22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Paul now drew a conclusion to his whole argument from this section of Romans.
22 And [actually] therefore
The “therefore” here is conclusion; it is an inference that is self-evident. The reason God credited to Abraham righteousness was his trust in God’s words. Faith was the human condition for salvation.
“it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
This sentence is another exact quote from Genesis 15:6. Paul came full circle and returned to this quotation from Romans 4:3. God declared that Abraham stood right before Him forever. There was no merit in Abraham because God declaring him right in His eyes was by faith, not works.
PRINCIPLE:
When we operate on grace, we refuse to draw on our own resources.
APPLICATION:
We can insert nothing between the Promiser and our receiving the promise. We trust the Promiser as a faithful provider of grace. We open our empty hands to receive what He gives. We throw ourselves entirely into God’s hands. We look to God’s resources. We cannot receive salvation or live the Christian life by self-effort.
