Romans 4:23-25 · Bible study
Romans 4:23-25 Commentary: Abraham's Pattern of Justification
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Paul shows that Abraham's faith being credited as righteousness was written as a pattern for all who trust in the risen Christ.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The record of Abraham's justification by faith was written as a pattern for all who trust in the God who raised Jesus from the dead.
- Key words: logizomai (credited/reckoned), the same accounting term used for Abraham and for believers; paradidōmi (delivered), of Christ's surrender to death; dikaiōsis (justification), the act of declaring righteous.
- Main debate: Whether διὰ in “raised for our justification” means “because of” (our justification already accomplished) or “for the purpose of” (our justification as the intended result).
- Theological theme: The unity of justification by faith across both testaments; Christ's death and resurrection as the single ground of acceptance with God.
- Best use: Teaching the consistent gospel of grace; connecting Abraham's faith to Christian faith; showing the resurrection as essential to justification, not optional.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
23Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham,
24but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.
WEB World English Bible 2000
23Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone,
24but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
KJV King James Version 1769
23Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
23Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was reckoned unto him;
24but for our sake also, unto whom it shall be reckoned, who believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
23And it was not written on his account alone, that it was reckoned to him,
24but also on ours, to whom it is about to be reckoned--to us believing on Him who did raise up Jesus our Lord out of the dead,
25who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
23Now it was not written on his account alone that it was reckoned to him,
24but on ours also, to whom, believing on him who has raised from among [the] dead Jesus our Lord,
25who has been delivered for our offences and has been raised for our justification, it will be reckoned.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
23Now it is not written only for him. that it was reputed to him unto justice,
24But also for us, to whom it shall be reputed, if we believe in him that raised up Jesus Christ, our Lord, from the dead,
25Who was delivered up for our sins and rose again for our justification.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Romans 4:23
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Across the supplied commentaries, a strong agreement emerges: the record of Abraham's faith being credited as righteousness was not a private honor for him. As Barnes and Gill each explain, it was written for our sake, to show that God has one way of justifying people, by faith. Calvin calls it “an example of a common righteousness” that belongs equally to all. Matthew Henry adds that these Old Testament accounts are not mere history but “precedents to direct us.”
The pattern is this: believers today are justified the same way Abraham was, by faith in the God who raises the dead. Adam Clarke states plainly that if God will save us, it must be by faith, contemplating His promise. The passage itself (v.25) ties Christ's death and resurrection directly to our offenses and justification. Cambridge Bible notes that the two parallel clauses are meant to be read together, with both διά phrases conveying the ground or purpose of Christ's work. The core certainty is that we are included in Abraham's story. What was written centuries ago was written for us.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Causal reading (Cambridge Bible): The parallel with 'delivered because of our offenses' demands the same construction: he was raised because our justification was accomplished by his death.
- Final/purpose reading (Clarke, Barnes, Calvin): The resurrection secures, confirms, or applies justification to believers; it is not merely a result but an essential element in the order of salvation. They point to the resurrection as God's declaration of Christ's victory and the ground of our acceptance.
What is clear: The account of Abraham's faith was written for our instruction, and every believer is justified by faith in the God who raised Jesus from the dead, whose death atoned for our sins and whose resurrection guarantees our justification.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose of the Scriptural record | The account of Abraham's faith was written not just for his honor but for the instruction and encouragement of all believers. | Some emphasize this proves a uniform pattern of justification across both testaments; others see it primarily as pastoral encouragement for struggling believers. |
| Meaning of 'raised for our justification' (v.25) | The resurrection is closely tied to our justification, it is not an afterthought but essential. | The Cambridge Bible argues that <em>διὰ</em> here means 'because of', Christ was raised because our justification was already secured by His death. Most other commentators (Clarke, Barnes, Calvin) read it as 'for the purpose of', the resurrection actively secures or confirms our justification. |
| Future tense 'it will be credited' (v.24) | Justification is both a present reality for believers and a future hope. | Vincent points out that the Greek construction <em>mellei logizesthai</em> ('is about to be credited') stresses God's settled intention, not a distant event. Some take it as the assurance of future vindication at the final judgment; others as the present imputation of righteousness applied through faith. |
| Scope of atonement in 'delivered for our offenses' | Christ died because of human sin, his death deals with the problem of transgression. | Gill limits 'our offenses' to the elect; Barnes and Clarke speak of the world or all who believe. The passage does not specify the extent, and traditions differ on whether Christ died for all or only for those who will be saved. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Romans 4 forms the heart of Paul's argument that justification, being declared righteous before God, has always come through faith, not through keeping the law. In chapters 1, 3, Paul charged that all people, Jew and Greek alike, are under sin and need a righteousness from God. Chapter 4 anchors that claim in the story of Abraham, Israel's father, to show that the principle of faith-based righteousness is not new but was established from the beginning.
Paul writes to a mixed church in Rome, likely containing both Jewish and Gentile believers. Jewish Christians revered Abraham as the model of obedience; circumcision (Gen 17) was seen as the sign of covenant membership. But Paul reads Genesis 15:6, “he believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness”, and notes that this happened before Abraham was circumcised. The surrounding context (Rom 4:9-12) makes the point that justification is by faith, apart from ritual markers.
In verses 23-25, Paul draws the practical conclusion: the Scripture about Abraham is not a museum piece. It is addressed to everyone who “believe[s] in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (v.24). The early church lived under the conviction that Jesus' resurrection was God's decisive act, a public declaration that the cross had satisfied for sin and that death itself was defeated. Poole's Annotations (supplied in the background) put it this way: had Christ not paid the full debt, he would have remained in the prison of death. The resurrection is God's receipt, proving the debt paid.
Literarily, these three verses belong to the concluding application of the Abraham argument. Paul has walked through the history (vv.1-8), the timing (vv.9-12), the promise (vv.13-17), and the nature of Abraham's faith (vv.18-22). Now he says: this was written for us. The pattern is sealed by the death and resurrection of Jesus, who is both the object of our faith and the ground of our justification.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for Romans 4:23-25. The Greek text is stable across the major manuscript traditions. The only minor variation involves the order of pronouns in some later manuscripts, but it does not affect meaning. All major editions (NA28, UBS5, TR) read the same core text.
Reception History
Romans 4:23-25 has been central to the Church's understanding of justification since the earliest centuries. During the Reformation, Luther and Calvin leaned heavily on Paul's argument that righteousness is credited through faith, not works, and that the Old Testament saints were saved the same way. The phrase “raised for our justification” has been woven into creeds and catechetical statements as a summary of the gospel's two movements: atonement and vindication.
In the Wesleyan tradition, Adam Clarke used the passage to argue that faith is the universal condition of salvation, the same for patriarchs and modern believers. The Eastern Orthodox tradition, while reading Paul through a lens of theosis rather than forensic justification, still affirms that Christ's resurrection is the ground of our new life. Across liturgical traditions, this passage appears in readings for Easter and for catechetical instruction on the nature of faith. It stands as a touchstone for the unity of God's saving purpose across the testaments.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- History was written for our instruction. The account of Abraham's faith was not preserved merely as a biographical curiosity (v.23). Paul applies the principle of Romans 15:4, the Scriptures were written for our learning. Every story in the Old Testament is meant to shape how we live and trust God today.
- Faith has one object: the God who raises the dead. Abraham believed God could give life to his and Sarah's barren bodies; we believe in the God who raised Jesus from the dead (v.24). The object of faith is the same, the life-giving God. Resurrection is not an appendix to the gospel; it is the center of the faith we share with Abraham.
- Christ's death and resurrection accomplish our justification. Verse 25 forms a tight couplet: Jesus was delivered for our trespasses and raised for our justification. His death deals with the debt; his resurrection secures the declaration. As Adam Clarke says, the resurrection gives us “the fullest assurance that the death of Christ had accomplished the end for which it took place.”
Five-point outline
- The Scripture's intent: not private information but public instruction.
- The universal scope: “for us also”, the pattern includes Gentiles and Jews.
- The object of faith: God the Father who raised Jesus the Lord.
- The ground of faith: Christ delivered for our offenses.
- The guarantee of faith: Christ raised for our justification.
Illustration hooks
- A solved math problem: A teacher works one example on the board, not just to help that one student, but as a pattern for the entire class. Abraham is that example, and the class is every believer who comes after.
- A signed contract with two parties: The promise to Abraham was not only for him; it was also for his “seed”, and Paul includes all who share Abraham's faith. The contract has our name on it, too.
- A receipt stamped “Paid in Full”: The resurrection is like a receipt showing the debt of sin has been fully satisfied. The empty tomb is God's public cancellation of the charge against us.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “How can I know that the Old Testament stories are relevant to my life today?”
- “What does it mean that Jesus was raised for my justification, does that mean my forgiveness depends on the resurrection, not just the cross?”
- “Abraham believed God for a son; I need to believe God for my marriage, my health, my future. Is the faith the same?”
Leading a Discussion
This short passage caps Paul's argument that Abraham's justification by faith sets the pattern for all believers. The Bible's record of Abraham was not written only to honor him, but to teach and encourage everyone who trusts the same God. As you work through these questions, notice how Paul bridges the Old and New Testaments, the same gospel of grace runs through both.
Discussion questions
- Read Romans 4:23-25 together. Why do you think Paul makes a point of saying the account was “not written for his sake alone”?
- How does verse 24 connect Abraham's faith to our faith? What is the same about them, and what is different?
- Verse 25 describes two actions of Christ: delivered for our trespasses and raised for our justification. How does the resurrection contribute to our justification, is it simply a proof, or does it do something more?
- The phrase “it will be credited” uses a verb (mellei logizesthai) that Vincent says points to God's definite intention. How does that shape your confidence in your standing before God?
- What would be lost if we only had the cross and not the resurrection? How does the resurrection change how you view your own future?
- Paul argues that the Scriptures were written for our learning (see also Rom 15:4, 1 Cor 10:11). How does that affect the way you read Old Testament narratives about people like Abraham, Moses, or David?
- In what area of your life do you need to exercise the kind of faith Abraham showed, trusting God to do what He promised even when circumstances look impossible?
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)
| Romans 15:4 | For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through perseverance and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. |
| I Corinthians 9:9 | For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it for the oxen that God cares, |
| I Corinthians 9:10 | or does he say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope. |
| I Corinthians 10:6 | Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. |
| I Corinthians 10:11 | Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. |
| II Timothy 3:16 | Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, |
| II Timothy 3:17 | that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. |
| Mark 16:16 | He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned. |
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 argues that the account of Abraham's faith was recorded not merely to honor the patriarch but as the universal model for salvation. God saves both Jews and Gentiles only through faith in Christ, who died for our sins and rose to secure our full acceptance with God. No other way exists for anyone who has sinned.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that the record of Abraham's faith was not written for his sake alone but for ours, to show that the same principle of being counted righteous through faith applies to all believers. The object of faith differs—Abraham trusted God's promise about a seed, while we trust in Christ's death and resurrection—but the faith itself is the same in its essential confidence in God. This unity demonstrates that God has always justified people in only one way: by faith.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that Abraham's story was written not for his sake alone but to teach a universal pattern of righteousness available to all believers. He insists that Scripture alone transforms history into sound doctrine, and he connects this directly to Christ's death as a sacrifice for our offenses and his resurrection as the foundation of our justification.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible School commentary argues that the Greek phrasing "because of our offences" and "because of our justification" indicates cause, not purpose. Christ died because our sins demanded it, and He rose because our justification was already fully secured in God's intent, not merely to give it later.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that Abraham's imputed righteousness was not recorded for his sake alone. It stands as a pattern for every believer who trusts the God who raised Jesus from the dead. Christ was delivered over for our sins and raised again to secure our justification.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the Old Testament record of Abraham's faith being counted as righteousness was written not just for Abraham's honor, but for believers today. The righteousness imputed to us is not Abraham's faith itself, but the same righteousness Christ secured, which faith lays hold of. Christ's resurrection was not to procure justification—his death accomplished that—but to demonstrate and apply it to his people.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that these verses are not mere historical facts but timeless illustrations of how God justifies by faith. Christ was delivered over to die for our sins and raised again specifically to secure our justification. His resurrection is the divine assurance that sin is fully dealt with, and it crowns the work of our justification.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees Abraham's faith as itself a miracle that matches the God who works miracles. He interprets "against hope believed in hope" as a resolute "Yes" to God's word, set against every natural "No." Faith operates as the supernatural organ that grasps the invisible promise.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry insists that Abraham's justification was recorded not as a historical curiosity or privilege unique to him, but as a pattern for every believer. The Old Testament stories are meant as precedents to guide us, assuring us that the same righteousness by faith is available to all who believe.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent points out that the Greek word behind "shall be reckoned" carries the sense of God's definite intention, not a simple future. He then draws on Bushnell's observation that the resurrection's role in justification depends on whether we see justification as a forensic declaration or as the renewal of our moral nature.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley argues that "justified by faith" does not mean merely embracing Christianity as a system of doctrines. Rather, justifying faith is specifically believing in God the Father who raised Jesus from the dead, and Christ's resurrection empowers believers to receive that atonement by faith.