Romans 4:1-5 · Bible study
Romans 4:1-5 Commentary: Abraham Justified by Faith, Not Works
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Paul argues from Scripture that Abraham was justified by faith, not works, answering Jewish objections. A study of Romans 4:1-5.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Abraham was not justified by his own works but by faith; his faith was credited to him as righteousness by grace.
- Key words: λογίζεται (logizetai, “is counted/credited”), a bookkeeping term meaning to place to one’s account; καύχημα (kauchēma, “ground of boasting”), the pride a worker might claim.
- Main debate: Whether “faith is counted as righteousness” means faith itself is the righteousness God requires, or whether faith is the instrument that receives Christ’s alien righteousness.
- Theological theme: Justification is a gift of grace, not a reward for works; God justifies the “ungodly.”
- Best use: To establish the biblical foundation of salvation by grace through faith alone, and to correct any notion that human effort earns God’s acceptance.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, has discovered?
2If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God.
3For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
4Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.
5However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
WEB World English Bible 2000
1What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather, has found according to the flesh?
2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God.
3For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
4Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed.
5But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
KJV King James Version 1769
1What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, hath found according to the flesh?
2For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God.
3For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness.
4Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt.
5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1What, then, shall we say Abraham our father, to have found, according to flesh?
2for if Abraham by works was declared righteous, he hath to boast--but not before God;
3for what doth the writing say? `And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him--to righteousness;'
4and to him who is working, the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt;
5and to him who is not working, and is believing upon Him who is declaring righteous the impious, his faith is reckoned--to righteousness:
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1What shall we say then that Abraham our father according to flesh has found?
2For if Abraham has been justified on the principle of works, he has whereof to boast: but not before God;
3for what does the scripture say? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.
4Now to him that works the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but of debt:
5but to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1What shall we say then that Abraham hath found, who is our father according to the flesh?
2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God.
3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God: and it was reputed to him unto justice.
4Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned according to grace but according to debt.
5But to him that worketh not, yet believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reputed to justice, according to the purpose of the grace of God.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Romans 4:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Paul’s goal is to prove that Abraham, the father of Israel, was justified by faith rather than by his own efforts. Adam Clarke calls the Genesis 15:6 quotation “decisive.” Barnes and Calvin both note that if justification came through works, Abraham would have grounds for boasting, but he has none before God. Gill explains that the “worker” in verse 4 is not a person devoted to good works, but someone who trusts his own obedience to earn salvation. John Wesley draws attention to the term “ungodly” in verse 5, observing that Abraham was an idolater when called. Across the sources, a clear contrast emerges: wages earned versus a gift received. The commentators all affirm that grace and debt are opposites, and that faith, not work, is the sole condition for righteousness before God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Imputation of Christ’s righteousness through faith: Faith is not itself righteousness but receives a righteousness outside the believer; Paul’s contrast between grace and debt (vv. 4-5) requires an objective, alien righteousness (Calvin, Gill, JFB).
- Faith as the condition graciously counted as righteousness: God accepts the act of believing as a substitute for perfect obedience; Abraham’s faith is itself regarded as righteousness (Arminian / Roman Catholic interpretations, contested by JFB).
What is clear: Paul clearly teaches that Abraham was not justified by his own works, but by faith, and that this faith is credited as righteousness—a gift of grace, not a reward earned.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Justification by faith vs. works | Paul teaches that Abraham was justified by faith, not by works of the law. | Some traditions read James 2:20-24 as teaching justification by works or by faith plus works, while Paul here insists on faith alone. Historic consensus distinguishes between the ground of justification (Christ’s righteousness received by faith) and the evidence of faith (works as fruit). |
| Meaning of 'according to the flesh' | Most commentators understand it as 'by natural effort, human works, or ethnic privilege.' | A minority view (noted by some older commentators) argues it refers specifically to circumcision or Jewish identity, but the broader context of 'works of the law' supports a wider reference. |
| The concept of reward vs. grace | Works create an obligation; grace is a free gift. The two are mutually exclusive in justification. | Some traditions see a place for 'grace-infused works' that also merit reward, but Paul’s language here (worker earns, believer receives) makes grace the only category for justification. |
| The state of Abraham as 'ungodly' | Paul uses 'ungodly' (asebēs) to describe Abraham before his conversion, an idolater with no personal merit. | Some argue this applies to Abraham’s pre-call state only, while others see it as a general truth: all humans are 'ungodly' when God justifies them. |
Historical & Cultural Context
In first-century Judaism, Abraham was cherished as the supreme example of righteousness. Passages like Matthew 3:9 and John 8:33 show that many Jews believed being Abraham’s descendant guaranteed divine favor. They assumed he was justified by his exceptional obedience, including his willingness to offer Isaac. Paul overturns that assumption by appealing to Genesis 15:6, a text set long before Abraham’s circumcision (Genesis 17) and decades before the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22).
The phrase “according to the flesh” (kata sarka, verse 1) undercuts any confidence in ethnic privilege or natural effort. Paul needed to show that his gospel of justification by faith alone was not a novelty but was woven into the Torah itself. By citing the very verse that Jewish tradition used to celebrate Abraham’s merit, he demonstrates that the Scripture teaches grace. The description of God as “him who justifies the ungodly” (ton asebē, verse 5) would have stunned Jewish readers: Abraham was seen as devout, yet Paul declares that God accepts sinners while they are still unworthy. In this way, the patriarch becomes the pattern for both Jews and Gentiles to receive righteousness as a free gift.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note one significant textual variant: in verse 1, the phrase “has found” (εὑρηκέναι, heurēkenai) is omitted by important manuscripts (noted by Vincent). The best reading becomes “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, according to the flesh?” The meaning is unaffected, the question still focuses on what Abraham attained by human effort. In verse 3, the verse from Genesis 15:6 is quoted verbatim from the Septuagint with a small conjunction change (δε for καί in the LXX), but the sense is identical.
Reception History
Romans 4:1-5 has stood at the centre of the church’s debate over justification. During the Reformation, Luther and Calvin leaned on these verses to argue that righteousness is imputed through faith alone, apart from works. The Council of Tudor (Trent) responded by affirming that faith is the beginning of justification but must be perfected by love and good works. In later centuries, Wesleyan and Arminian traditions stressed that faith itself is the condition God graciously accepts, while the Reformed tradition maintained that faith is merely the instrument receiving Christ’s alien righteousness. Today the passage is cherished across Christian traditions as a clear statement that salvation is a gift, not a wage, and that Abraham, the father of faith, stands as the model for all believers.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Wrong Path: Boasting in Works (verse 2). Paul’s hypothetical “if Abraham was justified by works” leads to a dead end: human boasting. Such glorying has no place before God.
- The Scriptural Path: Faith as the Means (verse 3). The definitive answer comes from Genesis 15:6. Abraham believed God, and that faith was credited to him as righteousness.
- The Gift vs. Debt Contrast (verses 4-5). A worker earns wages as an obligation. A believer receives righteousness as a gracious gift. The two systems cannot be mixed.
Five-point outline
- The Question: What Did Abraham Find? (verse 1). Paul introduces the patriarch as “our forefather” and asks what he discovered by human effort.
- The Hypothesis: If Works, Then Boasting (verse 2). If Abraham had been justified by works, he would have grounds to boast. But he does not, so he was not.
- The Scripture Quotation: Genesis 15:6 (verse 3). Paul cites the inspired record: Abraham’s faith, not his work, was counted as righteousness.
- The Principle: Worker Earns, Believer Receives (verse 4). On the works-principle, reward is a contractual debt. Grace vanishes when payment is required.
- The Conclusion: Faith, Not Work, for the Ungodly (verse 5). The one who stops working and trusts the God who justifies sinners finds faith credited as righteousness.
Illustration hooks
- A birthday gift that the recipient tries to pay for. The giver must insist: “This is a gift, not a transaction.”
- A child who thinks they must earn their parent’s love by perfect behaviour, only to realise it was always given freely.
- An employee who expects a paycheck; compare that to a friend who gives an unsolicited, generous present.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Does this mean my good works don’t matter at all?”
- “If justification is free, what motivates me to live a holy life?”
- “I still feel like I have to clean myself up before God will accept me. How do I stop?”
Leading a Discussion
This passage tackles the deepest human instinct: the desire to earn God’s favour. Paul takes the most revered figure in Jewish history and shows that even Abraham received righteousness as a gift.
Discussion questions
- Why does Paul ask what Abraham “found” (verse 1)? What would a typical Jew expect the answer to be?
- In verse 2, Paul says Abraham would have a “ground of boasting” if justified by works. Why is this a problem?
- Read Genesis 15:6 aloud. How does this one verse settle the argument for Paul?
- In your own words, explain the contrast in verses 4 and 5 between a worker and a believer. What makes the two systems incompatible?
- Paul calls the person God justifies “ungodly” (verse 5). Why is that word choice important? What does it say about the condition of the person receiving righteousness?
- How does this passage challenge the idea that we must “do something” to be saved?
- If righteousness is a gift, what changes about how you approach God in prayer or in your daily struggles?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 51:2 | Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him, I blessed him, and made him many. |
| Matthew 3:9 | Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. |
| Luke 3:8 | Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! |
| Luke 16:24 | He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’ |
| Luke 16:25 | “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted and you are in anguish. |
| Luke 16:29 | “But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ |
| Luke 16:31 | “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’” |
| John 8:33 | They answered him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, ‘You will be made free’?” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the Jewish argument for justification by works rests on Abraham having cause to glory, but Paul counters that this glorying is not before God as a basis for blessing; it is itself a result of free grace. Since Abraham was an idolater when called, his justification came purely through faith, setting the pattern for all sinners.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues strongly that when Scripture says Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness, it means the act of believing itself was reckoned, not that another's righteousness was transferred to him. He insists the Greek word for counted never signifies imputing something that does not properly belong to a person.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin treats Abraham as the definitive pattern for the whole Church, arguing that the patriarch's justification by faith, not works, establishes the one path of righteousness for everyone. He stresses that Abraham had nothing to boast about before God, because faith does not earn righteousness but simply receives God's free gift. Any view of faith that allows room for human merit or boasting misses the point entirely.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator stresses that faith is the condition for acceptance with God, not the ground of it; the ground is Christ's propitiation. Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness, but faith itself is not righteousness. Justification comes to those who trust God, not to those who work for merit, even to the openly ungodly.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva annotators draw a tight contrast between wages and grace: works earn a debt, but faith receives righteousness as a free gift. Abraham’s boasting is impossible before God because his standing rests entirely on believing in the One who justifies the ungodly, not on any accomplishment.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that when Scripture says Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness, it does not mean the act of believing itself became his righteousness
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB insists that Abraham's faith was not counted as righteousness because believing is itself a work or a substitute for obedience. Rather, faith is the opposite of works—the empty hand that receives a gift. It is merely the instrument that puts us in possession of a blessing freely given.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that Abraham's faith in God's promise of Isaac is essentially the same as Christian faith in the resurrection of Jesus, differing only in form. For Lange, Abraham's justification while uncircumcised establishes him as father of all believers, with circumcision serving only as a seal of the righteousness already received by faith.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry argues that Abraham serves as the decisive test case for justification because even this great patriarch, with all his privileges and good works, found no grounds for boasting before God. What Abraham truly discovered was not merit through external observances but justification through faith alone, like a merchant who finds one priceless pearl.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent explains that faith counted as righteousness is not a legal fiction; faith itself is the germ of righteousness, containing the fruit. He also notes that nowhere in Paul or the New Testament is there a formal statement that Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley argues that Abraham was justified not by works but by faith alone, since faith was counted to him as righteousness while he was still ungodly. He insists that holiness or sanctification follows justification, not the other way around. This shows that God accepts sinners as righteous only through faith, not through any prior goodness.