“But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;”
My Notes
What Does Romans 4:24 Mean?
Paul has just explained how Abraham was justified by faith, not works — his belief was "counted unto him for righteousness" (v. 22). Now Paul extends the principle: the imputation wasn't just for Abraham. "But for us also" — alla kai di' hēmas. The same crediting mechanism that worked for Abraham works for everyone who believes. The accounting is the same. The currency is the same. The faith is aimed at the same God.
The object of faith is specified: "him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead." Abraham believed God could give life to the dead (his own body, Sarah's womb — v. 19). We believe God raised Jesus from the dead. The parallel is exact: both forms of faith trust a God who reverses death. Abraham trusted the promise of a son from a dead womb. We trust the reality of a Son from a sealed tomb. Same faith. Different objects. Same God. Same crediting.
The word logizomai (imputed, counted, credited) is an accounting term — to reckon to someone's account, to enter in a ledger. God looks at your faith — your trust in the God who raised Jesus — and writes "righteous" in your column. Not because you are righteous. Because the faith is credited as righteousness. The ledger doesn't reflect your performance. It reflects the transaction that faith made possible.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Do you live as though righteousness is earned by performance or credited by faith? Which one drives your daily spiritual anxiety?
- 2.Abraham believed in life from a dead womb; you believe in life from a sealed tomb. How is your faith the same kind of trust?
- 3.If righteousness is imputed — deposited, not achieved — what are you still trying to earn?
- 4.How does the accounting metaphor (credited, not generated) change the way you relate to your own failures?
Devotional
"For us also." Two thousand years after Abraham, the same mechanism still works. Abraham believed God could bring life from death, and it was counted as righteousness. You believe God raised Jesus from the dead, and the same thing happens: righteousness is credited to your account. Not earned. Credited. Written in a ledger by a hand that isn't yours.
The word "imputed" is accounting language, and that's not an accident. Paul wants you to think of this in terms of a transaction, not an achievement. You didn't generate the righteousness. It was deposited. You didn't climb to it. It was written in. The faith — your trust in the God who raised Jesus — is the mechanism by which the deposit is made. But the righteousness itself belongs to God. He credits it. You receive it. The ledger changes not because you changed but because God decided to account you differently.
This should dismantle the entire performance economy of your spiritual life. If righteousness is imputed — credited by God's decision based on your faith — then the striving to earn it is unnecessary. The anxiety about whether you've done enough is misplaced. The comparison with other Christians who seem more righteous is irrelevant. The ledger isn't measuring your output. It's recording a deposit made by God the moment you believed. The account is full. Not because you filled it. Because He did.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But for us also - For our use; (compare Rom 15:4; 1Co 10:11), that we might have an example of the way in which people…
But for us also - The mention of this circumstance has a much more extensive design than merely to honor Abraham. It is…
In the close of the chapter, he applies all to us; and, having abundantly proved that Abraham was justified by faith, he…
for us also Lit. also because of us; "because we were to be likewise dealt with, and therefore needed to know it."
shall…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture