Romans 4:6 Commentary: The Blessing of Righteousness Apart from Works

Paul’s Jewish audience held David in the highest regard, king, psalmist, and a man after God’s own heart. By citing David alongside Abraham, Paul shows that the doctrine of justification by faith alone runs through the heart of Israel’s Scriptures.

Psalm 32 is a penitential psalm, traditionally connected to David’s sin with Bathsheba and his confrontation by the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 11, 12). The psalm opens with two beatitudes: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” and “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes not iniquity” (Psalm 32:1, 2, quoted in Romans 4:7, 8). Paul selectively quotes the psalm, deliberately omitting the phrase “and in whose spirit there is no guile” (Psalm 32:2b). Calvin observes that Paul stopped short “evidently because his subject is justification, and not sanctification.” The omission keeps the focus squarely on how a sinner is declared righteous, not on the character of the believer.

The key phrase χωρὶς ἔργων (chōris ergōn) means “apart from works” in the sense of complete separation. The preposition χωρὶς can carry overtones of “without any involvement of.” In the argument of Romans 4:4, 5, Paul contrasts the worker who earns a wage (something owed) with the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly. David’s testimony confirms that this counting is a matter of grace, not debt. David himself, guilty of adultery and murder, experienced justification as a guilty man, precisely Paul’s point in verse 5 about God justifying the ungodly.

By bringing forward two witnesses from the Law and the Prophets (Abraham and David), Paul establishes that justification by faith without works is the consistent message of the Old Testament. This argument would carry weight with Jewish Christians and synagogue visitors in Rome who still revered the patriarchs and the psalmist.

The commentaries provided for this verse do not discuss any significant textual variants. The Greek text of Romans 4:6 is stable across the major manuscript traditions.

This verse has been a touchstone in debates about justification since the Reformation. John Calvin used it to argue that “righteousness, according to Paul, is nothing else than the remission of sins” and that the phrase “without works” excludes all human achievement. John Wesley, in his Explanatory Notes, simply states that a man is justified “by faith alone, and not by works.” Baptist commentator John Gill elaborates that the righteousness imputed is Christ’s righteousness, “freely bestowed, and graciously imputed by God.” Across Protestant traditions, the verse is employed to teach the joy of forgiveness and the certainty of acceptance with God apart from human merit. It appears regularly in catechetical works and systematic theologies as a foundational text for the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Three-point outline

1. David’s Testimony Confirms the Gospel. Paul does not invent a new teaching; he shows that Israel’s beloved king understood justification as a free gift. The Old Testament itself announces the blessedness of the person who receives righteousness apart from works.
2. The Blessing Is Forgiveness and Imputation. David’s words in Psalm 32 equate God’s counting righteousness with not counting sin. When God forgives, He also credits righteousness, the two are inseparable. The blessedness is a divine pronouncement, not a human feeling.
3. Works Are Excluded. The phrase “apart from works” is comprehensive. Calvin insists it covers every kind of work, moral and ceremonial. If human effort could contribute, the blessing would be a wage, not a gift. The only appropriate response is faith, not performance.

Five-point outline

1. Paul reinforces his argument with a second Old Testament witness, David, to meet Jewish objections.
2. David’s psalm shows that justification means the non-imputation of sin and the imputation of righteousness.
3. The righteousness credited is not a human quality but a gift received through faith alone.
4. This pronouncement of blessing is the heart of the gospel: sinners are treated as righteous because of God’s grace, not their works.
5. The blessing is available to all who believe, just as it was for Abraham and David, both sinners saved by grace.

Illustration hooks

• The cancelled debt. A person owes a sum they can never repay. The creditor cancels the debt entirely and declares the account settled. This is not a payment plan or a reduced balance, it is a free forgiveness that costs the debtor nothing.
• The royal pardon. A prisoner condemned for treason receives a full pardon from the king. The pardon does not make him innocent of the crime; it declares him free from penalty and restores him to favor. He leaves the cell a free person, not because he earned it but because the king chose to show mercy.
• The ghostwriter’s credit. A student submits a paper written by someone else but receives the grade as if it were his own. In justification, Christ’s perfect righteousness is credited to the believer’s account. The believer is treated as righteous, not because he is, but because he is united to Christ.

Questions your congregation is asking

• If works don’t contribute to justification, do they matter at all for the Christian life?
• How can I know I am among the “blessed” David describes? Is it possible to have assurance?
• Does God ignore sin when He justifies someone? How does this teaching relate to the call to holiness?

In Romans 4:6, Paul calls on David as a second witness to the truth that justification is by faith alone. This verse invites us to see the connection between forgiveness and the gift of righteousness. As you discuss, reflect on how this good news challenges our natural tendency to rely on our own performance.

Discussion questions

1. What does the word “blessedness” (makarismos) tell you about the tone of this verse? Is Paul describing a feeling or a verdict?
2. Why does Paul quote David in addition to Abraham? What authority does David carry for Paul’s audience?
3. How does Psalm 32 describe the condition of the person who receives God’s righteousness? (Look at the forgiveness, covering, and non-imputation language in verses 1, 2.)
4. What does “apart from works” (chōris ergōn) exclude? Can you think of any “works” people today might trust in for salvation?
5. How does David’s own history (his sin with Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan’s confrontation) make him a fitting example of justification by faith alone?
6. In what ways does this verse challenge you personally? In what ways does it comfort you?
7. How should this teaching affect the way you relate to others who are struggling with guilt or a sense of unworthiness?