Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
Rom 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

Abraham could glory in his good works, for he was a honest God fearing man who wouldn't sin on purpose. However, his good works were not enough to save his soul. His faith in God was what saved him. He believed in God and obeyed the calling of God long before the law was given. He believed God when the rest of his relatives and the world around him was into idolatry. He is a good example. God chose this man to bring forth the seed that would save the world from sin.

Rom 4:3 For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Just as Abraham's faith was counted for righteousness, our faith in Christ is counted for our righteousness. When we believe and completely turn our lives over to Christ, His righteousness takes the place of our own righteousness that we may have thought we had. We are clothed with the righteousness of Christ when we truly believe in Him.

We can easily see why it is so important that we do not return to sin willfully after coming to Christ for salvation. We are clothed with His righteousness now and to return to sin would be a more serious error than the sin we had before we accepted Christ. If we sin we have an advocate with the Father and must repent at once. We are now vessels of the Holy Spirit and we must not allow sin to dwell within us.

Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

We are talking of works that men and women do to try to earn salvation or earn justification. Rituals, ceremonies, ordinances, feasts, observances, Sabbaths, sacrifices, circumcision, etc. These works will not save us from sin although it is not a bad thing to do some of them but they do not justify us before God. Our faith in Christ is what will justify us before God. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. This makes us clean and whole. Our faith causes us to become new creatures in Christ, covered by the blood of Jesus, born again by the spirit and made new.

The ritualistic works that a priest does similar to what they did in the Old Testament does not cleanse us from sin, neither does it justify us before God. Now that Jesus came, only faith in Him can justify because He became the sacrifice needed to pay for our sins. The sacrifices they did in the Old Testament were only to point to the sacrifice that was to come.  It was an act of faith and obedience in the promise of the one to come that would take away our sins. 

Rom 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Rom 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Rom 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

What a wonderful promise we have here. Simple faith in Christ which means to have faith in what He represents, what He came to do and faith in what He says. We can't just claim faith in Christ and ignore everything He has ever said. When we believe in something, we will act on what we believe.

If I believe I have a hundred dollars waiting for me at the post office and I don't claim it or go pick it up, it profits me nothing. If I say I have faith in Christ, I'm going to act like I have faith. Its more than just a mental acknowledgment that He existed 2000 years ago.

Rom 4:9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
Rom 4:10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

Paul uses the example of Abraham to show us that this faith is for Jews and Gentiles. At that time in history, Gentiles did not practice circumcision. Jews had a hard time believing the Gentiles were saved completely without being circumcised so Paul has to correct their error many times in scripture.

Rom 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

Here is the promise and hope of all Gentile believers. Abraham was justified by faith before he was circumcised. He received the seal of circumcision after he believed.  This is similar to water baptism.  We are supposed to believe before we are baptized in water.  Baptism in water is an outward presentation of what has taken place in our hearts.  We are sealed with the Holy Spirit or born again by the spirit the moment we believe and water baptism symbolizes what has taken place.  It was an act of obedience just like circumcision was an act of obedience for Abraham.  Paul was showing that it was not circumcision that saved them from sin but faith in Christ for circumcision came after Abraham believed and was counted righteous before God. To be circumcised or not circumcised does not determine our salvation.  True faith in Jesus as the one who saves us from sin, is what determines our salvation.

Rom 4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Rom 4:13 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.

The promise of the gospel was given to Abraham by faith before he was circumcised so that the promise of salvation by faith in Jesus could be given to the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

Rom 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

It is exciting to read this. The Gentiles were called and provided for way back when God was giving this promise to Abraham. This makes me feel so humble to think of. He included me even though I was not born a Jew but was probably descended from the heathen that surrounded the country where Abraham dwelled. 

These verses say that the law works wrath.  If there is no law, there is no transgression.  Faith makes the condemnation in the law null in void to one who believes.  Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law that says, that we are judged by the law if we sin.  Jesus took that judgment for us when He died in our place.  We deserve to die, He didn't because He didn't break the law.  Our faith in what He did for us counts on our behalf.
Does that mean we can sin?  Absolutely not.  It means that we have an even more responsibility not to sin because we are partakers of the holiness of God.  What He gives us through Jesus is so holy and awesome that we should never willingly desire to return to the bondage of sin. 

Rom 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Rom 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:
Rom 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Just because Abraham messed up a little when he listened to Sarah and Hagar conceived by him as a result, does not mean that Abraham had any unbelief. In fact this shows that Abraham and Sarah did believe, they were only trying to help God make it come to pass. However, we can look back and see now that God didn't need any help in that way.

Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Rom 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.

When we really believe sincerely on Him who raised Jesus from the dead, we can be saved. It takes saving faith to really believe that God could raise the dead.

Jesus was allowed to die for sins that He did not commit. Those sins were the sins we did commit. We can be saved when we truly partake of His holiness by receiving these words and believing in them.

Jesus died for our offenses (our sins) and He was raised again for our justification or to make us who believe, Just as if we never sinned. Oh what a hope, what a promise. That eternal life through Jesus our Lord.