Romans 4:13-25
God’s promise is received by faith in His power to bring life from death, a faith fulfilled in trust in the risen Christ.
Scripture Text
4:13 For the promise to Abraham and to His offspring that He should be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
4:14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect.
4:15 For the law produces wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.
4:16 For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
4:17 As it is written, “I have made You a father of many nations.” This is in the presence of Him whom He believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were.
4:18 Besides hope, Abraham in hope believed, to the end that He might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So will Your offspring be.”
4:19 Without being weakened in faith, He didn’t consider His own body, already having been worn out, (He being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
4:20 Yet, looking to the promise of God, He didn’t waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God,
4:21 And being fully assured that what He had promised, He was also able to perform.
4:22 Therefore it also was “credited to Him for righteousness.”
4:23 Now it was not written that it was accounted to Him for His sake alone,
4:24 But for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in Him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead,
4:25 Who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
God’s promise is received by faith in His power to bring life from death, a faith fulfilled in trust in the risen Christ.
The inheritance promised to Abraham is secured through faith in God’s life-giving power, not through law-keeping, and this faith centers on resurrection hope.
To free believers from works-based assurance, religious boasting, and covenant-marker presumption by grounding them in credited righteousness and the grace-guaranteed promise.
- Scriptural Proof from Abraham Paul establishes that Abraham's righteousness was credited by faith, not earned by works, eliminating boasting before God.
- Scriptural Confirmation from David David confirms the blessing of credited righteousness by describing forgiven transgression, covered sin, and sin not counted.
- Chronological Argument from Circumcision Because Abraham was justified before circumcision, circumcision cannot be the basis of His righteousness; it functions as sign and seal.
- Promise-Law Contrast Inheritance cannot depend on law, because law brings wrath; the promise operates through faith.
- Grace-Guaranteed Promise The promise is by faith so that it may rest on grace and be guaranteed to Abraham's whole family of faith.
- Faith in the God of Life-from-Death Abraham's faith rests in God's power to overcome human impossibility and fulfill His promise.
- Christological Fulfillment Abraham's credited righteousness points forward to believers who trust the God who raised Jesus, delivered for sins and raised for justification.
Paul moves from Abraham's justification by faith, to David's testimony of credited righteousness and forgiven sin, to Abraham's pre-circumcision status as father of all believers, to the promise secured by grace through faith, and finally to the Christ-centered fulfillment of faith in Jesus' death and resurrection.
Romans 4 defends justification by faith from the Scriptures by showing that Abraham was counted righteous by faith before circumcision and apart from the law, that David speaks of forgiven sin and righteousness credited apart from works, and that the promise must rest on grace so it may be guaranteed to all who share Abraham's faith in the God who raises the dead.
Theological logic
- If Abraham were justified by works, he could boast, but not before God.
- Scripture says Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.
- A worker receives wages as obligation, not grace.
- The one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly receives righteousness by faith.
- David confirms the same blessing by describing forgiveness and sin not counted.
- This blessing is not only for the circumcised because Abraham was counted righteous before circumcision.
- Circumcision was a sign and seal of righteousness by faith, not the source of that righteousness.
- Abraham is father of uncircumcised believers and circumcised believers who walk in his faith.
- The promise to Abraham and his offspring did not come through law but through the righteousness of faith.
- If inheritance depends on law, faith is emptied and the promise nullified.
- The law brings wrath where transgression exists.
- The promise comes by faith so that it may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring.
- Abraham believed the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
- Abraham's faith did not deny weakness but trusted God's power over impossibility.
- The words about credited righteousness were written for believers who trust God who raised Jesus from the dead.
- Jesus was delivered over for sins and raised for justification.
- Do not interpret promise as conditional upon law-keeping; Paul explicitly contrasts promise and law.
- Do not reduce Abraham’s faith to optimism; it was confidence in God’s resurrection power.
- Do not separate Christ’s resurrection from justification; Paul links them directly.
- Do not treat grace as optional; it guarantees the certainty of the promise.
- Abraham did not ignore the deadness of His body or Sarah’s womb. Faith faces reality while trusting God’s promise.
- The law brings wrath because sinners transgress it. The problem is not evil in the law but sin in humanity.
- The promise is guaranteed because it rests on grace and the God who gives life to the dead.
- Paul’s whole argument contrasts faith with works. Faith receives the promise and righteousness is credited by God.
- Paul ends the chapter by directing believers to the God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
- Romans 4:25 says Jesus was raised for our justification. The resurrection is tied to the believer’s righteous standing before God.
- Paul interprets the promise in relation to Abraham’s worldwide fatherhood and the righteousness that comes by faith to all believers.
- The promise rests on grace, not human law-keeping, so believers may have assurance that God’s promise is guaranteed in Christ.
- Law cannot be the basis of inheritance because law exposes transgression and brings wrath to sinners.
- Faith does not deny impossibility. Abraham faced bodily deadness honestly while trusting God’s promise.
- True faith gives glory to God because it relies on God’s power and faithfulness rather than human strength.
- Weak circumstances do not weaken God’s promise. Abraham’s body and Sarah’s womb were deadened, but God’s word remained alive.
- Faith is not vague optimism. It is being fully persuaded that God has power to do what He promised.
- Christian faith is resurrection-shaped. Believers trust the God who raised Jesus from the dead.
- The cross addresses our sins. Jesus was delivered over for our trespasses.
- The resurrection confirms and secures our justification. Jesus was raised for our righteous standing before God.
- Pastoral ministry should move struggling believers from self-measurement to confidence in God’s promise-keeping power.
- Confess where You are treating righteousness as wages owed rather than grace credited.
- Meditate on Genesis 15:6 and Psalm 32:1-2 as Old Testament witnesses to justification and forgiveness.
- Name the outward markers You are tempted to trust instead of Christ.
- Practice saying clearly: God justifies the ungodly who trust Him.
- Bring Your weakness honestly before God without letting it cancel His promise.
- Give glory to God by rehearsing what He has promised and what He has power to do.
- Anchor daily assurance in Jesus delivered for sins and raised for justification.
- Teach the gospel as promise secured by grace, not as moral wages earned by performance.
Humble faith, grace-shaped assurance, confidence in God's promise, freedom from boasting, perseverance amid weakness, and resurrection-centered worship.
- Abraham Believed God : Romans 4 builds on Genesis 15:6 to show that Abraham was counted righteous by faith before circumcision and before the Mosaic law.
- The Blessedness of Forgiven Sin : Paul uses Psalm 32 to connect justification with forgiveness and non-imputation of sin.
- Circumcision as Sign of Covenant : Genesis 17 gives circumcision as covenant sign, while Romans 4 clarifies that the sign followed Abraham's credited righteousness.
- Promise to the Nations : The Abrahamic promise includes blessing for many nations, fulfilled in the worldwide family of faith.
- Life from the Dead : Abraham trusts God to bring life from barrenness and bodily deadness, anticipating resurrection faith.
- Faith and Promise : The promise is secured by grace through faith, aligning Abraham's faith with later biblical teaching on inheriting God's promises.
- Christ Delivered and Raised : Romans 4 culminates in Christ's death for sins and resurrection for justification, connecting Abrahamic faith to the gospel event.
- Justification Apart from Works : Romans 4 harmonizes with Paul's wider teaching that righteousness is received by faith and not earned by works.
The promise of righteousness and inheritance is secured by grace and received through faith. True faith trusts in the God who raises the dead, fulfilled supremely in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through His death and resurrection, believers are justified and counted righteous before God.