4What shall we say, then, of Abraham, the father of our race? What was his experience?G5101G2046G3767G11G2257G3962G2596G4561G2147 2If he was put right with God by the things he did, he would have something to boast about - but not in God's sight.G1063G1487G11G1344G1537G2041G2192G2745G235G3756G4314G2316 3The scripture says, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."G1063G5101G3004G1124G1161G11G4100G2316G2532G3049G846G1519G1343 4A person who works is paid wages, but they are not regarded as a gift; they are something that has been earned.G1161G2038G3049G3408G3756G3049G2596G5485G235G2596G3783 5But those who depend on faith, not on deeds, and who believe in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is this faith that God takes into account in order to put them right with himself.G1161G2038G3361G1161G4100G1909G1344G765G846G4102G3049G1519G1343 6This is what David meant when he spoke of the happiness of the person whom God accepts as righteous, apart from anything that person does:G2509G1138G2532G3004G3108G444G3739G2316G3049G1343G5565G2041 7"Happy are those whose wrongs are forgiven, whose sins are pardoned!G3107G3739G458G863G2532G3739G266G1943 8Happy is the person whose sins the Lord will not keep account of !"G3107G435G3739G2962G3049G3364G3049G266 9Does this happiness that David spoke of belong only to those who are circumcised? No indeed! It belongs also to those who are not circumcised. For we have quoted the scripture, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."G3778G3108G3767G1909G4061G2228G1909G203G2532G1063G3004G3754G4102G3049G11G1519G1343 10When did this take place? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? It was before, not after.G4459G3049G3767G3049G5607G1722G4061G2228G1722G203G3756G1722G4061G235G1722G203 11He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised.G2532G2983G4592G4061G4973G1343G4102G3588G1722G203G1519G846G1511G3962G3956G4100G1223G203G1519G1343G3049G846G2532 12He is also the father of those who are circumcised, that is, of those who, in addition to being circumcised, also live the same life of faith that our father Abraham lived before he was circumcised.G2532G3962G4061G3756G1537G4061G3440G235G2532G4748G2487G4102G2257G3962G11G1722G203 13When God promised Abraham and his descendants that the world would belong to him, he did so, not because Abraham obeyed the Law, but because he believed and was accepted as righteous by God.G1063G1860G1511G846G2818G2889G3756G11G2228G846G4690G1223G3551G235G1223G1343G4102 14For if what God promises is to be given to those who obey the Law, then faith means nothing and God's promise is worthless.G1063G1487G1537G3551G2818G4102G2758G2532G1860G2673 15The Law brings down God's anger; but where there is no law, there is no disobeying of the law.G1063G3551G2716G3709G1063G3757G3756G3551G2076G3761G3847 16And so the promise was based on faith, in order that the promise should be guaranteed as God's free gift to all of Abraham's descendants - not just to those who obey the Law, but also to those who believe as Abraham did. For Abraham is the spiritual father of us all;G1223G5124G1537G4102G2443G2596G5485G1519G1860G1511G949G3956G4690G3756G3440G1537G3551G235G2532G1537G4102G11G3739G2076G3962G2257G3956 17as the scripture says, "I have made you father of many nations." So the promise is good in the sight of God, in whom Abraham believed - the God who brings the dead to life and whose command brings into being what did not exist.G2531G1125G3754G5087G4571G3962G4183G1484G2713G3739G4100G2316G2227G3498G2532G2564G5607G3361G5613G5607 18Abraham believed and hoped, even when there was no reason for hoping, and so became "the father of many nations." Just as the scripture says, "Your descendants will be as many as the stars."G3739G3844G1680G4100G1909G1680G1519G846G1096G3962G4183G1484G2596G2046G3779G2071G4675G4690G2071 19He was then almost one hundred years old; but his faith did not weaken when he thought of his body, which was already practically dead, or of the fact that Sarah could not have children.G2532G3361G770G4102G2657G3756G1438G4983G2235G3499G5225G4225G1541G2532G3500G4564G3388 20His faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God's promise; his faith filled him with power, and he gave praise to God.G1161G1252G3756G1519G1860G2316G570G235G1743G4102G1325G1391G2316 21He was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what he had promised.G2532G4135G3754G3739G1861G2076G1415G2532G4160 22That is why Abraham, through faith, "was accepted as righteous by God."G2532G1352G3049G846G1519G1343 23The words "he was accepted as righteous" were not written for him alone.G1161G1125G3756G1125G1223G846G3440G3754G3049G846 24They were written also for us who are to be accepted as righteous, who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from death.G235G1223G2248G2532G3739G3195G3049G4100G1909G1453G2424G2257G2962G1537G3498 25Because of our sins he was given over to die, and he was raised to life in order to put us right with God.G3739G3860G1223G2257G3900G2532G1453G1223G2257G1347
Dublin, OH
