Romans 4
1 Abraham is the [revered] ancestor of us [Jews]. So think about what we can conclude [from what happened to Abraham about how God can erase the record of our sins]. [RHQ]
Miremos el ejemplo de Abraham. Desde la perspectiva humana, él es el padre de nuestra nación. Preguntemos: “¿Cuál fue su experiencia?”
2 If it was because of Abraham’s doing [good] things that the record of his sins was erased {that [God] erased the record of his sins}, Abraham could then have been able to boast [about that to people], but he would not have [had any basis to] boast to God [about it].
Porque si Abraham hubiera sido justificado por lo que hizo, habría tenido algo de lo cual jactarse, pero no ante los ojos de Dios.
3 [Remember that] in the Scriptures it is written {someone wrote} [PRS] that Abraham believed what God [promised] [RHQ], and as a result the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Sin embargo, ¿qué dice la Escritura? “Abraham creyó en Dios, y por ello fue considerado justo”.
4 If we receive wages for work that we do, those wages are not considered to be a gift. Instead, they [are considered] to be what we have earned. [Similarly, if God erases the record of our sins because we did things to earn God’s favor], we would not consider that [God’s erasing the record of our sin] was [a gift. Instead, we would consider it as what we had earned].
Todo el que trabaja recibe su pago, no como un regalo, sino porque se ha ganado su salario.
5 But suppose that we do not do things [to gain God’s acceptance]. Suppose that we instead trust [in God], who erases the record of sins of wicked people. Then the erasing of the record of our sins because of our trusting [in Christ] is considered to be a gift to us, [not something that we earned].
Pero Dios, quien hace justos a los pecadores, los considera justos no porque hayan trabajado por ello, sino porque confían en él.
6 Similarly, it is as David wrote [in the Psalms] about people being happy whose record of sins God has erased even though they have not done things [to earn it. David wrote]:
Es por ello que David habla de la felicidad de aquellos a quienes Dios acepta como justos, y no porque ellos trabajen por ello:
7 [God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
“Cuán felices son los que reciben perdón por sus errores y cuyos pecados son cubiertos.
8 [God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
Cuán felices son aquellos a quienes el Señor no considera pecadores”.
9 As for our being happy [because God has erased the record of our sins], (it is not something that [only] we Jews [can experience]./is it [MTY] something that [only] we Jews [can experience]?) [RHQ] [No, it is] also something that non-Jews [can experience] [MTY]. [What is written in the Scriptures], that it was because Abraham trusted [in God] that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}, [also shows that this is true].
Ahora, ¿es acaso esta bendición solo para los judíos, o es para los demás también? Acabamos de afirmar que Abraham fue aceptado como justo porque confió en Dios.
10 ([Think about] when [God erased the record of Abraham’s sins]./When did [God erase the record of Abraham’s sins]?) [RHQ] (Consider whether [it happened] after someone circumcised [Abraham to mark him as one who belonged to God], or before someone circumcised him./[Did it happen] after [Abraham was] circumcised [to be marked as one who belonged to God], or before he was circumcised?) [RHQ] It happened before he was circumcised, not after he was circumcised.
Pero ¿cuándo sucedió esto? ¿Acaso fue cuando Abraham era judío o antes?
11 [Many years later, God commanded that] Abraham [be] circumcised. Abraham’s accepting that ritual simply showed [that he knew that God had accepted him]. [He knew that God] had [erased the record of his sins] because he trusted [in God] while he was still, [in effect, a non-Jew because] he had not been circumcised. [So we can understand that] Abraham became (a spiritual ancestor/like an ancestor) to [all] of us whose record of sins has been erased {whose sins [God] has erased the record of} because we believe [in God’s promise, even though some of us] are not circumcised.
De hecho, fue antes de que Abraham fuera judío por ser circuncidado, lo cual era una confirmación de su confianza en Dios para hacerlo justo. Esto ocurrió antes de ser circuncidado, de modo que él es el padre de todos los que confían en Dios y son considerados justos por él, aunque no sean judíos circuncidados.
12 Likewise, Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all us Jews who are not merely circumcised but who, more importantly, [believe in God’s promise] as our ancestor Abraham did, even before he was circumcised.
También es el padre de los judíos circuncidados, no solo porque estén circuncidados, sino porque siguen el ejemplo de la confianza en Dios que nuestro padre Abraham tuvo antes de ser circuncidado.
13 God promised Abraham and his descendants that they would receive [the blessings that he promised to give to the people in] the world. But when he promised that, it was not because Abraham [obeyed] the laws [that God later gave to Moses]. Instead, it was because Abraham believed [that God would do what he promised that he would do]. As a result, God erased the record of his sins.
La promesa que Dios le hizo a Abraham y a sus descendientes de que el mundo les pertenecería no estaba basada en su cumplimiento de la ley, sino en que él fue justificado por su confianza en Dios.
14 If [we think that] it is those who [obey God’s] laws who will receive [what he has promised], it is useless [for us to trust in him. And what he] promised is worthless. [Remember that] it is [stated] in God’s law [PRS] [that] he will punish [people who do not perfectly obey them], and remember that wherever [MTY] laws exist, [people] disobey them [LIT].
Porque si la herencia prometida estuviera basada en el cumplimiento de la ley, entonces confiar en Dios no sería necesario, y la promesa sería inútil.
Porque la ley resulta en castigo, pero si no hay ley, entonces no puede ser quebrantada.
16 So it is because [we] trust [in God that we will receive the things that he has promised]. [It is not because we perfectly obey God’s laws. He wants] (to [erase the record of our sins/to declare us no longer guilty]) without our earning it. As a result, what God now promises, he guarantees to give to all people who are [Abraham’s spiritual] descendants. [He promises to do that not only for us Jewish believers], who [have] God’s laws [and trust in him as Abraham did], but also for those [non-Jews who do not have God’s laws but] who trust [in him] as Abraham did. Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all of us [believers].
De modo que la promesa está basada en la confianza en Dios. Es dada como un don, garantizada a todos los hijos de Abraham, y no solo a los que siguen la ley, sino también a todos los que creen como Abraham, el padre de todos nosotros.
17 What is written {What [Moses] wrote} [in the Scriptures about what God promised Abraham shows that this is true]. [God said to him], “It is in order that you [(sg)] may be the ancestor of many ethnic groups that I have chosen you.” Romans 4:17b-22 God [guaranteed that he would give Abraham many descendants]. Abraham confidently believed that God [would do that],
Como dice la Escritura: “Yo te he hecho el padre de muchas naciones”. Porque en presencia de Dios, Abraham creyó en el Dios que hace resucitar a los muertos y trajo a la existencia lo que no existía antes.
18 even though there was no physical reason for him to hope [that he would have descendants, because he and his wife were too old to bear children]. But God is the one who causes dead people to live again, and who talks about things that do not yet exist as already existing. [God said to Abraham], “You will have so many descendants that they will be [as impossible to count as the stars].” And Abraham believed that, and he believed that he would become the ancestor of many ethnic groups.
Contra toda esperanza, Abraham tuvo esperanza y confió en Dios, y de este modo pudo llegar a ser el padre de muchos pueblos, tal como Dios se lo prometió: “¡Tendrás muchos descendientes!”
19 He did not doubt [that God would do what he promised], even though he knew that his body was already [as incapable of begetting children as if he were] dead [MET] because he was about 100 years old. And [even though he realized that] Sarah had never been able to become pregnant [IDM],
Su confianza en Dios no se debilitó aun cuando creía que su cuerpo ya estaba prácticamente muerto (tenía casi cien años de edad), y sabía que Sara estaba muy vieja para tener hijos.
20 he did not doubt at all that God [would do what he had] promised. Instead, he trusted [in God] more/very strongly, and he thanked God [for what God was going to do].
Sino que se aferró a la promesa de Dios y no dudó. Por el contrario, su confianza en Dios se fortalecía y daba gloria a Dios.
21 He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
Él estaba completamente convencido que Dios tenía el poder para cumplir la promesa.
22 And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Por eso Dios consideró justo a Abraham.
23 The words [in the Scriptures], “The record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins},” are not only about Abraham.
Las palabras “Abraham fue considerado justo” no fueron escritas solo para su beneficio.
24 They were also written {[They] also wrote that} for us whose record of sins would be erased {[God] would erase}. They were written {[They] wrote it} for us who believe [God], the one who caused our Lord Jesus to become alive again after he died.
También fueron escritas para beneficio de nosotros, para los que seremos considerados justos porque confiamos en Dios, quien levantó a nuestro Señor Jesús de los muertos.
25 Jesus allowed [men] to execute [MTY] him so that [God could forgive] our evil deeds. And [God] caused Jesus to live again because [God wanted to show that because of the death of Jesus he was able to] erase the record of our sins.
Jesús fue entregado a la muerte por causa de nuestros pecados, y fue levantado a la vida para justificarnos.
