Romans 4

WPNT^{(i) 1} What then shall we say that our father Abraham discovered, as a man? ² If Abraham was really justified by works, he has a boast—but not before God. ³ So what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ⁴ Now to him who works, the pay is not counted as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵ But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶ Just as David speaks of the blessing of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: ⁷ “Blessed are they whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered up. ⁸ Blessed is the man to whom the LORD will not impute sin!” ⁹ Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? Since we say that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness, ¹⁰ how then was it credited? After he was circumcised or while still uncircumcised? Not circumcised, but uncircumcised! ¹¹ And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness from his faith while still uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all those who believe while uncircumcised, in order that this righteousness may be credited to them also, ¹² and the father of the circumcised—not only those who are circumcised, but especially those who follow in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham while still uncircumcised. ¹³ Now the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham, or his seed, through law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For if those who are of law are heirs, the faith is made empty and the promise has been invalidated; ¹⁵ because the law produces wrath, since where there is no law neither is there transgression. ¹⁶ For this reason it is of faith so that it may be according to grace, in order that the promise be guaranteed to all the seed—not only to those of law, but also to those of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all; ¹⁷ just as it is written: “I have made you a father of many ethnic nations” —in the presence of Him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead and calls the non-existent things as though they did exist. ¹⁸ Contrary to hope, Abraham in hope believed, so as to become a father of many ethnic nations, according to what had been spoken: “So shall your seed be.” ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (being about a hundred years old), or the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at God’s promise in unbelief; rather, he was strengthened by the faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform ²² —that is why it was credited to him as righteousness. ²³ Now it was not only for his sake that it was written that it was credited to him, ²⁴ but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, we who believe on Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.