Apostol § 86

Brethren, to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as a debt. But to him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, even as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works, saying: “Blessed are they whose iniquities forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was counted unto Abraham for righteousness. How then was it counted? Was it before or after he was circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.