1 E ntonces, ¿qué fue lo que obtuvo nuestro antepasado Abrahán?

What about Abraham, our early father? What did he learn?

2 P orque si Abrahán hubiera sido justificado por las obras, tendría de qué jactarse, pero no delante de Dios.

If Abraham was made right with God by what he did, he would have had something to be proud of. But he could not be proud before God.

3 P ues ¿qué es lo que dice la Escritura? Que Abrahán le creyó a Dios, y esto se le tomó en cuenta como justicia.

The Holy Writings say, “Abraham put his trust in God and that made him right with God.”

4 A hora bien, para el que trabaja, su salario no es un regalo sino algo que tiene merecido;

If a man works, his pay is not a gift. It is something he has earned.

5 p ero al que no trabaja, sino que cree en aquel que justifica al pecador, su fe se le toma en cuenta como justicia.

If a man has not worked to be saved, but has put his trust in God Who saves men from the punishment of their sins, that man is made right with God because of his trust in God.

6 D avid también se refiere a la felicidad del hombre a quien Dios atribuye justicia sin obras,

David tells of this. He spoke of how happy the man is who puts his trust in God without working to be saved from the punishment of sin.

7 c uando dice: «¡Dichoso aquel cuyas iniquidades son perdonadas, Y cuyos pecados son cubiertos!

“Those people are happy whose sinful acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

8 ¡ Dichoso aquél a quien el Señor no culpa de pecado!»

Those people are happy whose sins the Lord will not remember.”

9 ¿ Acaso esta dicha es solamente para los que están circuncidados, o es también para los que no lo están? Porque decimos que la fe de Abrahán se le tomó en cuenta como justicia.

Is this happiness given to the Jews only? Or is it given also to the people who are not Jews? We say again, “Abraham put his trust in God and that made him right with God.”

10 ¿ Cuándo se le tomó en cuenta? ¿Antes de ser circuncidado, o después? Antes, y no después.

When did this happen? Was it before or after Abraham went through the religious act of becoming a Jew? It was before.

11 E ntonces Abrahán fue circuncidado como señal, como sello de la justicia por la fe que tuvo antes de ser circuncidado. De esa manera, Abrahán es padre de todos los creyentes que no están circuncidados, a fin de que también a ellos la fe se les tome en cuenta como justicia.

He went through the religious act after he had put his trust in God. That religious act proved that his trust in God made him right with God even before he went through the religious act of becoming a Jew. In that way, it made him the early father of all those who believe. It showed that those who did not go through the religious act of becoming a Jew could be right with God.

12 Y también es padre de aquellos que, además de estar circuncidados, siguen las pisadas de la fe que tuvo nuestro padre Abrahán antes de ser circuncidado. La promesa realizada mediante la fe

He is also the early father of all those who have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. It is not because they went through the act. It is because they put their trust in God the same as Abraham did before he went through the religious act of becoming a Jew.

13 P orque la promesa dada a Abrahán y a su descendencia en cuanto a que recibiría el mundo como herencia, no le fue dada por la ley sino por la justicia que se basa en la fe.

God promised to give the world to him and to all his family after him. He did not make this promise because Abraham obeyed the Law. He promised to give the world to Abraham because he put his trust in God. This made him right with God.

14 P ues si los que van a recibir la herencia se basan en la ley, la fe resulta vana y la promesa queda anulada.

If those who obey the Law are to get the world, then a person putting his trust in God means nothing. God’s promise to Abraham would be worth nothing.

15 P orque la ley produce castigo, pero donde no hay ley, tampoco hay transgresión.

God’s anger comes on a man when he does not obey the Law. But if there were no Law, then no one could break it.

16 P or tanto, la promesa se recibe por fe, para que sea por gracia, a fin de que la promesa sea firme para toda su descendencia, tanto para los que son de la ley como para los que son de la fe de Abrahán, el cual es padre de todos nosotros.

So God’s promise is given to us because we put our trust in Him. We can be sure of it. It is because of His loving-favor to us. It is for all the family of Abraham. It is for those who obey the Law. It is for those who put their trust in God as Abraham did. In this way, he is the father of all Christians.

17 C omo está escrito: «Te he puesto por padre de muchas naciones.» Y lo es delante de Dios, a quien creyó, el cual da vida a los muertos, y llama las cosas que no existen, como si existieran.

The Holy Writings say, “I have made you a father of many nations.” This promise is good because of Who God is. He makes the dead live again. He speaks, and something is made out of nothing.

18 C ontra toda esperanza, Abrahán creyó para llegar a ser padre de muchas naciones, conforme a lo que se le había dicho: «Así será tu descendencia.»

Abraham believed he would be the father of many nations. He had no reason to hope for this, but he had been told, “Your children will become many nations.”

19 A demás, su fe no flaqueó al considerar su cuerpo, que estaba ya como muerto (pues ya tenía casi cien años ), o la esterilidad de la matriz de Sara.

Abraham was about one hundred years old. His body was about dead, but his faith in God was not weak when he thought of his body. His faith was not weak when he thought of his wife Sarah being past the age of having children.

20 T ampoco dudó, por incredulidad, de la promesa de Dios, sino que se fortaleció en la fe y dio gloria a Dios,

Abraham did not doubt God’s promise. His faith in God was strong, and he gave thanks to God.

21 p lenamente convencido de que Dios era también poderoso para hacer todo lo que había prometido.

He was sure God was able to do what He had promised.

22 P or eso su fe se le tomó en cuenta como justicia.

Abraham put his trust in God and was made right with Him.

23 Y no solamente con respecto a él se escribió que se le tomó en cuenta,

The words, “He was made right with God,” were not for Abraham only.

24 s ino también con respecto a nosotros, pues Dios tomará en cuenta nuestra fe, si creemos en el que levantó de los muertos a Jesús, nuestro Señor,

They were for us also. God will make us right with Himself the same way He did Abraham, if we put our trust in God Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

25 e l cual fue entregado por nuestros pecados, y resucitó para nuestra justificación.

Jesus died for our sins. He was raised from the dead to make us right with God.