Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Here's the insight hidden in that verse: Paul isn't just contrasting two ways of getting right with God; he's pointing out that if you could earn your salvation, the reward wouldn't be a gift, but a transaction – something you'd rightfully deserve, removing any sense of divine favor or grace. The moment you can claim "I earned this," you've fundamentally misunderstood God's generous offer.
Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is arguing that salvation comes through faith, not by following the law. He uses Abraham as the prime example, stating that Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness before he was circumcised, a key act of the Law. To emphasize this, Paul contrasts two ways of relating to God: one based on working for a reward, and the other based on faith.
Imagine finishing a long project at work. You expect to be paid, right? The Bible uses this everyday idea to show us something crucial about how we relate to God.
Paul sets up a contrast here between two ways of relating to God:
The 'Worker's' Plan
If someone 'works,' meaning they strive to perfectly keep God's commands, Paul says their reward isn't a gift. It's what they are due. It's like a contract: you do the job, you get the agreed-upon pay. It’s not generosity; it’s a transaction. The reward is seen as a matter of justice, something owed because the work was completed.
What This Means for Us
This highlights that trying to earn God's favor through our own efforts puts us in a position of demanding payment, not receiving grace. We'd be asking God to settle a debt, rather than accepting a gift.
Grace and debt might sound like financial terms, but in this context, they represent two fundamentally different ways of relating to God – and only one leads to true righteousness.
Paul uses the terms 'gift' (or grace) and 'due' (or debt) to draw a sharp line:
The Path of Debt: If salvation or favor from God were based on works, it would be a matter of debt. God would owe us righteousness because we fulfilled His requirements. This makes God a debtor and us creditors.
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The Path of Grace: However, Paul argues that no one can truly fulfill all God requires. Since we fall short, the only way to be made right with God is through His undeserved favor – grace. When God’s favor is a gift, it’s not something we can claim as a right. It’s freely given, received through faith, and leaves no room for boasting on our part.
Understand the original words
misthos · Greek Noun
Compensation earned or payment deserved for labor or service performed; used by Paul to illustrate the principle of merit versus grace.
charisma · Greek Noun
Unmerited favor or a free gift from God, given entirely apart from human earning or effort.
This passage states that the one who keeps God's statutes shall live by them, highlighting the principle that obedience can be seen as earning a reward, a concept Paul contrasts with faith in Romans 4.
Deuteronomy 27:26This verse declares a curse on anyone who does not uphold the words of the law to do them, emphasizing the absolute demand of the law and the impossibility of earning salvation through works.
Galatians 3:12Paul directly quotes Leviticus 18:5 here, reinforcing the idea that the law operates on the principle of earning, which is fundamentally different from the principle of faith Paul is explaining.
Philippians 3:9Paul expresses his desire to be found in Christ, not having a righteousness of his own that comes from the law, but one that is through faith, directly contrasting self-earned righteousness with imputed righteousness.
meyerRomans 4:4: "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt."
Romans 4:4-5 . These verses now supply an illustration of Romans 4:3 in two general contrasted relations, from the application of which—left to the reader—to the case of Abraham the non-co-operation of works (the χωρὶς ἔργων , Romans 4:6 ) in the case of the latter’s justification could not but be clear. δέ ] is the simple μεταβατικόν . τῷ ἐργαζομένῳ ] to the worker , here, as the contrast shows, with the pr…
henryRomans 4:1-12: "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?"
4:1-12 To meet the views of the Jews, the apostle first refers to the example of Abraham, in whom the Jews gloried as their most renowned forefather. However exalted in various respects, he had nothing to boast in the presence of God, being saved by grace, through faith, even as others. Without noticing the years which passed before his call, and the failures at times in his obedience, and e…
Here's the insight hidden in that verse:
Paul isn't just contrasting two ways of getting right with God; he's pointing out that if you could earn your salvation, the reward wouldn't be a gift, but a transaction – something you'd rightfully deserve, removing any sense of divine favor or grace. The moment you can claim "I earned this," you've fundamentally misunderstood God's generous offer.
Paul is arguing that salvation comes through faith, not by following the law. He uses Abraham as the prime example, stating that Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness before he was circumcised, a key act of the Law. To emphasize this, Paul contrasts two ways of relating to God: one based on working for a reward, and the other based on faith.
Paul is arguing that salvation comes through faith, not by following the law. He uses Abraham as the prime example, stating that Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness before he was circumcised, a key act of the Law. To emphasize this, Paul contrasts two ways of relating to God: one based on working for a reward, and the other based on faith.
"Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due." — Here's the insight hidden in that verse:
Paul isn't just contrasting two ways of getting right with God; he's pointing out that if you could earn your salvation, the reward wouldn't be a gift, but…
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Last reviewed October 2026