After Paul once again calls us to his thesis in the final verses of Romans 3, as he explains that righteousness can only come through faith in Christ, he now addresses a response that Jewish critics of the Gospel would likely have. Jewish critics would likely call people to examine the life of Abraham in order to display that obedience and works are the means by which humans are justified. However, Paul responds by saying that Abraham, just as us all, also has no right to boast in works for the Scripture says that he too was justified by faith alone (Genesis 15:6). Justification is a gift of God, and no man can achieve justification by his own merits, it can only be received by God’s gracious work. This is a joyful and happy reality for all who are in Christ, as Paul explains that God’s justifying us means that our sins are removed from us and not counted against us, and so we are truly blessed in Christ. So then, we rejoice with David as we sing that our sins are not counted against us.