Abraham Justified by Faith
(Genesis 15:1–7; Psalm 32:1–11; Hebrews 11:8–19)

1What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has a ground of boasting, but not before God. 3For what does the Scripture say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”†

4Now to the one working, the wage is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt. 5But to the one not working but believing on the One justifying the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness, 6just as David also declares the blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works:

7“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

8blessed is the man

to whom the Lord shall never reckon sin.Ӡ

9Is this blessedness, then, on the circumcision, or also on the uncircumcision? For we are saying faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. 10How then was it reckoned—being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.†

11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith that he had while in the uncircumcision, for him to be father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for the righteousness to be reckoned also† to them, 12and father of circumcision to those not only of circumcision, but also to those walking in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham in uncircumcision.

Abraham Receives the Promise
(Genesis 15:8–21)

13For not through law was the promise to Abraham or his seed for him to be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith. 14For if those of the law are heirs, faith has been made void and the promise has been nullified. 15For the law brings about wrath; and† where there is no law, neither is there transgression.

16Because of this it is of faith, so that it may be according to grace for the promise to be sure to all the seed, not only to that of the law, but also to that of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17(as it has been written: “A father of many nations I have set you”)† before Him whom he believed—God, the One making alive the dead and calling existing the things not as existing—

18who against hope in hope believed, for him to become the father of many nations, according to that having been spoken, “So will your seed be.”† 19And not having become weak in the faith,† he considered his body already having become dead, being about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20Yet he did not doubt in unbelief in the promise of God, but was empowered in faith, having given glory to God, 21and having been fully assured that what He has promised, He is also able to do. 22Therefore also “it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”†

23Now it was not written because of him alone that “it was reckoned to him,” 24but also because of us, to whom it is about to be reckoned, to those believing on the One having raised Jesus our Lord out from the dead, 25who was delivered over because of our trespasses, and was raised because of our justification.

Footnotes:

3 Genesis 15:6
8 Psalm 32:1–2 (see also LXX)
10 Or In what context was it credited? Was it after his circumcision, or before? It was not after, but before.
11 SBL, TH, and WH do not include also.
15 BYZ and TR for
17 Genesis 17:5
18 Genesis 15:5
19 BYZ and TR include neither.
22 Genesis 15:6