The scripture says, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."

But those who depend on faith, not on deeds, and who believe in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is this faith that God takes into account in order to put them right with himself.

"Happy are those whose wrongs are forgiven, whose sins are pardoned!

Does this happiness that David spoke of belong only to those who are circumcised? No indeed! It belongs also to those who are not circumcised. For we have quoted the scripture, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."

He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised.

When God promised Abraham and his descendants that the world would belong to him, he did so, not because Abraham obeyed the Law, but because he believed and was accepted as righteous by God.

His faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God's promise; his faith filled him with power, and he gave praise to God.

That is why Abraham, through faith, "was accepted as righteous by God."

Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance,

This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us.

It is a difficult thing for someone to die for a righteous person. It may even be that someone might dare to die for a good person.

By his blood we are now put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by him from God's anger!

But that is not all; we rejoice because of what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has now made us God's friends.

There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus.

and be completely united with him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith.

This is what David meant when he spoke of the happiness of the person whom God accepts as righteous, apart from anything that person does:

He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised.

That is why Abraham, through faith, "was accepted as righteous by God."

Yet we know that a person is put right with God only through faith in Jesus Christ, never by doing what the Law requires. We, too, have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be put right with God through our faith in Christ, and not by doing what the Law requires. For no one is put right with God by doing what the Law requires.

Consider the experience of Abraham; as the scripture says, "He believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."

And the scripture came true that said, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous." And so Abraham was called God's friend.

Jerusalem rejoices because of what the LORD has done. She is like a bride dressed for her wedding. God has clothed her with salvation and victory.

"The king went in to look at the guests and saw a man who was not wearing wedding clothes.

'Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' the king asked him. But the man said nothing.

But the father called to his servants. 'Hurry!' he said. 'Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet.

You should realize, then, that the real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith.

Abraham believed and was blessed; so all who believe are blessed as he was.

Do you, my friend, pass judgment on others? You have no excuse at all, whoever you are. For when you judge others and then do the same things which they do, you condemn yourself.

This includes everyone, because there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles; God is the same Lord of all and richly blesses all who call to him.

He made no difference between us and them; he forgave their sins because they believed.

Who made you superior to others? Didn't God give you everything you have? Well, then, how can you boast, as if what you have were not a gift?

So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus.

As a result, there is no longer any distinction between Gentiles and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians, savages, slaves, and free, but Christ is all, Christ is in all.