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]
¿Qué, pues, diremos que halló Abraham, nuestro padre según la carne?
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].
Que si Abraham fue justificado por la obras, tiene de qué gloriarse; mas no para con 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}.
Porque ¿qué dice la Escritura?: Y creyó Abraham a Dios, y le fue atribuido a justicia.
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].
Pero al que obra, no se le cuenta el salario como gracia, sino como deuda.
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].
Mas al que no obra, sino cree en aquel que justifica al impío, la fe le es contada por justicia.
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]:
Como también David dice ser bienaventurado el hombre al cual Dios atribuye justicia sin las obras,
7 [God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
diciendo: Bienaventurados aquellos cuyas iniquidades son perdonadas, y cuyos pecados son cubiertos.
8 [God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
Bienaventurado el varón al cual el Señor no imputó pecado.
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].
¿ Es pues esta bienaventuranza solamente en la circuncisión o también en la incircuncisión? Porque decimos que a Abraham le fue contada la fe por justicia.
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.
¿Cómo pues le fue contada? ¿En la circuncisión, o en la incircuncisión? No en la circuncisión, sino en la incircuncisión.
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.
Y recibió la circuncisión por señal, por sello de la justicia de la fe que tuvo en la incircuncisión, para que fuese padre de todos los creyentes no circuncidados, para que también a ellos les sea contado por justicia;
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.
que sea padre de la circuncisión, no solamente a los que son de la circuncisión, sino también a los que siguen las pisadas de la fe que fue en nuestro padre Abraham 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.
Porque no por la ley fue dada la promesa a Abraham o a su simiente, que sería heredero del mundo, sino por la justicia de la fe.
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 los que son de la ley son los herederos, vana es la fe, y anulada es la promesa.
Porque la ley obra ira; porque donde no hay ley, tampoco hay rebelión.
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].
Por tanto, por la fe, para que sea por gracia; para que la promesa sea firme a toda simiente, no solamente al que es de la ley, sino también al que es de la fe de Abraham, el cual es 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 está escrito: Que por padre de muchos gentiles te he puesto delante de Dios, al cual creyó; el cual da vida a los muertos, y llama las cosas que no son, como las que son.
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.
El cual creyó para esperar contra esperanza, que sería hecho padre de muchos gentiles, conforme a lo que le había sido dicho: Así será tu simiente.
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],
Y no se enflaqueció en la fe, ni consideró su cuerpo ya muerto (siendo ya de casi cien años) ni muerta la matriz de Sara;
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].
tampoco dudó en la promesa de Dios con desconfianza; antes fue esforzado en fe, dando gloria a Dios,
21 He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
plenamente convencido de que era también poderoso para hacer todo lo que había prometido,
22 And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
por lo cual también le fue atribuida su fe a justicia.
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.
Y no es escrito esto solamente por él, que le haya sido así contado;
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.
sino también por nosotros, a quienes será así contado, esto es, a los que creen en el que levantó de los muertos a Jesús, el Señor nuestro,
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.
el cual fue entregado por nuestros delitos, y resucitado para nuestra justificación.
