Abraham Justified by Faith

What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather(A) according to the flesh, has found?[a] If Abraham was justified[b] by works,(B) he has something to boast about—but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.[c](C) Now to the one who works,(D) pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed.

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Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Or What then shall we say? Have we found Abraham to be our forefather according to the flesh? or What, then, shall we say that Abraham our forefather found according to the flesh?
  2. 4:2 Or was declared righteous, or was acquitted
  3. 4:3 Gn 15:6

The Faith of Abraham

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[a]

When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.

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Footnotes

  1. 4:3 Gen 15:6.