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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://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 NIV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><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="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NIV</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"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New International Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/niv/esv/romans/4.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="sectionhead">Abraham Justified by Faith</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Gen. 15:6; also in verse 22">a</a></sup></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:</p> <div class="stanza"><p class="line1"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>“Blessed are those</p><p class="line2">whose transgressions are forgiven,</p><p class="line2">whose sins are covered.</p> <p class="line1"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Blessed is the one</p><p class="line2">whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Psalm 32:1,2">b</a></sup></span> </p></div> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Gen. 17:5">c</a></sup></span> He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Gen. 15:5">d</a></sup></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="footnotes"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">3</span> <span class="footnotebot">Gen. 15:6; also in verse 22</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">8</span> <span class="footnotebot">Psalm 32:1,2</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">17</span> <span class="footnotebot">Gen. 17:5</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">d</span> <span class="fnverse">18</span> <span class="footnotebot">Gen. 15:5</span><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><p class="ntext"><a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/version.htm">New International Version</a> (NIV)</p><p class="ntext2">Holy Bible, New International Version&reg, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by <a href="http://biblica.com">Biblica, Inc.</a>® Used by permission. 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