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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Romans 4 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/romans/4.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/romans/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Romans 4</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../romans/3.htm" title="Romans 3">◄</a> Romans 4 <a href="../romans/5.htm" title="Romans 5">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">The Example of Abraham</h3><p class="par"><span class="v45_4_1"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.1" class="v45_4_1">1</span>Well then, what can we say about our ancestor Abraham? </span><span class="v45_4_2"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.2" class="v45_4_2">2</span>If he became acceptable to God because of what he did, then he would have something to brag about. But he would never be able to brag about it to God. </span><span class="v45_4_3"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.3" class="v45_4_3">3</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.4.3!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> The Scriptures say, “God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v45_4_4"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.4" class="v45_4_4">4</span>Money paid to workers isn't a gift. It is something they earn by working. </span><span class="v45_4_5"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.5" class="v45_4_5">5</span>But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. </span><span class="v45_4_6"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.6" class="v45_4_6">6</span>In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don't do anything to deserve these blessings. David says,</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_4_7"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.7-Rom.4.8" class="v45_4_7">7-8</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.4.7-Rom.4.8!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> “What a blessing</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_4_7">when God forgives our sins</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_4_7">and our evil deeds.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_4_7">What a blessing</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_4_7">when the Lord erases our sins</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_4_7">from his book.”</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="par"><span class="v45_4_9"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.9" class="v45_4_9">9</span>Are these blessings meant for circumcised people or for those who are not circumcised? Well, the Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him. </span><span class="v45_4_10"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.10" class="v45_4_10">10</span>But when did this happen? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? Of course, it was before.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v45_4_11"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.11" class="v45_4_11">11</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.4.11!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Abraham let himself be circumcised to show he had been accepted because of his faith even before he was circumcised. This makes Abraham the father of all who are acceptable to God because of their faith, even though they are not circumcised. </span><span class="v45_4_12"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.12" class="v45_4_12">12</span>This also makes Abraham the father of everyone who is circumcised and has faith in God, as Abraham did before he was circumcised.</span></p><h3 class="s1">The Promise Is for All Who Have Faith</h3><p class="par"><span class="v45_4_13"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.13" class="v45_4_13">13</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.4.13!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> God promised Abraham and his descendants that he would give them the world. This promise wasn't made because Abraham had obeyed a law, but because his faith in God made him acceptable. </span><span class="v45_4_14"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.14" class="v45_4_14">14</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.4.14!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> If Abraham and his descendants were given this promise because they had obeyed a law, then faith would mean nothing, and the promise would be worthless.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v45_4_15"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.15" class="v45_4_15">15</span>God becomes angry when his Law is broken. But where there isn't a law, it cannot be broken. </span><span class="v45_4_16"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.16" class="v45_4_16">16</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.4.16!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Everything depends on having faith in God, so that God's promise is assured by his gift of undeserved grace. This promise isn't only for Abraham's descendants who have the Law. It is for all who are Abraham's descendants because they have faith, just as he did. Abraham is the ancestor of us all. </span><span class="v45_4_17"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.17" class="v45_4_17">17</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.4.17!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> The Scriptures say that Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations. This promise was made to Abraham because he had faith in God, who raises the dead to life and creates new things.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v45_4_18"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.18" class="v45_4_18">18</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.4.18!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> God promised Abraham a lot of descendants. And when it all seemed hopeless, Abraham still had faith in God and became the ancestor of many nations. </span><span class="v45_4_19"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.19" class="v45_4_19">19</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.4.19!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Abraham's faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly 100 years old. He knew he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. </span><span class="v45_4_20"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.20" class="v45_4_20">20</span>But Abraham never doubted or questioned God's promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v45_4_21"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.21" class="v45_4_21">21</span>Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised. </span><span class="v45_4_22"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.22" class="v45_4_22">22</span>So God accepted him, </span><span class="v45_4_23"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.23" class="v45_4_23">23</span>just as we read in the Scriptures. But these words were not written only for Abraham. </span><span class="v45_4_24"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.24" class="v45_4_24">24</span>They were written for us, since we will also be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life. </span><span class="v45_4_25"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.4.25" class="v45_4_25">25</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.4.25!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God.</span></p> </div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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