“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” – Romans 4:5
Romans 4:5 declares a truth that flips human logic on its head: “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” Paul doesn’t say God justifies the godly, the religious, or the morally upright. He says God justifies the ungodly. That word should stop us in our tracks. Who are the ungodly? All of us. Before Christ, we are not just imperfect—we are spiritually bankrupt. Jesus illustrated this when He called Matthew the tax collector. Matthew was so thrilled, he invited all his sinner friends to meet Jesus. The religious leaders were appalled, but Jesus responded, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mark 2:17). The gospel is not for those who think they’re good—it’s for those who know they’re not.
Paul drives this point home by bringing Abraham into the conversation. The Jews revered Abraham as the model of righteousness, but Paul reminds them that Abraham was ungodly when God called him. He wasn’t chosen because he was morally superior or religiously devout. He was chosen because he believed. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). Yet many rabbinical teachings twisted this truth, claiming Abraham was justified by his obedience or even sinless. Books like Ecclesiasticus and Jubilees painted him as perfect, ignoring the clear testimony of Scripture. Genesis 15 shows us that Abraham’s righteousness came not from law-keeping, but from faith. He didn’t earn God’s favor—he received it by trusting in the promise.
This matters deeply for us today. If salvation were earned, we’d never know when we’d done enough. How many prayers, rituals, or good deeds would be required? The truth is, we can never do enough. That’s why grace is so beautiful. God doesn’t wait for us to become godly—He calls us while we’re still ungodly. Just like Abraham, we are justified not by our performance but by our belief in what Christ has done. So here’s the call: stop trying to clean yourself up before coming to God. Come as you are. Admit your need. Believe in the One who died for you. And let your faith—not your effort—be counted as righteousness. Anything else is just man-made theory. Only faith in Christ leads to life.
“To be justified means to be declared righteous. It is not a process—it is an act, a sentence, pronounced by the Judge, and that Judge God. It is not a reward for anything done, but a declaration of the sinner’s standing before God, in Christ, by faith.” – William R. Newell
surrendered devotions 