Unpacking Romans 4:4-5: Faith, Not Works

Why We Can't Earn Righteousness - And Why That's Good News

To really grasp what Paul is saying in Romans 4:4-5, we need to understand the mix of Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome and their struggles with how a person gets right with God.

Many Jewish believers were used to thinking of obedience to God’s law as the path to being accepted by Him, while some Gentile believers felt pressure to follow Jewish rules to prove they belonged. Paul wrote to clear up this confusion, showing that no one - Jew or Gentile - earns God’s approval by keeping rules. Instead, he points to Abraham, who was declared righteous not because of his actions, but because he believed God.

This sets the stage for understanding that salvation is a gift received by faith, not a wage earned by work - a truth that frees everyone from the burden of trying to earn what God freely gives.

The Heart of the Gospel: Gift, Not Wages

At the core of Romans 4:4-5 is a radical distinction that reshapes how we understand our relationship with God.

Paul draws a sharp line: if you work, your pay isn’t a gift - it’s what you’re owed. But salvation isn’t wages. It’s a gift. That’s why Paul says faith 'is counted as righteousness' - a phrase echoing Genesis 15:6, where it says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.' The Greek word *logizetai* means 'credited,' 'reckoned,' or 'counted' - like a financial transaction where something is placed in your account, not because you earned it, but because someone chose to give it.

Even more startling is that God justifies the 'ungodly' - not the morally impressive, but those who are clearly out of step with God’s holiness. This would have shocked many in Paul’s day who thought righteousness came through strict rule-keeping. But Paul flips the script: it’s not the righteous who get justified, but the ungodly who believe. This isn’t a loophole - it’s the very design of grace.

Faith is not a work that earns righteousness - it’s the empty hand that receives it.

This truth dismantles both pride and despair. You don’t earn it, so you can’t boast. And since it’s for the ungodly, no one is too far gone. The next step, then, is seeing how this same faith - Abraham’s faith - becomes the model for everyone who follows Christ.

Faith That Embraces Grace, Not Merit

The gospel flips our natural sense of fairness on its head, not because God is arbitrary, but because His grace runs deeper than our failures.

We’re wired to think in terms of merit: good grades for studying, promotions for hard work. But when it comes to being made right with God, that logic collapses. Romans 4:4-5 makes it clear - salvation isn’t earned, so no one can boast. It’s given to the one who believes, not the one who performs.

This would have shocked many in Paul’s day who believed righteousness came from strict obedience to the law. But Paul points to Abraham - long before the law existed - and says it was faith, not works, that made him right with God. Even more startling, God justifies the ungodly, a truth that echoes Psalm 51:16-17, where David says God doesn’t delight in rituals but in a broken spirit and a contrite heart. It’s not the morally impressive who qualify for grace - it’s those who admit they don’t.

You don’t come to God with a resume - you come with empty hands and an open heart.

This is the heart of the good news: Jesus didn’t come for those who have it all together, but for sinners who know they don’t. It means the door is open for anyone who stops trying to prove themselves and trusts the One who makes the ungodly righteous.

Faith from Abraham to Christ: One Story of Grace

The truth that faith - not works - makes us right with God isn’t a new idea invented by Paul. It’s the heartbeat of the whole Bible.

Genesis 15:6 says, 'Abraham believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness' - a truth Paul lifts up in Romans 4 to show that long before laws and rituals, God was declaring sinners righteous by faith alone. This same grace echoes centuries later in Psalm 32:1-2, where David celebrates, 'Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not count iniquity.'

Then in Acts 13:38-39, Paul preaches in a synagogue, declaring, 'Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is set free from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.' Here, the gospel breaks open: freedom is found not in rule-keeping but in Christ, as it was for Abraham.

Ephesians 2:8-9 seals the truth: 'For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.' This is the same grace that justified Abraham, forgave David, and saves us - consistent from beginning to end. But James 2:24, which says 'a person is justified by works and not by faith alone,' isn’t contradicting Paul. It’s clarifying that real faith shows up in action. Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac proved his faith was alive - not the source of his righteousness, but the evidence.

Grace isn’t new in the New Testament - it’s the thread running from Abraham to Acts.

So in everyday life, this means we stop keeping score with God and with each other. In church, we stop favoring those who look spiritual and welcome anyone who admits they’re not. And in our communities, grace becomes contagious - because when people see a group that doesn’t demand perfection, only faith, they begin to hope that grace might be for them too.

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