Romans 4:24 teaches that the righteousness God credited to Abraham is also credited to everyone who believes in God, the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Paul is writing to the church in Rome, and he is applying Abraham’s story directly to Christians of his own day. The verse is his way of saying that the same faith which Abraham had is open to you, and that God’s acceptance is received by trusting him, not by earning it.
But for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead…
Romans 4:24 (WEB)
What Romans 4:24 Means
The phrase “for our sake also” signals that what happened to Abraham was not meant only for Abraham. Paul has just explained that the words “it was credited to him” were written with a larger purpose in view. The promise made to Abraham reaches forward to include all who share his kind of trust.
“To whom it will be accounted” points to a future reception. The verse does not describe a one-time event in the past but a pattern that continues. Each person who believes is counted righteous in the same manner, through faith rather than through a list of accomplishments.
The heart of the verse is the object of that faith: God “who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead.” Paul is not asking you simply to believe that God is powerful or that good things will happen to you. He is asking you to trust the specific God who vindicated his Son by raising him. The verse promises that this trust is what God honors, but it does not promise any particular outcome in your circumstances.
The Context of Romans 4:24
Paul wrote Romans to a mixed congregation of Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome, probably in the late 50s AD. Much of chapter 4 is an argument from Abraham, the ancestor both groups looked to. Paul shows that Abraham was accepted by God before he was circumcised and before the law existed, which means acceptance comes through faith and not through Jewish identity or religious performance.
The verses just before and after make the meaning clearer. Verse 21 describes Abraham as “fully assured that what he had promised, he was also able to perform,” and verse 25 explains that Jesus “was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.” Verse 24 sits between these two points, so the faith it describes is faith in the God whose promise was kept and whose Son was raised for our acceptance.
Key Phrases in Romans 4:24
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, that no one would boast.
(WEB)
These verses state plainly that salvation is a gift received through faith and not earned by works. They help clarify that the faith Paul describes in Romans 4 is trust in God’s grace rather than a human achievement.
Galatians 3:6-7
6 Even as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.” 7 Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham.
(WEB)
Paul makes the same appeal to Abraham here, linking Abraham’s belief to the family of faith. The passage shows that the pattern Romans 4:24 describes was already in view in Paul’s broader teaching about faith and promise.
A Short Prayer From Romans 4:24
Lord God, you raised Jesus from the dead and you have counted those who trust you as righteous in him. I bring you my fears about whether I am enough, and I ask you to help me rest in what you have already done. Give me the same settled confidence Abraham had in your promises, and let my faith be placed in you and not in my own record. Thank you that your acceptance rests on your faithfulness and not on my performance. Amen.
