Romans 4:13 - The Message

^13-15 That famous promise God gave Abraham—that he and his children would possess the earth—was not given because of something Abraham did or would do. It was based on God’s decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered when he believed. If those who get what God gives them only get it by doing everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly signed, that eliminates personal trust completely and turns the promise into an ironclad contract! That’s not a holy promise; that’s a business deal. A contract drawn up by a hard-nosed lawyer and with plenty of fine print only makes sure that you will never be able to collect. But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise—and God’s promise at that—you can’t break it.

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

¹³ For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

¹³ For the promise to Abraham or his posterity, that he should inherit the world, did not come through [observing the commands of] the Law but through the righteousness of faith. [Gen. 17:4-6; 22:16-18.]

American Standard Version (1901)

¹³ For not through the law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith.

Common English Bible

¹³ The promise to Abraham and to his descendants, that he would inherit the world, didn’t come through the Law but through the righteousness that comes from faith.

Catholic Public Domain Version

¹³ For the Promise to Abraham, and to his posterity, that he would inherit the world, was not through the law, but through the justice of faith.

Romans 4:13 Cross References