Rom 4:4-16 | ESV | STEP | Now to the one who works , his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due .

a[ch. 11:6; Deut. 9:4, 5]

b ch. 3:22; See John 6:29

dCited from Ps. 32:1, 2

e 2 Cor. 5:19

f ch. 3:30

g ver. 3

h Gen. 17:10, 11

i ver. 12, 16; [ch. 3:22]; See Luke 19:9

j Gal. 3:16; Heb. 6:15, 17; 7:6; 11:9, 17; [ch. 9:8]; See Acts 13:32

k Gen. 17:4-6

l Gal. 3:17, 18

m ch. 7:7, 10-25; 2 Cor. 3:7, 9; Gal. 3:10

n[ch. 3:20]

o Gal. 3:19

pSee ch. 3:24

q Gal. 3:22; [ch. 15:8]

r[ch. 9:8]

Romans 4:4-16

4 Now ^ato the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but ^bbelieves in ^{▼▼Or but trusts; compare verse 24} him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7 ^d“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not ^ecount his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for ^fthe circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? ^gFor we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 ^hHe received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was ⁱto make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and 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.

The Promise Realized Through Faith

13 For ^jthe promise to Abraham and his offspring ^kthat he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 ^lFor if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For ^mthe law brings wrath, but ⁿwhere there is no law ^othere is no transgression.

16 That is why it depends on faith, ^pin order that the promise may rest on grace and ^qbe guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, ^rwho is the father of us all,