Romans 4:10
“How then was it counted? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.”
What does Romans 4:10 mean?
Paul is making a striking point about Abraham's relationship with God. Abraham was counted as righteous before he was circumcised, which means his faith in God came first, and the physical sign of the covenant came after. This matters because it shows that what made Abraham right with God was never about outward religious practices or following rules, but about trusting God himself. For Paul's readers, this was revolutionary. Some Jewish Christians were insisting that non-Jewish believers had to follow Jewish law and customs to be accepted by God. But Paul points to Abraham, their greatest ancestor, to show that God's acceptance has always been based on faith, not on checking boxes. If Abraham—the father of the Jewish people—was declared righteous before circumcision, then the pathway to God is open to everyone through believing trust, regardless of their background or what rules they keep.