Abraham, the human father of ALL Nations was made righteous not by his works, but rather by his faith in God Almighty.
God’s standard is perfection — we are all considered ungodly sinners — therefore there is not anything we can do, no works, that will put us in good standing before God.
In Genesis 17 we see that circumcision is an outward sign of God’s covenant with Abraham of his faithfulness. But it was after his belief in God that Abraham is circumcised. Paul is making a point that just because you are circumcised or follow the Law, does not make you righteous.
Human beings cannot perfectly keep God’s laws. The punishment for breaking His laws is death. The Jewish people had even more responsibility because it was them who God gave the law to. Gentiles didn’t have a written law.
Because we cannot possibly keep God’s law we are shown a great need for a saving grace.
Paul points out in verse 17 that God alone has the power to raise the dead and create everything in existence. It is Abraham's faith in God’s power that his faith is built. Before the death and resurrection of Jesus, the only way to atone for sins and transgression of the law was through blood sacrifices of innocent animals.
Jesus was sacrificed and crucified as the final blood spilled lamb on the cross at Calvary to pay the death penalty for all who will believe. We do not deserve this debt payment. However, it is our faith in Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection that is counted to us as righteousness.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16
The forgiveness of our sins is why Jesus was raised for our justification. When God the Father raised Christ from the dead, it was a demonstration that he accepted Christ’s suffering and death as full payment for sin and that the Father’s favor, no longer his wrath against sin, was directed toward Christ, and through Christ towards those who believe.
It is our acceptance of this unmerited God-given grace that washes of clean of our sin penalty. We do not deserve this grace — which is why it is a free gift to anyone who will accept it. We did nothing to earn it, therefore, we cannot boast.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Romans Chapter 4
Abraham Justified by Faith
4 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to 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 believes in 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 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or 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 the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness 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