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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=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Romans 4 ISV</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><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="../">ISV</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">International Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/isv/esv/romans/4.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="heading">The Example of Abraham</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>What, then, are we to say about Abraham, our human ancestor? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>For if Abraham was justified by actions, he would have had something to boast about—though not before God. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:3 Cf. Gen 15:6">a</a></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Now to someone who works, wages are not considered a gift but an obligation. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>However, to someone who does not work, but simply believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Likewise, David also speaks of the blessedness of the person whom God regards as righteous apart from actions:</p> <p class="poetry1 margintop"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>“How blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven</p> <p class="poetry2">and whose sins are covered!</p> <p class="poetry1"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>How blessed is the person whose sins</p> <p class="poetry2 marginbot">the Lord<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:8 MT source citation reads LORD">b</a></span> will never charge against him!”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:8 Ps Cf. 32:1-2">c</a></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Now does this blessedness come to the circumcised alone, or also to the uncircumcised? For we say, “Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:9 Gen Cf. 15:6">d</a></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Under what circumstances was it credited? Was he circumcised or uncircumcised? He had not yet been circumcised, but was uncircumcised. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Afterward he received the mark of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. Therefore, he is the ancestor of all who believe while uncircumcised, in order that righteousness may be credited to them. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>He is also the ancestor of the circumcised—those who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.</p> <p class="heading">The Promise Comes through Faith</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the Law, but through the righteousness produced by faith. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>For if those who were given the Law<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:14 Lit. those of the law">e</a></span> are the heirs, then faith is useless and the promise is worthless, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>for the Law produces wrath. Now where there is no Law, neither can there be any violation of it.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Therefore, the promise<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:16 Lit. it">f</a></span> is based on faith, so that it may be a matter of grace and may be guaranteed for all of Abraham’s<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:16 Lit. his">g</a></span> descendants—not only for those who were given the Law,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:16 Lit. those of the law">h</a></span> but also for those who share the faith of Abraham, who 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 the father of many nations.”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:17 Cf. Gen 17:5">i</a></span> Abraham<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:17 Lit. He">j</a></span> acted in faith when he stood in the presence of God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that don’t yet exist. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Hoping in spite of hopeless circumstances, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:18 Cf. Gen 17:5">k</a></span> just as he had been told:<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:18 Lit. according to what was said">l</a></span> “This is how many descendants you will have.”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:18 Gen 15:5">m</a></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>His faith did not weaken when he thought about his own body (which was already<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:19 Other mss. lack already">n</a></span> as good as dead now that he was about a hundred years old) or about Sarah’s inability to have children, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>nor did he doubt God’s promise out of a lack of faith. Instead, his faith became stronger and he gave glory to God, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>being absolutely convinced that God would 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="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:22 Gen Cf. 15:6">o</a></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for him <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/4-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>but also for us. Our faith will be regarded in the same way,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:24 Lit. It will be regarded">p</a></span> if we believe in the one 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 sentenced to death because of our sins and raised to life to justify us.</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="ftn"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn1"><span class="fnb">a</span> 4:3 Cf. Gen 15:6<br /><span class="fnb">b</span> 4:8 MT source citation reads <i>LORD</i><br /><span class="fnb">c</span> 4:8 Ps Cf. 32:1-2<br /><span class="fnb">d</span> 4:9 Gen Cf. 15:6<br /><span class="fnb">e</span> 4:14 Lit. <i>those of the law</i><br /><span class="fnb">f</span> 4:16 Lit. <i>it</i><br /><span class="fnb">g</span> 4:16 Lit. <i>his</i><br /><span class="fnb">h</span> 4:16 Lit. <i>those of the law</i><br /><span class="fnb">i</span> 4:17 Cf. Gen 17:5<br /><span class="fnb">j</span> 4:17 Lit. <i>He</i><br /><span class="fnb">k</span> 4:18 Cf. Gen 17:5<br /><span class="fnb">l</span> 4:18 Lit. <i>according to what was said</i><br /><span class="fnb">m</span> 4:18 Gen 15:5<br /><span class="fnb">n</span> 4:19 Other mss. lack <i>already</i><br /><span class="fnb">o</span> 4:22 Gen Cf. 15:6<br /><span class="fnb">p</span> 4:24 Lit. <i>It will be regarded</i><br /></span><br><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><div align="center"><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1<br />Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation<br />ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../romans/3.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Romans 3"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Romans 3" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../romans/5.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Romans 5"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Romans 5" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/romans/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><div align="center" style="background-color:#F2FAFF"><br /><br /><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /> </div><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/botmenubhnm2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe><div align="center"><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span></div></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>