Romans 4:20 describes how Abraham responded to God’s promise that he would have descendants, even though his body and Sarah’s were far past the age of having children. Paul says Abraham did not waver in unbelief but grew stronger in faith, giving glory to God. Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome, and he uses Abraham as the model of how a person is made right with God through trusting him.
Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn’t waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God…
Romans 4:20 (WEB)
What Romans 4:20 Means
The verse begins with “Yet, looking to the promise of God.” The word “yet” marks a contrast with what Abraham could see for himself. He looked at the facts of his age and Sarah’s age and could have concluded that the promise was impossible. Instead, his attention was fixed on what God had said. Faith in this sense is less about feeling confident and more about where you place your eyes.
Next, Paul says Abraham “didn’t waver through unbelief.” Wavering here means swinging back and forth between trust and doubt, like a boat without an anchor. The verse does not say Abraham never felt the pull of doubt. It says he did not let that pull decide the matter. The verse then says he “grew strong through faith,” which suggests that trust is something that can be exercised and deepened over time, not a single moment of certainty.
Finally, Abraham was “giving glory to God.” Paul links faith with praise. Trusting God’s promise meant treating God as the one who is able to keep it. The verse makes no promise that God will give you a particular outcome if you trust him hard enough. What it describes is a pattern: a steady confidence in God’s word that gives him the honor he deserves.
The Context of Romans 4:20
Romans was written by the apostle Paul, most likely around the middle of the first century, to a mixed congregation of Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome. Paul was building a case that righteousness comes through faith rather than through works of the law. In chapter 4 he turns to Abraham, the founding figure of Israel, to show that God counted Abraham righteous long before the law existed, and before he was circumcised.
The verses just before Romans 4:20 describe God as the one “who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were” (Romans 4:17). Verse 19 notes that Abraham did not weaken in faith even though he considered his own worn-out body and Sarah’s barren womb. Verse 20 then describes his response: he kept looking to God’s promise. Verses 21 and 22 finish the thought by saying Abraham was fully assured that God could do what he promised, and that this trust was counted to him as righteousness. Read in this setting, the verse is not a general motivational statement but the center of Paul’s argument about how people are justified.
Key Phrases in Romans 4:20
Hebrews 11:11
By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised.
(WEB)
This verse, which speaks of Sarah’s faith in God’s faithfulness, shows that the Abraham story was remembered as a story of trust shared by the couple. It widens the picture of what faithfulness looked like in that household.
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
(WEB)
This verse calls for stillness before God, which complements Abraham’s steady refusal to be shaken. Stillness is often where a wavering heart begins to find its footing again.
A Short Prayer From Romans 4:20
Lord, you know how easily my eyes drift from your promises to the problems in front of me. When the evidence seems to point the other way, help me look again at what you have said. Take away the wavering that comes from my unbelief, and strengthen my trust in you day by day. Let my faith grow in the same way Abraham’s did, so that I give you the glory that belongs to you alone. Thank you that your word does not depend on my feelings. Amen.
