Abraham Justified by Faith
1 lWhat then shall we say was gained by Abraham, mour forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to nboast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? o“Abraham believed God, and it was pcounted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now qto the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but rbelieves in1 him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 s“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not tcount his sin.”
9 Is this ublessing then only for the circumcised, vor also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received wthe sign of circumcision as a seal of the xrighteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
By Faith, or by Works of the Law?
1 O foolish Galatians! uWho has bewitched you? It was vbefore your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you wreceive the Spirit by works of the law or by xhearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? yHaving begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by1 the flesh? 4 Did you suffer2 so many things zin vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and aworks bmiracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham c“believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
7 Know then that dit is ethose of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that fGod would justify3 the Gentiles by faith, gpreached the gospel hbeforehand to Abraham, saying, i“In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
