ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BY FAITH

4 What then will we say that Abraham, our forefatherav according to the flesh, has found?W 2 If Abraham was justifiedX by works,aw he has something to boast about—but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.A,a 4 Now to the one who works,b pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly,c his faith is credited for righteousness.

DAVID CELEBRATING THE SAME TRUTH

6 Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 Blessed are those whose lawless acts are forgiven

and whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the person

the Lord will never charge with sin.B,d

ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BEFORE CIRCUMCISION

9 Is this blessing only for the circumcised,e then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.A,f 10 In what way, then, was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? It was not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcisiong as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith* h while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the fatheri of all who believej but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. 12 And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

THE PROMISE GRANTED THROUGH FAITH

13 For the promise to Abrahamk or to his descendants that he would inherit the worldl was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 If those who are of the law are heirs,m faith is made empty and the promise nullified, 15 because the law produces wrath.n And where there is no law,o there is no transgression.

16 This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace,p to guarantee it to all the descendantsq—not only to the one who is of the lawD but also to the one who is of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations—E,r in the presence of the God in whom he believed, the one who gives life to the deads and callst things into existence that do not exist.u 18 He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nationsE,v according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be.F,w 19 He did not weaken in faith when he consideredG his own body to be already deadx (since he was about a hundred years old)y and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb.z 20 He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,aa 21 because he was fully convincedab that what God had promised, he was also able to do.ac 22 Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.A,ad 23 Now it was credited to himA was not written for Abraham alone,ae 24 but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in himaf who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.ag 25 He was delivered up forH our trespassesah and raised for our justification.ai

FAITH TRIUMPHS

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,aj we have peaceI with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.ak 2 We have also obtained access through himal by faithJ into this grace in which we stand,am and we boast* in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that,an but we also boast in our afflictions,ao because we know that affliction produces endurance,ap 4 endurance produces proven character,aq and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us,ar because God’s love has been poured out in our heartsas through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

THE JUSTIFIED ARE RECONCILED

6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time,at Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God provesau his own love for usav in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood,aw will we be saved through him from wrath.a 10 For if, while we were enemies,b we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.c 11 And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.d

DEATH THROUGH ADAM AND LIFE THROUGH CHRIST

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,e and death through sin,f in this way death spread to all people,g because all sinned.A 13 In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law.h 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression.i He is a type of the Coming One.j

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one mank Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. 16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment,l resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.B 17 If by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in lifem through the one man, Jesus Christ.

18 So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to lifen for everyone. 19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners,o so also through the one man’s obediencep the many will be made righteous. 20 The law came along to multiply the trespass.q But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even morer 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death,s so also grace will reignt through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

THE NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

6 What should we say then?u Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?v 2 Absolutely not!w How can we who died to sinx still live in it? 3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptizedy into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?z 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death,aa in order that, just as Christ was raised from the deadab by the glory of the Father,ac so we too may walk in newnessC of life.ad 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death,ae we will certainly also beD in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old selfE,af was crucified with himag so that the body ruled by sinF might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has diedah is freedG from sin.ai 8 Now if we died with Christ,aj we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead,ak will not die again. Death no longer rules over him.al 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sinam and alive to God in Christ Jesus.H

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obeyI its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts* of it to sinan as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God,ao and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the lawap but under grace.aq

FROM SLAVES OF SIN TO SLAVES OF GOD

15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?ar Absolutely not!as 16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someoneK as obedient slaves,at you are slaves of that one you obeyau—either of sin leading to deathav or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,aw you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handedL over,ax 18 and having been set free from sin,ay you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 I am using a human analogyaz because of the weakness of your flesh.M For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.A,a 21 So what fruit was producedB then from the things you are now ashamed of?b The outcome of those things is death.c 22 But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God,d you have your fruit, which results in sanctificatione—and the outcome is eternal life!f 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.g