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Romans 4

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Romans 4 Overview

Paul asks what Abraham found and answers that if Abraham were justified by works he could boast—but not before God. Scripture says Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Paul then cites David describing the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness without works. Abraham was justified before circumcision, making him father of all who believe. The promise rests on faith and grace, and Abraham’s confidence in God’s life-giving promise becomes the model for believing the God who raised Jesus from the dead.

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Before you read Romans 4

Coming from

Paul acknowledges Jewish advantages, especially possession of God’s oracles, but insists that human unbelief cannot make God unfaithful. He then gathers Scripture to prove that Jews and Gentiles are all under sin: none is righteous, none seeks God, and every mouth is stopped. By deeds of the law no flesh will be justified. But now God’s righteousness is manifested through faith in Jesus Christ unto all and upon all who believe; sinners are justified freely by grace through Christ’s redemption, and boasting is excluded by the law of faith.

In this chapter

Romans 3 declared justification freely by grace through faith apart from law-works. Romans 4 demonstrates that this is not a new invention but the pattern already seen in Abraham and David.

Leads into

Romans 5 explains the results of justification: peace with God, access into grace, hope, God’s love demonstrated in Christ’s death, reconciliation, and the contrast between Adam and Christ.

Key understandingExplore deeper

Paul’s contrast is explicit: working produces debt; believing on the One who justifies the ungodly results in faith being counted for righteousness. This directly rejects the claim that good works must first make a person godly enough to be justified.

Abraham’s circumcision occurs after Genesis 15:6, so Paul uses chronology to prove that the sign did not cause his righteousness.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

God justifies the ungodly who believes

Justification is not God rewarding a person who first reforms into moral acceptability.

Righteousness is imputed, not earned

Paul uses accounting language: God counts righteousness apart from works.

Religious rites cannot be the basis of justification

Abraham is counted righteous before circumcision.

Grace and faith preserve the promise

If inheritance depended on law-performance, the promise would be made void.

Saving faith rests in God’s promise and power

Abraham believes the God who gives life and fulfills what He has promised.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Genesis 15:6

Paul’s central proof text says Abraham believed the LORD and righteousness was counted to him.

Psalm 32:1–2

David describes forgiveness and non-imputation of sin, supporting righteousness without works.

Genesis 17

Circumcision comes after Abraham’s counted righteousness, which Paul uses decisively.

Galatians 3:6–14

Paul again uses Abraham to prove justification by faith and blessing to believing Gentiles.

James 2:14–26

James discusses Abraham’s works in the context of faith being shown/profitable before others and completed in action; Romans addresses justification before God apart from works. The contexts must not be collapsed.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Do not say Abraham was justified by works before God

Paul explicitly denies it.

Do not make circumcision, baptism, or any later rite the Christian replacement work that earns what circumcision did not

Paul’s logic excludes ritual boasting.

Do not read “faith counted for righteousness” as faith being a moral achievement worthy of payment

The wage-versus-gift contrast makes the opposite point.

Do not force Romans and James into contradiction

They answer different questions and use “justify” in distinct argumentative contexts.

Read Romans 4 watching for…

The wage/debt versus faith/grace contrast.

The phrase ‘justifieth the ungodly.’

David’s description of righteousness without works.

The chronology of faith and circumcision.

Why law would make the promise void.

What Abraham believed about God’s power.

Chapter outline4 sections

1-8Abraham and David show that righteousness is counted by faith apart from works 9-12Abraham was counted righteous before circumcision and became father of all who believe 13-17The promise comes through the righteousness of faith, not through the law 18-25Abraham believed God’s promise, and righteousness is imputed to those who believe on him who raised Jesus

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

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Romans 4:20

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