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The Blue Letter Bible

Romans 4 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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The Faith of Abraham
(Gen 17:10 )
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:1 - Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:2 - If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:3 - For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:4 - When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:5 - But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:6 - David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:7 - “Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sins are put out of sight.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:8 - Yes, what joy for those
whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.”[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:9 - Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles?[fn] Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:10 - But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:11 - Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:12 - And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:13 - Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:14 - If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:15 - For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:16 - So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:17 - That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”[fn] This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:18 - Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:19 - And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:20 - Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:21 - He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:22 - And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:23 - And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:24 - for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 4:25 - He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
NLT Footnotes
Gen 15:6.
Ps 32:1-2 (Greek version).
Ps 32:1-2 (Greek version).
Greek is this blessing only for the circumcised, or is it also for the uncircumcised?
Gen 17:5.
Gen 15:5.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Romans Chapter 4 — Additional Translations: