foolish, promise-breakers, heartless, unmerciful;

What, then, though some of them did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the promise of God without effect?

For the promise made to Abraham and his descendants, that he should own the world, was not conditioned on the law, but on the right standing he had with God through faith.

For if the law party is to possess the world, then faith has been nullified and the promise has been made null and void.

(What the Law produces is the Wrath, not the promise of God; where there is no law, there is no transgression either.)

So it is conditioned on faith, that it might be in accordance with God's unmerited favor, so that the promise might be in force for all the descendants of Abraham, not only for those who belong to the law party but also for those who belong to the faith group of Abraham. He is the father of us all,

as the Scripture says, "I have made you the father of many nations." That is, the promise is in force in the sight of God in whom he put his faith, the God who can bring the dead to life and can call to Himself the things that do not exist as though they did.

and yet he never staggered in doubt at the promise of God but grew powerful in faith, because he gave the glory to God

and being absolutely certain that whatever promise He is bound by He is able also to make good.

However, the divine promise cannot but have its effect. for they are not the whole of Israel, who are descended from Israel:

nor are they all children of Abraham, because they are his descendants, but the promise was "In the line of Isaac your descendants will I be counted."

That is, it is not Abraham's natural descendants who are God's children, but those who are made children by the promise are counted his true descendants.

For this is the language of the promise, "About this time next year I will come back, and Sarah will have a son."

And this is the promise to them from me, when I take away their sins.