Faith Not Performance

Anytime Paul talks about salvation by faith, he knows exactly where the objections will come from. Someone will eventually say, “Alright, Paul, we hear you. But what about Abraham?”

In the eyes of the Jews, Abraham wasn’t just a good man. He was the man. The father of the nation. The hero of the faith. If anyone in Israel’s history could argue that righteousness came from obedience, faithfulness, or spiritual achievement, it would be Abraham.

So Paul does something brilliant. Instead of dodging the question, he leans into it. He brings Abraham front and center and essentially says, “Let’s ask Abraham himself how a person gets right with God.”

And when we examine Abraham’s story carefully, it does not support salvation by works. It completely dismantles it.

Paul’s message is simple but humbling: If Abraham wasn’t made right with God by works, then no one ever has been.

Let’s move into Romans chapter 4.

Romans 4:1 NKJV

1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?

Paul is going to proceed to tell his readers that…

I. Abraham Shows That Righteousness Is Not Earned

Paul opens with a question designed to pull his audience in.

In other words, “What did Abraham discover about how a person becomes right with God?” What did his life actually prove?

Paul goes on:

Romans 4:2 NKJV

2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

Paul acknowledges the argument people want to make. If Abraham earned his righteousness, then he could brag about it. He could point to his obedience, his sacrifices, his faithfulness, and say, “Look what I did.”

But Paul adds one key phrase: “but not before God.”

You may impress people with your spiritual résumé, but none of it impresses God. No amount of obedience, morality, or religious achievement ever puts God in your debt. That’s a key concept for us to understand.

Then Paul brings the decisive evidence.

Romans 4:3 NKJV

3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Paul quotes Genesis 15:6, and everything hinges on this verse. Abraham didn’t work for righteousness. He believed God. He trusted God’s promise when there was no visible evidence that the promise would come true.

The word “accounted” is the Greek word logizomai. It’s a bookkeeping term. It means “to credit to someone’s account.” God didn’t look at Abraham and say, “You’ve earned righteousness.” He said, “Because you trust Me, I am crediting righteousness to you.”

That’s critical. Righteousness was not a reward for Abraham’s behavior. It was a gift credited to him because of his faith.

The next thing we’re going to see is that…

II. Faith Receives a Gift; Works Earn a Wage

Paul knows some people are still struggling with this idea, so he gives a simple illustration from everyday life.

Romans 4:4 NKJV

4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

Paul says, “If you work for something, you don’t call it grace. You call it a paycheck.” Your employer doesn’t congratulate you for receiving your wages. They owe them to you.

And if righteousness were earned by works, then salvation would be something God owed us. That’s a terrifying thought, because it would mean God could never be gracious—only obligated.

Then Paul draws the contrast.

Romans 4:5 NKJV

5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

This is one of the most shocking statements in the Bible: God justifies the ungodly.

Not the mostly godly.

Not the improving.

Not the spiritually impressive.

But the ungodly.

That word “ungodly” means irreverent, morally undeserving, without claim to righteousness. Paul is saying God does not wait for people to clean themselves up before declaring them righteous. He justifies sinners who trust Him.

That completely flips religion upside down. Religion says, “Work hard, improve yourself, then maybe God will accept you.” The gospel says, “Admit you can’t fix yourself, trust God, and He will declare you righteous.”

Faith doesn’t earn righteousness.

Faith receives righteousness.

Paul knows someone might object again. “Okay, so Abraham believed. But surely someone like King David—someone who lived under the Law—was accepted by God because his good works outweighed his failures.”

So Paul brings David to the stand.

III. David Confirms That Forgiveness Comes Apart From Works

Romans 4:6–8 NKJV

6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

Paul quotes Psalm 32, and the timing of that psalm matters. David wrote it after his moral collapse with Bathsheba. His sin was public. His failure was undeniable. There was no way to spin it. No way to offset it with good behavior.

And yet, in spite of all that, David describes the joy—the blessedness—of knowing his sins are forgiven and no longer counted against him.

Once again Paul uses logizomai. God does not credit David’s sin to his account. Instead, He chooses not to count it at all. That doesn’t mean David never sinned again. It means his standing with God was secure.

David’s happiness didn’t come from moral perfection. It came from forgiveness.

And Paul’s point is unmistakable: From Abraham to David to today, God has always made people right with Him the same way—by faith, not works.

So what’s the conclusion? — Grace Has Always Worked This Way

Romans 4:1–8 pulls the curtain back on something many people misunderstand. Justification by faith is not a New Testament loophole. It’s not God lowering the bar. It’s how God has always worked.

Abraham didn’t earn righteousness. He trusted God.

David didn’t balance his sins with good deeds. He received forgiveness.

And we don’t come to God with a résumé. We come with empty hands.

You don’t negotiate with God.

You don’t prove yourself to God.

You don’t impress God.

You trust Him.

And when you do, God credits righteousness to your account—not because you deserve it, but because Jesus has already done the work.

That’s the gospel.

That’s grace.

And it’s been true from the very beginning.