Romans 4

What, then, are we to say? Have we found Abraham to be our forefather according to the flesh?

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

For what does the Scripture say? And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Now to one who works, his payment is not credited to him as a gift, but as something owed.

But to the one who does not work, but believes in him who declares the ungodly person righteous, his trust is credited to him as righteousness.

So also David speaks of the blessing on the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works,

saying, Blessed are those whose lawless acts have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered.

Is this blessing then for the circumcision only, or for the uncircumcision also? For we say, “Trust was credited to Abraham as righteousness.”

So under what circumstances was it credited? When he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? It was not when he was circumcised, but uncircumcised.

And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by trust while still uncircumcised, so that he would become the father of all those who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness would be credited to them also,

and so that he would become the father of the circumcision who are not only circumcised but who are also following in the footsteps of the trust of our father Abraham, which he had while still uncircumcised.

For the promise to Abraham and to his seed that he would inherit the world did not come through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by trust.

For if they become heirs by the law, trust has been made void, and the promise has been nullified.

For the law produces wrath, but where there is no law, there is no transgression.

That is why righteousness is by trust, so that it is based on grace, so that the promise is valid for all his seed, not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who share the trust of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

as it is written: I have made you a father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of the God in whom he believed, the one who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not exist.

Abraham, without any reason for hope, believed in the hope of God’s promise, so that he became a father of many nations, according to what had been spoken: So will your seed be.

And he did not become weak in his trust even though he considered his own body as already dead (because he was about 100 years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb,

yet, in looking toward the promise of God, he did not doubt in unbelief, but he grew strong in his trust, giving glory to God,

because he was fully convinced that what he had promised, he was also able to do.

And therefore, it was credited to him as righteousness.

Now the words, “it was credited to him,” were not written for his sake alone,

but for our sake also, since it will be credited as righteousness to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from among the dead,

who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our righteousness.