What does “counted” mean in Romans 4:5?

Answer:

Paul repeatedly stated that we are credited as righteous.  That word, "credited, reckoned, or counted," is significant. It means we are treated as righteous even though we are not actually righteous. All of us have sinned, and so we don't deserve to be called righteous. This is different from Jesus Christ, who never sinned and is righteous. If we could live perfectly and never sin, then we could also claim to be righteous. However, even after being saved, sin remains a problem for the Christian. "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us" (I John 1:8). The only reason we are being treated as righteous is that God grants us the gift based on our faith, which includes our obedience.

Examining This More Deeply

In Romans 4:1-2, Paul addresses the question: "Did Abraham earn his justification?" The answer is that God said Abraham's justification came about because of his faith. Abraham's justification was not earned.

A second illustration is based on a person's job (Romans 4:4-5). "When a person works at a job, is his wage earned or due him?" If you are an employer, what would happen if you did not pay your employee? You would end up in considerable trouble because that employee earned his wages. "You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning" (Leviticus 19:13).

Is righteousness earned or owed to a person? The answer is "no." Consider that if righteousness were owed, then what has every man earned in light of what Paul proved about the Jews and Gentiles? "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The only debt we have incurred before God is that of death for our sins. We cannot earn righteousness. Any righteousness on our part comes from God forgiving our sins (Romans 4:6-8).

To emphasize the point, Paul addresses the question in Romans 4:9-13, "Is it possible for the law to make a person righteous?" Paul quotes Genesis 15:6, where God declares Abraham to be righteous. Yet Abraham was not circumcised, as the law required, until thirteen years later, as recorded in Genesis 17. Hence, you cannot say that Abraham’s declared righteousness came because he kept the provisions of the law.

If Abraham’s justification came solely from the things he did, there might be occasion to boast about his personal accomplishments. In other words, was Abraham justified because he was circumcised? It was, after all, what the Jews took pride in (II Corinthians 11:18; Philippians 3:3-4; Galatians 6:13). But such a boast cannot be made before God since all, including Abraham, sin. Circumcision was a part of God’s law, but it didn’t make a person righteous according to the law because the law wasn’t just about circumcision.

Nor was the fact that Abraham was circumcised the cause for God to credit him with righteousness. Paul quotes Genesis 15:6, which plainly states that it was because of Abraham’s act of believing that God credited him with righteousness. This same passage is quoted in James 2:23 to illustrate the importance of works in demonstrating one's faith. Paul and James argue against the idea that faith and works can be separated: Paul deals with works without faith, and James with faith without works.

We should also note that when Abraham was told this, it wasn’t because he had been an alien sinner who never obeyed God in the past. Melchizedek had previously called Abram a follower of the Most High God (Genesis 14:19), and Abram had been following God for years. What Paul is proving is that it wasn’t because Abram kept a work of the Law, such as circumcision, that made him righteous. It was because of his faith that God declared him righteous, even though he had sinned.

To further prove his point that faith makes a difference, Paul cites David in Psalm 32. A man who has been forgiven of his sins is in a happy state. It doesn’t mean that he did not do wrong. Instead, they are buried and not charged against the man. Matthew Poole notes:

“The same thing is expressed three several ways; there are three things in sin to be considered:

1. There is an offense against God, which is said to be forgiven.
2. There is a filthiness in sin, which is said to be covered.
3. There is guilt in it, which is said not to be imputed.”

It is God who chooses not to hold men accountable based on their faith, not man earning God’s favor or putting God into his debt. However, we must note that we are not discussing the initial forgiveness of an alien sinner. David has been following God most of his life. David’s quote from Psalms 32 is in the context of a man who has been obedient to God but has fallen short of perfect obedience.

I hope this clarifies the passage a bit.