Counted Righteous

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 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. 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 be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. - Romans 4:1‭-‬12 ESV

Rev Dwight Yoo

Case studies

Abraham was looked as an example. There were extra-biblical Jewish texts that made Abraham appear to be perfectly obedient. If this was so, then Abraham would have grounds to boast. But even so, his obedience would not be up to God's standard. So Paul points to an interaction between God and Abraham,
"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Abraham had no inherent righteousness. He could not have been obedient to the law. The codified Jewish law starting with the ten commandments was not yet written.

David was seen as the ultimate king. But as the king, he committed both adultery and murder. He says it himself, "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

We are counted righteous. It is a declaration. Much like a court judgement, to be declared guilty and not guilty. It does not mean a person is innocent. It means that they are treated by the government and the court as innocent. We know of guilty parties declared not guilty. So it is with the Christian. We are sinners, flawed and twisted beyond measure. But we are judged righteous. We are simultaneously sinner and saint. We are credited with the righteousness of Christ and he pays for the penalty of our sin.

Communal impact

Circumcision does not save. It is an outward sign of salvation. Much like baptism, it symbolizes the inward work of God. It almost looks like faith saves. But it is not a work, faith is not what saves. The object of our faith is what saves. It also changes the nature of Abraham. The Jews saw him as the great divider between the people of God and the gentiles. We see him as the father of those who place their faith in God and Jesus. We are united as a family regardless of race/ethic group, culture, socio-economic, or other things that divide in this world. We are all one family in Christ.