31LAW THEN DO WE NULLIFY THROUGH <THE> FAITH? NEVER WOULD IT BE! INSTEAD LAW WE UPHOLD. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.
1WHAT THEN WILL WE SAY TO HAVE DISCOVERED ABRAHAM THE ANCESTOR OF US ACCORDING TO [THE] FLESH? Abraham Justified by Faith (Genesis 15:1–7; Psalm 32:1–11; Hebrews 11:8–19) 1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has discovered?
2IF FOR ABRAHAM BY WORKS WAS JUSTIFIED, HE HAS GROUND OF BOASTING BUT NOT TOWARD <THE> GOD. 2If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God.
3WHAT FOR THE SCRIPTURE SAYS? BELIEVED THEN ABRAHAM <THE> IN GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 3For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”*NoteCloseGenesis 15:6
4TO THE [ONE] NOW WORKING THE REWARD NOT IS RECKONED ACCORDING TO GRACE BUT ACCORDING TO <THE> DEBT; 4Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.
5TO THE [ONE] HOWEVER NOT WORKING, BELIEVING HOWEVER ON THE [ONE] JUSTIFYING THE UNGODLY, IS RECKONED THE FAITH OF HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 5However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
6JUST AS ALSO DAVID DECLARES THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE MAN TO WHOM <THE> GOD CREDITS RIGHTEOUSNESS APART FROM WORKS: 6And David speaks likewise of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7BLESSED [ARE] THEY OF WHOM ARE FORGIVEN THE LAWLESS DEEDS AND OF WHOM ARE COVERED THE SINS; 7“Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
8BLESSED [IS] [THE] MAN OF WHOM CERTAINLY NOT MAY RECKON [THE] LORD SIN. 8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”*NoteClosePsalm 32:1–2 (see also LXX)
9[IS] THE BLESSING THEN THIS ON THE CIRCUMCISION OR ALSO ON THE UNCIRCUMCISION? WE ARE SAYING FOR THAT: WAS CREDITED <THE> TO ABRAHAM THE FAITH AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 9Is this blessing only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.
10HOW THEN WAS IT CREDITED? IN CIRCUMCISION BEING OR IN UNCIRCUMCISION? NOT IN CIRCUMCISION BUT IN UNCIRCUMCISION; 10In what context was it credited? Was it after his circumcision, or before? It was not after, but before.*NoteCloseLiterally How then was it reckoned—being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
11AND [THE] SIGN HE RECEIVED OF CIRCUMCISION, A SEAL OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE FAITH THAT [HE HAD] [WHILE] IN THE UNCIRCUMCISION; FOR THE TO BE HIM FATHER OF ALL THOSE BELIEVING IN UNCIRCUMCISION, FOR <THE> TO BE CREDITED ALSO TO THEM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS, 11And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
12AND FATHER OF CIRCUMCISION TO THOSE NOT OF CIRCUMCISION ONLY BUT ALSO TO THOSE WALKING IN THE STEPS <THE> DURING THE UNCIRCUMCISION OF THE FAITH OF THE FATHER OF US ABRAHAM. 12And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13NOT FOR THROUGH [THE] LAW [WAS] THE PROMISE <THE> TO ABRAHAM OR TO THE DESCENDANTS OF HIM THAT HEIR HE BEING OF THE WORLD BUT THROUGH [THE] RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH. Abraham Receives the Promise (Genesis 15:8–21) 13For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
14IF FOR THOSE OF [THE] LAW [ARE] HEIRS, HAS BEEN MADE VOID <THE> FAITH AND HAS BEEN NULLIFIED THE PROMISE; 14For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless,
15<THE> FOR LAW WRATH BRINGS; WHERE NOW NO THERE IS LAW, NEITHER [IS] TRANSGRESSION. 15because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.
16THEREFORE IT [IS] OF FAITH, THAT [IT MAY BE] ACCORDING TO GRACE, FOR <THE> TO BE SURE THE PROMISE TO ALL THE SEED, NOT TO THAT OF THE LAW ONLY BUT ALSO TO THAT OF [THE] FAITH OF ABRAHAM, WHO IS [THE] FATHER OF ALL OF US — 16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring— not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
17EVEN AS IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN THAT A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS I HAVE MADE YOU, BEFORE WHOM HE BELIEVED GOD, WHO IS GIVING LIFE TO THE DEAD AND CALLING THE [THINGS] NOT [INTO] BEING AS EXISTING; 17As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”*NoteCloseGenesis 17:5 He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.
18WHO AGAINST HOPE IN HOPE BELIEVED FOR <THE> TO BECOME HIM [THE] FATHER OF MANY NATIONS ACCORDING TO THAT SPOKEN; SO WILL BE THE OFFSPRING OF YOU; 18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”*NoteCloseGenesis 15:5
19AND NOT HAVING BECOME WEAK IN THE FAITH NOT HE CONSIDERED <THE> HIS OWN BODY ALREADY EXPIRED, A HUNDRED YEARS OLD ABOUT BEING, AND THE LIFELESSNESS OF THE WOMB OF SARAH, 19Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb.
20ABOUT HOWEVER THE PROMISE <THE> OF GOD NOT HE DID WAVER <THE> THROUGH UNBELIEF, BUT WAS STRENGTHENED <THE> IN FAITH, HAVING GIVEN GLORY <THE> TO GOD 20Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
21AND HAVING BEEN FULLY ASSURED THAT WHAT HE HAS PROMISED ABLE HE IS ALSO TO DO; 21being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised.
22THEREFORE ALSO IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS. 22This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”*NoteCloseGenesis 15:6
23NOT IT WAS WRITTEN NOW ON ACCOUNT OF HIM ALONE THAT IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM, 23Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham,
24BUT ALSO ON ACCOUNT OF US TO WHOM IT IS ABOUT TO BE CREDITED, TO THOSE BELIEVING ON THE [ONE] HAVING RAISED JESUS THE LORD OF US OUT FROM [THE] DEAD, 24but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited— for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25WHO WAS DELIVERED OVER FOR THE TRESPASSES OF US AND WAS RAISED FOR THE JUSTIFICATION OF US. 25He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.