Romans 4:1–5

Context

This passage is part of the Epistle to the Romans, which Paul wrote to the church in Rome, a congregation that included both Jewish and Gentile believers. At the end of chapter 3, Paul states that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law (Romans 3:28). In chapter 4 he supports this claim with the example of Abraham, the forefather of the Jewish people. Verse 3 quotes Genesis 15:6. Paul then continues the argument by citing a psalm of David (4:6–8) and by pointing to Abraham before his circumcision (4:9–12).

Interpretation

• Lutheran and Reformed reading: These traditions take "count" (Greek logizomai) as an accounting term meaning to enter something in a ledger. They read the passage as teaching forensic justification and the imputation of righteousness: God declares "the ungodly" righteous and credits righteousness to them. The contrast between wages and grace in verse 4 is understood as expressing the principle that righteousness cannot be obtained by works.
• Wesleyan reading: Methodist, Holiness, and related churches agree that justification is a gift of grace received by faith. They also emphasize, however, that those who have been justified must go on to sanctification, being actually transformed in holiness.
• Catholic reading: The Catholic Church holds that justification begins by grace, apart from merit. It understands justification, however, not merely as a declaration but as an inner renewal of the person. In 1999 the Lutheran World Federation and the Holy See set out a basic consensus in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.
• "New Perspective on Paul" reading: Scholars such as James Dunn and N. T. Wright read Paul's "works" in connection with the boundary markers of the law, such as circumcision, that separated Jews from Gentiles. They see the chapter's focus as establishing Abraham as the father of all who believe. Reformed scholars counter that the contrast between "working" and "wages" in verses 4–5 expresses a universal principle concerning works.

Debates and Issues

• Relationship to James: James 2:21–24 also appeals to Abraham and to Genesis 15:6, yet emphasizes works. The Reformation tradition harmonizes the two by holding that Paul speaks of the ground of justification, while James speaks of the fruit of genuine faith. The Catholic Church gives weight to the passage in James as evidence that faith and works go together.
• The role of faith: Verse 5, "his faith is counted for righteousness" (KJV), has raised the question of whether faith itself constitutes righteousness or is the channel through which righteousness is received. Reformed theology regards faith as the channel, or instrument.
• The meaning of "debt": The word translated "debt" in verse 4 renders a Greek term meaning "what is rightfully owed."

In the Korean Church

Together with Romans 3, this passage is frequently used in sermons and Bible studies that explain justification by faith, the teaching that one is declared righteous through faith.

Related Passages

• Genesis 15:1–6
• Romans 3:21–26
• Galatians 3:6–9
• James 2:21–24
• Hebrews 11:8–12