Romans 4:1

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?

(v1, NIV)

So, boasting is excluded on the basis of faith. We know and understand that justification is by faith and not by the observance of the law. However, what about Abraham? Some of the Jews took pride in the fact that they were the descendants of Abraham. Their objection would be that Abraham was justified by the observance of the law and not by faith. So, Paul embarks to bring to light the case of Abraham in this next section. Was he justified by faith or by works?