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,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just saying that working for God's favor makes it a transaction; it's highlighting a crucial distinction in how rewards are viewed. If you earn something, it's not a gift of grace but a payment you're due, stripping away any element of God's free favor. This sharp contrast sets the stage for understanding why faith, not works, is the basis for our righteousness before God.
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,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is building an argument for how Abraham was declared righteous before God, emphasizing it wasn't because of his deeds. He contrasts two systems: one where a person earns their reward through work, making it a debt owed to them, and another where righteousness is credited as a gift by grace. This sets the stage to show that Abraham, and by extension all believers, fall into the latter category, not the former.
Imagine you work hard at your job all week. At the end of it, your boss hands you your paycheck. Is that a generous gift, or is it what you've earned? Paul uses this everyday scenario to draw a powerful contrast.
Paul is laying out a fundamental principle: when you work for something, your pay isn't considered a gift. It's seen as what's due to you.
The Contract of Labor
Grace vs. Debt
Paul sharpens this by saying the reward for the one who works is not counted as grace, but as debt. This highlights that the entire basis is different. Grace is unmerited favor; debt is earned entitlement. If justification were based on works, it would fit the 'debt' category, meaning we could claim it as our right.
Paul is talking about Abraham here, the 'father' of the Jewish people. If anyone could earn their standing with God through works, it would seem like Abraham could. But Paul uses Abraham's story to show something radically different about how God counts righteousness.
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Paul is setting up a contrast to show why Abraham's righteousness wasn't based on works.
The Choice of Categories
Faith's Unique Standing
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.
asebēs · Greek Adjective
Refers to those who are morally destitute, rebellious, or lacking a right relationship with God; the focus of God's justifying grace.
pistis · Greek Noun
The conviction, trust, and reliance placed in God; it is the God-given means by which the believer receives justification.
This passage directly contrasts inheriting by law (which implies works and debt) with inheriting by promise (which implies grace), echoing the core argument of Romans 4:4-5.
Titus 3:5This verse explicitly states salvation is not by works of righteousness but by God's mercy and the new birth, reinforcing the idea that any reward for us is entirely grace, not something we earn.
Ephesians 2:8-9These verses powerfully state that salvation is by grace through faith and not a result of works, lest anyone should boast, directly supporting the distinction Paul makes between earning wages and receiving a gift.
Luke 17:7-10Jesus' parable about the servant illustrates that even when we do all we are commanded, we are still unprofitable servants who have only done our duty; our reward is not a debt owed to us by God.
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…
This verse isn't just saying that working for God's favor makes it a transaction; it's highlighting a crucial distinction in how rewards are viewed. If you earn something, it's not a gift of grace but a payment you're due, stripping away any element of God's free favor. This sharp contrast sets the stage for understanding why faith, not works, is the basis for our righteousness before God.
Paul is building an argument for how Abraham was declared righteous before God, emphasizing it wasn't because of his deeds. He contrasts two systems: one where a person earns their reward through work, making it a debt owed to them, and another where righteousness is credited as a gift by grace. This sets the stage to show that Abraham, and by extension all believers, fall into the latter category, not the former.
Paul is building an argument for how Abraham was declared righteous before God, emphasizing it wasn't because of his deeds. He contrasts two systems: one where a person earns their reward through work, making it a debt owed to them, and another where righteousness is credited as a gift by grace. This sets the stage to show that Abraham, and by extension all believers, fall into the latter category, not the former.
"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," — This verse isn't just saying that working for God's favor makes it a transaction; it's highlighting a crucial distinction in how rewards are viewed. If you earn something, it's not a gift of grace…
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Last reviewed October 2026