Romans 4:2

Romans 4:2

Abraham Justified by Faith

1 What then shall we say that ^aAbraham our ^bfather has found according to the flesh?

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

3 For what does the Scripture say? ^a“Abraham believed God, and it was¹ accounted to him for righteousness.”

4 Now ^ato him who works, the wages are not counted¹ as grace but as debt.

David Celebrates the Same Truth

5 But to him who ^adoes not work but believes on Him who justifies ^bthe ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

6 just as David also ^adescribes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed^a are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

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.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

<< Romans 4:1

Romans 4:3 >>

The Scripture (h grafh). Genesis 15:6.

Was justified by works (ec ergwn edikaiwqh). Condition of first class, assumed as true for the sake of argument, though untrue in fact. The rabbis had a doctrine of the merits of Abraham who had a superfluity of credits to pass on to the Jews (Luke 3:8).

But not towards God (all ou prov qeon). Abraham deserved all the respect from men that came to him, but his relation to God was a different matter. He had there no ground of boasting at all.

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Romans 4:2:**

James 2:21
James 2:24

<< Romans 4:1

Romans 4:3 >>

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