Romans 4 is Paul’s case that righteousness with God has always come through trusting God’s promise, not through earning it. People read it because it answers a practical question: how was Abraham, the father of Israel, made right with God? Paul’s answer, that Abraham was declared righteous by faith before he was circumcised and long before the law existed, shapes how Christians understand grace, faith and God’s promises to the whole world.
Romans 4 Summary
Paul opens by asking what Abraham found in relation to God. If Abraham had been accepted because of his good works, he would have had something to boast about, but not before God. Paul turns to Genesis to show that Abraham “believed God,” and that this belief was counted to him as righteousness. He then sets up a contrast between wages, which are owed to a worker, and a gift, which is received by someone who simply trusts the one who makes the ungodly right.
From there Paul brings in David, who spoke of blessing for the person whose sins are forgiven and covered by God. He then pushes the point further by asking when Abraham was accepted, before or after his circumcision. Paul’s answer is that it came first, so Abraham is the father of all who believe, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. The chapter closes by tying Abraham’s faith in God, who raises the dead and creates out of nothing, to our faith in the God who raised Jesus from the dead for our justification.
Background and Setting
Romans is a letter written by the apostle Paul, traditionally dated to around AD 56 to 58, most likely while he was in Corinth on his way toward Jerusalem and beyond. It was addressed to the Christian community in Rome, a mixed group of Jewish and non-Jewish believers who needed to understand how their shared faith in Christ related to the Jewish Scriptures and to the law of Moses.
Chapter 4 sits in the middle of the letter’s main argument, which runs from Romans 1 through 8. After showing in chapters 1 to 3 that all people, Jew and Gentile alike, fall short of God’s glory, Paul argues in chapter 4 that the story of Abraham already demonstrates justification by faith. The chapter prepares the way for the rich description of new life in Christ that follows in chapters 5 to 8.
Romans 4 Section by Section
Verses 1-8: Righteousness Counted, Not Earned
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4 Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed. 5 But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
Romans 4:3-5 (WEB)
Paul starts with Abraham because Abraham was the figure his Jewish readers respected most. He reasons that if Abraham had been made right through his own performance, Abraham could take credit for it. But Genesis says Abraham believed God and that this belief was reckoned to him as righteousness. Paul then makes a sharp distinction: someone who works is paid what is owed, while someone who trusts God receives a gift of acceptance.
The phrase Paul uses for God, the one who “justifies the ungodly,” is striking. God does not wait for people to clean themselves up before declaring them right with him. This does not make faith a work that earns the gift. It makes faith the open hand that receives what God freely gives, and it turns the focus from our record to God’s generosity.
Verses 9-12: Faith Before Circumcision
10 How then was it counted? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11 He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they might be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might also be accounted to them.
Romans 4:10-11 (WEB)
Paul now raises a question his readers would have asked: does this blessing belong only to those who are circumcised? He answers by pointing to the timeline in Genesis. Abraham was accepted by God before he received circumcision, which came later as a sign and seal of a righteousness he already had through faith. That order matters because it means Abraham is a father to believers who are not circumcised as well as to those who are.
For Paul, this sequence removes any idea that Gentiles must first take on Jewish identity markers to belong to God’s people. Circumcision confirms faith but does not create it. Abraham’s faith, not his body’s sign, is the root, and that root is available to anyone who shares it.
Verses 13-17: The Promise Rests on Grace
16 For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, 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. 17 As it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations.” This is in the presence of him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were.
Romans 4:16-17 (WEB)
Paul goes on to argue that the promise of inheritance was never tied to the law. God’s word to Abraham came first, and the law arrived centuries later. If the promise depended on law-keeping, faith would be empty and the promise would collapse, since the law mainly reveals sin and brings wrath. So God made the promise by grace, through faith, so that it would be secure for all of Abraham’s offspring.
Paul also draws attention to the God Abraham trusted: the one who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist. That is the same kind of God who would promise Abraham descendants when he had none and then bring life out of what looked finished. The promise rests on God’s character, not on Abraham’s strength.
Verses 18-22: Hope Against the Odds
18 Besides hope, Abraham in hope believed, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So will your offspring be.” 19 Without being weakened in faith, he didn’t consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn’t waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God…
Romans 4:18-20 (WEB)
Paul describes Abraham’s faith in concrete, human terms. Abraham was about a hundred years old, and Sarah’s womb was dead to childbearing. The text says he did not look away from these facts, yet he did not waver through unbelief. Instead he grew strong in faith and gave glory to God. Hope here does not deny reality. It looks straight at reality and keeps trusting the God who speaks.
Paul highlights that Abraham was fully persuaded God was able to do what he had promised. That assurance is the heart of the faith Paul is describing. Trust is not vague optimism but confidence placed in a specific God who keeps his word.
Verses 23-25: Our Faith Is Like Abraham’s
24 But for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
Romans 4:24-25 (WEB)
The chapter ends by making the connection personal. The record of Abraham’s faith was written not only for him but also for us, who believe in God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Jesus was handed over for our wrongdoings and raised for our justification, meaning the basis on which we are declared right with God.
Paul thereby shows that the same pattern holds across the whole story of God’s people. Abraham trusted the promise of a coming child, and we trust the promise fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Christ. The object of faith has become clearer, but the shape of faith remains the same.
Key Themes in Romans 4
- Justification by faith: Abraham was accepted by God through trust in his promise, not through his own achievements.
- Grace versus wages: God’s acceptance is presented as a gift received, not a payment earned by work.
- The inclusion of the nations: Abraham is the father of all who believe, whether circumcised or not.
- Hope in God’s power: Faith looks honestly at impossible circumstances and trusts the God who gives life to the dead.
- Christ raised for our justification: The faith of Abraham finds its fulfillment in belief in the risen Jesus.
Lessons From Romans 4 for Today
Many believers carry a quiet worry that they must be good enough before God will accept them. Romans 4 speaks directly to that worry. Like Abraham, you are invited to stop measuring your standing by your performance and to receive God’s acceptance as a gift. This is not an excuse for carelessness, but it does free you from the exhausting work of trying to earn what has already been offered.
Consider someone facing a diagnosis, a stalled career, or a relationship that seems beyond repair. Abraham’s example shows that faith does not pretend the situation is fine. He saw his aging body and his barren wife clearly and still trusted God’s word. You can name the difficult facts in your own life honestly, and then, like Abraham, give glory to God by continuing to believe that he is able to keep his promises.
Paul’s point about the inclusion of all believers also matters in a divided world. Churches and families can drift into judging one another by external markers, whether background, culture or practice. Romans 4 reminds you that the root of belonging is shared faith in the God who justifies. That shared faith is a stronger bond than any boundary we might draw.
Questions for Reflection
- Where in your life have you been trying to earn a standing that God has already offered as a gift?
- What does it look like, practically, to trust God’s promise when the facts around you seem to point the other way?
- How does Paul’s argument that Abraham was accepted before circumcision change the way you think about who belongs in God’s family?
- In what ways does Abraham’s hope help you see the difference between denying reality and trusting God within it?
- How does remembering that Jesus was raised for our justification shape the way you pray and live this week?
A Prayer From Romans 4
Father, I confess that I often try to earn your acceptance through my own effort and then feel crushed when I fall short. Thank you that you justify the ungodly and count faith as righteousness, not because I deserve it, but because you are generous. Help me to receive your gift with open hands and to stop measuring my worth by my record.
Give me the steady faith of Abraham when my circumstances look impossible. Let me name the hard facts honestly and still give you glory, trusting that you are able to do what you have promised. Thank you for raising Jesus from the dead for my justification. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main point of Romans 4?
Romans 4 argues that Abraham was declared righteous by God through faith in his promise, not through his works or his circumcision. Paul uses this to show that all who believe in God, Jew and non-Jew alike, share in the same righteousness by faith. The chapter ends by connecting this faith to belief in the Jesus who was raised for our justification.
Why does Paul bring up Abraham in Romans 4?
Abraham was the founding figure of Israel and the one whom Paul’s Jewish readers regarded with the greatest respect. By showing that Abraham was accepted through faith before the law and before circumcision, Paul makes his teaching rest on Scripture the readers already honored. It also demonstrates that God’s way of making people right has always been by faith.
What does it mean that faith was “counted” as righteousness?
The word “counted” or “reckoned” is an accounting term, meaning God credited Abraham’s faith as if it were righteousness. This does not mean faith is itself a good work that earns God’s favor. It means God chose to treat trusting faith as the basis for acceptance, which is a gift received rather than a wage earned.
