4What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?G5101G2046G3767G11G2257G3962G2596G4561G21472For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.G1063G1487G11G1344G1537G2041G2192G2745G235G3756G4314G23163For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."G1063G5101G3004G1124G1161G11G4100G2316G2532G3049G846G1519G13434Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.G1161G2038G3049G3408G3756G3049G2596G5485G235G2596G37835And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,G1161G2038G3361G1161G4100G1909G1344G765G846G4102G3049G1519G13436just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:G2509G1138G2532G3004G3108G444G3739G2316G3049G1343G5565G20417"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;G3107G3739G458G863G2532G3739G266G19438blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."G3107G435G3739G2962G3049G3364G3049G2669Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.G3778G3108G3767G1909G4061G2228G1909G203G2532G1063G3004G3754G4102G3049G11G1519G134310How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.G4459G3049G3767G3049G5607G1722G4061G2228G1722G203G3756G1722G4061G235G1722G20311He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,G2532G2983G4592G4061G4973G1343G4102G3588G1722G203G1519G846G1511G3962G3956G4100G1223G203G1519G1343G3049G846G253212and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.G2532G3962G4061G3756G1537G4061G3440G235G2532G4748G2487G4102G2257G3962G11G1722G203
The Promise Realized Through Faith
13For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.G1063G1860G1511G846G2818G2889G3756G11G2228G846G4690G1223G3551G235G1223G1343G410214For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.G1063G1487G1537G3551G2818G4102G2758G2532G1860G267315For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.G1063G3551G2716G3709G1063G3757G3756G3551G2076G3761G384716That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,G1223G5124G1537G4102G2443G2596G5485G1519G1860G1511G949G3956G4690G3756G3440G1537G3551G235G2532G1537G4102G11G3739G2076G3962G2257G395617as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations"—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.G2531G1125G3754G5087G4571G3962G4183G1484G2713G3739G4100G2316G2227G3498G2532G2564G5607G3361G5613G560718In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be."G3739G3844G1680G4100G1909G1680G1519G846G1096G3962G4183G1484G2596G2046G3779G2071G4675G4690G207119He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.G2532G3361G770G4102G2657G3756G1438G4983G2235G3499G5225G4225G1541G2532G3500G4564G338820No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,G1161G1252G3756G1519G1860G2316G570G235G1743G4102G1325G1391G231621fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.G2532G4135G3754G3739G1861G2076G1415G2532G416022That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."G2532G1352G3049G846G1519G134323But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone,G1161G1125G3756G1125G1223G846G3440G3754G3049G84624but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,G235G1223G2248G2532G3739G3195G3049G4100G1909G1453G2424G2257G2962G1537G349825who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.G3739G3860G1223G2257G3900G2532G1453G1223G2257G1347
Dublin, OH
