven” (1 John 2:12) is to say they have been carried away, blotted out, and can now be disregarded (Is. 43:25, Heb. 8:12, 10:17).

On the night he rose from the dead, Jesus instructed the disciples to preach the forgiveness of sins (see entry for Luke 24:47). Because of the cross, your sins and transgressions have been removed as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). Under the old covenant, forgiveness was something to earn (Matt. 6:14–15). But in the new covenant, forgiveness is a gift to receive, and in Christ you have it (Acts 13:38, Eph. 1:7).

(c) Whose sins have been covered. In the old covenant, when this psalm was written, sins were atoned for or covered up. But in the new covenant, our sins have been blotted out and removed altogether (Is. 43:25, 44:22).

(d) Will not take into account. Because of Jesus, God is no longer holding our trespasses against us (2 Cor. 5:19). Because of his great love, God chooses to remember your sins no more (Heb. 8:12, 10:17).

Romans 4:9

Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

(a) Blessing. There is great joy in knowing that you are forgiven and righteous before God. But is this blessing for the circumcised Jews only, or the uncircumcised Gentiles as well? This question sets up the next part of Paul’s argument: the Gentiles were always included in God’s rescue plan (Rom. 4:12–13, 16–18).

(b) Credited. Abraham was numbered among the righteous on account of his faith in God; see entry for Rom. 4:3.

Romans 4:10

How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;

(a) How then was it credited? On what basis was Abraham justified and counted righteous? It was not circumcision because Abraham wasn’t yet circumcised. Abraham was called “righteous” in Genesis 15, and the sign of circumcision was not introduced until Genesis 17.

(b) Credited; see entry for Rom. 4:3.

Romans 4:11

and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,

(a) The sign of circumcision was a reminder, not a requirement, of Abraham’s righteousness.

Abraham was reckoned righteous in Genesis 15. Years later, in Genesis 17, he was given the sign of circumcision. It was an external reminder of an internal reality.

(b) Seal. The original noun sphragis means “an impressed stamp” such as might be done with a signet ring. Abraham’s circumcision was not a means for becoming righteous, but served as an official seal, marking him as righteous. You do not need to be circumcised to prove that you are righteous. Our seal and guarantee is the indwelling Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22, 2 Cor. 5:5).

(c) The righteousness of the faith is the righteousness that comes from God and is received by faith (Rom. 4:13, 9:30, 10:6, Php. 3:9, Heb. 11:7). Faith righteousness can be distinguished from works righteousness, which is based on our own efforts (Tit. 3:5). The righteousness of the law (Rom. 10:4–5, Php. 3:6, 9) is an example of works righteousness.

(d) The father of all who believe. Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God, and those who are of the faith are called “sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7). The new creation family of God is not based on race or religion, but a shared faith, an inward transformation, and the indwelling Spirit of God (Rom. 2:29, 8:9).

(e) Believe. To believe is to live from the persuasion that the God who raises the dead is good and he loves you; see entry for Rom. 4:5.

(f) Righteousness is the state of being right with God; see entry for Rom. 4:3.

(g) Credited; see entry for Rom. 4:3.

(h) That righteousness might be credited to those who believe. God accepts and receives those who trust him.

Romans 4:12

and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.

(a) Father Abraham. As well as being the father in faith for uncircumcised Gentiles, Abraham is the father of those Jews (the circumcision) who walk in his faith.

(b) Follow. The original verb stoicheō means to walk closely in step with another (e.g., Gal. 5:25). It’s marching in step like a soldier. In context it means, “Those who believe God like Abraham believed God.”

Romans 4:13

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.

(a) The promise to Abraham was that he and his family would inherit the world. Specifically, God promised to make childless Abraham into a great nation (Gen. 12:2, 18:18) and the father of many nations (Gen 17:4–7). God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as innumerable as the dust of the earth (Gen 13:16) and the stars in the sky (Gen. 15:5), and that through his seed, all nations would be blessed (Gen. 22:18).

In the Psalms, the promises given to Abraham become messianic promises given to the Son of David. “Ask of me, and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as your possession” (Ps. 2:8). Since the Son of David is the Seed of Abraham, all these promises are fulfilled in Christ (Gal. 3:16). And those who are in Christ, are the beneficiaries of the promises given to Abraham (Gal. 3:9, 29). In Christ, we are heirs of all things (John 17:10, 1 Cor. 3:21–22, Heb. 1:2).

(b) The promise … was not through the Law. God’s gracious promises to Abraham were not conditional on his law-keeping. To receive these promises, Abraham only needed to rest in what God had said. The same is true for us. God’s promises are not earned through law-keeping or good works; they are received by faith.

Paul is building to something. He has shown us that God is righteous (Romans 1), kind (Romans 2), and faithful (Romans 3). He is a good God who makes and keeps his promises (Romans 4). In the next chapter, Paul weaves these threads into a glorious celebration of the grace of God; see entry for Rom. 5:15.

(c) Descendants. The original noun sperma is singular, not plural. We might conclude that Paul is referring to Christ, the Seed of Abraham, as he does in Galatians 3:16. However, the context indicates that Paul is referring to the family of Abraham’s descendants (see Rom. 4:13, 18, 9:7–8). Believers are Abraham’s spiritual offspring (Rom. 4:11, 24). “If you belong to Christ, you are Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29).

(d) Heir of the world. God promised Abraham the land of Canaan (Gen. 13:14–17). He also said that all the families of earth would be blessed through him (Gen. 12:3). Canaan was just the starting point. God’s endgame was a redeemed world—a new earth remade as heaven filled with the spiritual descendants of Abraham (Is. 65:17, 66:22, Rom. 8:19–21, 2 Pet. 3:13).

(e) The righteousness of faith is the righteousness that comes from God and is received by faith (see entry for Rom. 4:11).

Romans 4:14

For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified;

(a) Those who are of the law. If God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants (believers) was conditional on our law-keeping, there would be no need for faith. If our inheritance was earned through law-keeping, it would cease to be an inheritance.

(b) Faith is made void. If God’s favor was doled out as a reward for good behavior, there would be no need for faith.

We can live by faith or law but not both, because the law is not of faith (Gal. 3:12). To be “of the law” is to trust in yourself and your works, instead of trusting in the Lord and his finished work. Relying on the law is a form of unbelief.

(c) The promise is nullified. If God’s gracious promises were conditional on our performance, they would not be gracious promises.

(d) Nullified. Made of no effect; see entry for Rom. 3:3.

Romans 4:15

for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.

(a) The Law of Moses; see entry for Rom. 2:12.

(b) Wrath. The Law crushes you with heavy burdens and condemnation (Deut. 28:15–68, Acts 15:10). It also inflames sin, which in turn ministers death to you (Rom. 7:5, 9, 13, 1 Cor. 15:56). For good reason did Paul speak of “the curse of the law” (Gal. 3:13).

Two kinds of wrath are mentioned in Romans: There is the wrath of God (Rom. 1:18, 2:5, 3:5, 5:9, 9:22, 12:19) and the wrath of the law. The former is God’s righteous response to ungodliness and unrighteousness; the latter is administered by governments and judges (Rom. 13:1–5).

Some misread this verse as “Where there is no law, there is no sin.” There has been sin in the world since the time of Adam (Rom. 5:12–13), and there is still sin in the world. Every day people fall short of what God has in store for them. But add in the law and you get violations of the law (or transgressions, to quote other translations).

Violations are like biomarkers that reveal the disease of sin. An example: Paul had a problem with coveting, but he did not know he was covetous until the Law told him. “I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet’” (Rom. 7:7). Like an x-ray, the law highlights our sin and our need for a Savior.

Romans 4:16

For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

(a) In accordance with grace. All the blessings of God come to us by grace and are received by faith (Eph. 1:3, 2:8). See entry for Rom. 3:24.

(b) The promise given to Abraham and his spiritual offspring; see entry for Rom. 4:13.

(c) Guaranteed. The original adjective bebaios means “firmly grounded, unalterable, and steadfast.” It describes something that is sure, certain, and unshakable. Your faith stands on the sure, certain, and unshakable promises of God.

(d) Guaranteed to all the descendants. God’s promises are for all who share Abraham’s faith regardless of whether they are Jewish (circumcised and of the Law) or not.

(e) The faith of Abraham was evident in the way he responded to the call of God. God said, “Go,” and he went (Gen. 12:1). When he got to Canaan, God said, “Stay,” and he stayed. That’s faith (Heb. 11:8–9). Then God said, “I will bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars.” Abram believed God and was credited righteous (Gen 15:6). Agreeing with God makes you right with God (see entry for Rom. 3:28) and pleases God (Heb. 11:6).

(f) The father of us all who believe; see entry for Rom. 4:11.

Romans 4:17

(as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

(a) It is written. Paul quotes God’s promise to Abraham from Genesis 17:4–5.

(b) “A father … I made you.” First, the promise, then the fulfillment. In the natural, Abraham wasn’t a father. But God said, “I’ve made you a father,” and Abraham replied, “Lord, I believe you.”

(c) Nations. Peoples or tribes. The original noun ethnos is related to the word “ethnic.” In Romans, the word is translated as “Gentiles” two dozen times (e.g., Rom. 1:5). Paul is essentially saying that “Abraham, the father of the Jews, will also become the father of the Gentiles.”

(d) God … gives life to the dead. A God who raises the dead is a God who can be trusted in all circumstances.

(e) Calls into being. God’s creative word can make something out of nothing (Ps. 33:6, Heb. 11:3). God spoke the universe into existence, and he called forth Abraham and Sarah’s countless descendants. Truly, the word of God has power.

Romans 4:18

In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

(a) In hope against hope he believed. Abraham’s circumstances were beyond hopeless—he and his wife Sarah were well past child-bearing age and “as good as dead” (see next verse). But he trusted God’s promises regardless.

(b) Hope is a confident expectation of the future; see entry for Rom. 15:13.

(c) Descendants. After asking Abraham to count the stars in the night sky, the Lord said, “So shall your descendants be” (Gen. 15:5). God told Abraham that the family of believers would be immeasurably large (Rev. 7:9).

Romans 4:19

Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;

(a) Without becoming weak in faith. Abraham’s circumstances were telling him one thing (“You are too old to be a father”), but God had told him another (“You will have a son and be a father of many nations”). Abraham did not let his natural circumstances undermine his confidence in God.

(b) Weak in faith. At first, Abraham was weak in faith. He lied about his wife and slept with the maid (Gen. 12:12–13, 16:3–4, 20:2). But over time, he “grew strong in faith” (see next verse).

(c) He contemplated his own body. Abraham did not pretend that he was young and fertile. He knew that he was old and Sarah was barren and that a miracle was needed for God’s word to come true. He fully expected one (Rom. 4:21).

(d) As good as dead. Abraham was seventy-five years old when the Lord first spoke to him (Gen. 12:4) and ninety-nine years old when God confirmed his promise (Gen. 17:1–2).

(e) Dead. Abraham was “as good as dead,” and Sarah’s womb was literally dead, yet from these two “dead” people, the God who gives life to the dead brought forth a new creation family.

(f) The deadness of Sarah’s womb. Not only was Sarah a ninety-year-old woman, she was barren (Gen. 11:30, 17:17). But her age and infertility were no obstacles to the creative, life-giving word of God.

(g) Sarah. God promised a son to Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 18:10). This is why Ishmael, the son of Hagar, the bondwoman, could never be considered the son of the promise (Gal. 4:23).

Romans 4:20

yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,

(a) The promise of God given to childless Abraham was that he would have a son and become the father of many nations; see entry for Rom. 4:13.

(b) He did not waver in unbelief. Abraham reached a place of steadfast trust in the Lord, but it didn’t happen overnight. After God promised him a son (Gen. 15), and knowing that his wife was barren, Abraham took matters into his own hands by making a baby with the maid (Gen. 16). Little good came of that fleshly arrangement. Only after Abraham came to a place of rest in the Lord did God’s word come to pass (Gen. 21).

(d) Grew strong in faith. Abraham’s faith in God grew stronger over the years.

You can be weak in faith (Rom. 4:19, 14:1), or you can be strengthened in the faith (Acts 16:5, 1 Th. 3:2). You can waver in unbelief, or you can stand firm in your faith (1 Cor. 16:13, Col. 2:7, Tit. 1:13, 2:2, 1 Pet. 5:9). One of the ways we strengthen our faith is by growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18). It is through Christ that we come to know and experience God’s love. As our understanding of God’s love deepens, it strengthens our trust in him. As God gets bigger, our faith in him and his promises grows stronger.

(e) Giving glory to God. Humanity did not honor God (Rom. 1:21), but Abraham gave God the glory that he was due. He did this by taking God at his word. When we trust God to come through as he has promised, we honor him.

Romans 4:21

and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

(a) Fully assured. Faith is being fully assured or persuaded that God is who he says he is, has done what he says he’s done, and will do what he has promised to do. When you are fully persuaded, you can rest. The issue is settled. Your mind is made up, and your heart is at ease.

As creatures of persuasion, we are designed to operate from our convictions. Either you will be convinced that God loves you or you won’t be. If you’re not convinced, you will waver in indecision and stagger in unbelief.

See entry for Faith.

(b) What God had promised was Abraham would have a son and become the father of many nations; see entry for Rom. 4:13.

(c) He was able also to perform. Humanity knew about the power of God (Rom. 1:20), but Abraham trusted that God would use it. He fully expected God to deliver on his promise and impart life to his old and dying body.

Romans 4:22

Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

(a) It was also credited. Like a preacher emphasizing his point, Paul tells us for a third time that Abraham was reckoned righteous on account of his faith in God; see entry for Rom. 4:3.

(b) Righteousness is the state of being right with God; see entry for Rom. 4:3.

Romans 4:23

Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him,

(a) Not for his sake only. The promises of God to Abraham were recorded in the Old Testament (and repeated here in Romans) for our benefit. If God justified Abraham the ungodly Chaldean by faith, he will justify you by faith.

(b) Credited; see entry for Rom. 4:3.

Romans 4:24

but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

(a) Credited. Like Abraham the believer, we too will be numbered with the righteous if we trust in God, who raised Christ from the dead. Christ who knew no sin was made to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5:21).

(b) Believe in him. The chief takeaway of the gospel message is to believe in the God who raises the dead; see entry for Rom. 4:5.

(c) Raised. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the tent pole of Paul’s message (1 Cor. 15:14). The devil had a death-dealing power (Heb. 2:14), but God has a life-giving power that is greater (Rom. 8:11).

Paul does not proclaim a distant deity who rewards and punishes us for our deeds. He reveals a God who loves us like a Father and raises the dead (Rom. 6:4, 9, 7:4, 8:11, 34, 10:9).

(d) Lord; see entry for Rom. 1:4.

Romans 4:25

He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

(a) Delivered. The original verb paradidōmi means “to surrender, give up, or hand over.” Jesus Christ was delivered into the hands of godless men according to his foreknowledge and the plan of God (Matt. 20:18–19, Acts 2:23).

(b) Because of our transgressions. Our transgressions were given to Jesus so that his righteousness could be given to those who believe (see previous verse).

(c) Transgressions. The original noun paraptōma means “a fall or slip” and is sometimes translated as “trespasses” (2 Cor. 5:19). In context, it means “all our sins.” There is no sin Jesus did not carry.

(d) Raised because of our justification. If Jesus was still in the grave, you could not be sure that his sacrifice had dealt with all your sins. But his resurrection from the dead proves that all your sins have been done away with once and for all, and you have been made eternally right with God.

Just as the cross reveals the righteousness of God (Rom. 3:25–26), the empty tomb attests to your justification. It is your sure and certain proof that a just God can never judge you for your sins. All your sins were judged on the cross. In Christ, you are eternally unpunishable.

(e) Justification. The original noun dikaiōsis means “acquittal.” It is related to a word (dikaios) that means “innocent.” See also the entry for Rom 5:18.

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Romans 4