Romans 4 (copy) (copy)
Paul has already made something unmistakably clear: all of us stand guilty before God. The Gentiles are guilty. The Jews are guilty. No one can claim the moral high ground. And in chapter four, Paul anticipates the question that would naturally rise in the Jewish heart: “But what about Abraham?”
Surely he would be the exception.
After all, Abraham was a great man. He walked with God. He obeyed when it was hard. He left everything familiar to follow the call of the Lord. If anyone could stand before God on the strength of their own goodness, it would have been Abraham.
But Paul tells us something remarkable. If Abraham had been declared righteous by his works, then he might have had reason to boast before people—but never before God. Scripture tells us plainly: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Abraham’s righteousness was not earned by what his hands had done, but rooted in what his heart trusted.
Think about what Abraham believed. God promised him and Sarah a son when it was humanly impossible. Their bodies were as good as dead, yet Abraham trusted that God could do what no human strength or achievement ever could. That faith—simple, trembling, yet resolute—was what God counted as righteousness.
Abraham’s life was filled with accomplishments, but none of them saved him. He was made right with God because he believed God. He staked his future, his hope, and his identity on the faithfulness of the Lord.
And this is where Romans 4 speaks directly to us.
It is the same for us today. We are not declared righteous because we live moral lives, attend church faithfully, or try our best to be good people. We are declared righteous because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Our hope rests not in our performance, but in His sacrifice. Not in our faithfulness, but in His.
Salvation has never been about earning God’s approval—it has always been about trusting His promise.
If you are not a Christian today, God’s invitation is still open to you. Salvation begins not with perfection, but with surrender. Here are the simple ABCs of becoming a follower of Christ:
• Admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.
• Believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again from the dead.
• Confess your sins, ask God to forgive you, and commit your life fully to following Him.
Like Abraham, you don’t come to God with a résumé of achievements—you come with open hands and a trusting heart. And God is still faithful to count that faith as righteousness.
