Romans 4:17
“As it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations.” This is in the presence of him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were.”
What does Romans 4:17 mean?
Abraham believed God's promise that he would become a father of many nations, even though he was already old and had no children. Paul quotes this to show that real faith means trusting God's word about things that haven't happened yet, treating them as already certain because God has spoken them. God has the power to create life from nothing and to call things into being just by speaking them into existence, so when he made a promise to Abraham, Abraham's job was simply to trust it. This kind of faith—believing what God says before you see the evidence—is what makes us right with God, not our own efforts or achievements.