“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
My Notes
What Does Romans 4:5 Mean?
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." This is one of the most theologically explosive verses in Romans. God justifies the ungodly — not the righteous, not the reformed, not those who've gotten their act together, but the ungodly. And the mechanism isn't work; it's faith. Believing God is counted as righteousness, apart from any contribution of human effort.
Paul is expounding Genesis 15:6 — Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. This happened before circumcision, before the law, before any religious performance. The sequence is critical: belief first, then credit. Not achievement first, then reward. God declares the ungodly righteous on the basis of faith alone.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are you trying to get 'clean enough' for God to accept you — and how does this verse challenge that?
- 2.What does it feel like to hear that God 'justifieth the ungodly' rather than the righteous?
- 3.How does the sequence — belief, then credited righteousness, then transformation — differ from how you've been living?
- 4.What would change about your daily life if you truly believed your righteousness was credited, not earned?
Devotional
God justifies the ungodly. Not the mostly-good. Not the trying-really-hard. Not the people who cleaned up first and then came to God for the stamp of approval. The ungodly. People who had nothing to offer but their belief.
This verse demolishes every religious system built on human performance. You don't work your way to God and then he approves you. You believe God — while you're still ungodly — and he counts your faith as righteousness. The order matters more than almost anything in theology: belief precedes transformation, not the other way around.
"To him that worketh not." Paul is deliberately provoking. He's saying: the person who stops trying to earn it and simply trusts the God who justifies people who don't deserve it — that person gets credited with righteousness. Not as a reward. As a gift. Not because they were good enough. Because God is good enough.
If you've been trying to clean yourself up enough for God to accept you — if you've been operating on the assumption that you need to reach a certain moral standard before grace kicks in — this verse says you have the order backwards. Belief first. Righteousness credited. Transformation follows. You don't get righteous and then get accepted. You get accepted and then become righteous. And the acceptance comes through one thing: believing in the God who justifies the ungodly.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But to him that worketh not,.... Not that the believer does not work at all, but not from such principles, and with such…
But to him that worketh not - Who does not rely on his conformity to the Law for his justification; who does not depend…
But to him that worketh not - Which was the case with Abraham, for he was called when he was ungodly, i.e. an idolater;…
Here the apostle proves that Abraham was justified not by works, but by faith. Those that of all men contended most…
to him that worketh not The Gr. implies a general statement; Abraham's case in universal application. "Worketh not:"…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture