Bible Strands
Romans 4:5
However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Roman church, shifting from the previous verse's principle that wages are owed as a debt to the present moment of divine justification. He speaks to believers regarding the exact point where human effort is set against God's credit.
The words — The supplied particulate ἐργαζομένῳ (ergazomenō) translates literally as "working," while πιστεύοντι (pisteuonti) means "believing." The text places these two present participles in direct opposition to show that faith, not labor, receives the credit.
The thread — The text records this mechanism in Romans 3:22, where righteousness from God comes through faith in Christ to all who believe. Paul reiterates the contrast in Philippians 3:9, rejecting his own law-based standing for righteousness received through faith in Christ.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to stop relying on personal achievement for standing before God. It demands a practical shift from earning to trusting, accepting that justification is granted solely through belief in the one who justifies the ungodly.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Cross-references
- Philippians 3:9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
- Romans 3:22 And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction,
- Titus 3:3 For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
- Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
- Galatians 3:8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
- Romans 10:3 Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
- Galatians 2:16 know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts,
- John 5:24 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.
- John 6:29 Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”