Romans 3

God’s Righteousness

1So then what is the importance of circumcision, and what advantage is there of being a Jew? 2Actually, there are numerous advantages. # 3:2 The Aramaic can be translated “They have increased [prospered] in every way.” Most important, God distinguished the Jews from all other people by entrusting them with the revelation of his prophetic promises. # 3:2 These prophetic promises (“messages,” “oracles,” or “sayings”) include the entire scope of revelation given to the Jews through the teachings of the Torah and the many prophecies of the coming Messiah, all finding their fulfillment in Jesus, the Anointed One. 3But what if some were unfaithful to their divine calling? Does their unbelief weaken God’s faithfulness? 4Absolutely not! God will always be proven faithful and true to his word, while people are proven to be liars. This will fulfill what was written in the Scriptures:

Your words will always be vindicated

and you will rise victorious

when you are being tried by your critics! # 3:4 Or “You will prevail when judged.” See Ps. 51:4.

5But what if our wrong shows how right God is? Doesn’t our bad serve the purpose of making God look good? (Of course, I’m only speaking from a human viewpoint.) Would that infer that God is unfair when he displays his anger against wrongdoing? 6Absolutely not! For if that were the case, how could God be the righteous judge of all the earth?

7So, if my lie brings into sharp contrast the brightness of God’s truth, and if my lie accentuates his glory, then why should I be condemned as a sinner? 8Is it proper for us to sin, just so good things may come? May it never be! Yet there are some who slander us and claim that is what we teach. They deserve to be condemned for even saying it!

Universal Sinfulness

9So, are we to conclude then that we Jews are superior to all others? Certainly not! For we have already proven # 3:9 Or “accused” or “drawn up an indictment.” that both Jews and gentiles are all under the bondage of sin. 10And the Scriptures agree, for it is written:

There is no one who always does what is right,

no, not even one!

11There is no one with true spiritual insight,

and there is no one who seeks after God alone.

12All have deliberately wandered from God’s ways.

All have become depraved and unfit.

Kindness has disappeared from them all,

not even one is good. # 3:12 This is quoted from the Greek Septuagint of Pss. 14:1–3 and 53:3.

13Their words release a stench, # 3:13 Or “Their throats are open graves,” a metonymy for their speech.

like the smell of death—foul and filthy! # 3:13 See Ps. 5:9.

Deceitful lies roll off their tongues.

The venom of a viper drips from their lips. # 3:13 See Ps. 140:3.

14Bitter profanity flows from their mouths,

only meant to cut and harm. # 3:14 See Ps. 10:7.

15They are infatuated with violence and murder. # 3:15 Or “Their feet are swift to shed blood.”

16They release ruin and misery wherever they go.

17They never experience the path of peace. # 3:17 Verses 15–17 are quoted from Isa. 59:7–8.

18They shut their eyes to the awe-inspiring God! # 3:18 See Ps. 36:1. Paul lists a total of fourteen truths that describe all of humanity from the Old Testament.

19Now, we realize that everything the law says is addressed to those who are under its authority. This is for two reasons: So that every excuse will be silenced, with no boasting of innocence. # 3:19 “every excuse will be silenced” means that there will be no one boasting that they are innocent before God. And so that the entire world will be held accountable to God’s standards. # 3:19 Or “may be liable to judgment by God.” 20For by the merit of observing the law no one earns the status of being declared righteous before God, for it is the law that fully exposes and unmasks the reality of sin.

The Gospel Reveals God’s Righteousness

21-22But now, independently of the law, the righteousness of God is tangible and brought to light through Jesus, the Anointed One. This is the righteousness that the Scriptures prophesied would come. # 3:21–22 Or “attested to by the Law and the Prophets.” It is God’s righteousness made visible through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. # 3:21–22 Or “through faith in Jesus Christ.” And now all who believe in him receive that gift. For there is really no difference between us, 23for we all have sinned and are in need of the glory of God. 24Yet through his powerful declaration of acquittal, God freely gives away his righteousness. His gift # 3:24 The Greek word is dorean, which means “present,” “gift,” “legacy,” “privilege.” of love and favor now cascades over us, all because Jesus, the Anointed One, has liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin!

25Jesus’ God-given destiny # 3:25 The Aramaic can be translated “God ordained in advance an atonement by faith in his [Jesus’] blood.” was to be the sacrifice to take away sins, and now he is our mercy seat # 3:25 Or “propitiation.” The mercy seat becomes a metonymy for the sacrificial, redemptive work of Christ. The mercy seat was the lid to the ark of the covenant, which was carried throughout the wilderness for years and finally found a home in the temple in Jerusalem. “Blood of mercy” was sprinkled on the mercy seat (or “place of satisfaction”) yearly on the Day of Atonement, which covered the sins of the people until Jesus sprinkled his blood on the mercy seat in the heavens. The mercy seat was not seen by the people; only the high priest went into the holy of holies to sprinkle blood upon the mercy seat. Yet Jesus was publicly offered as the satisfaction for sin’s consequences. because of his death on the cross. We come to him for mercy, for God has made a provision for us to be forgiven by faith in the sacred blood of Jesus. This is the perfect demonstration of God’s justice, because until now, he had been so patient—holding back his justice out of his tolerance for us. So he covered over # 3:25 Or “passed over,” “released” (let it be). This is the only place the Greek word paresis is found in the New Testament. the sins of those who lived prior to Jesus’ sacrifice. 26And when the season of tolerance came to an end, there was only one possible way for God to give away his righteousness and still be true to both his justice and his mercy—to offer up his own Son. So now, because we stand on the faithfulness of Jesus, # 3:26 Or “faith in Jesus.” God declares us righteous in his eyes!

27Where, then, is there room for boasting? Do our works bring God’s acceptance? Not at all! It was not our works of keeping the law but our faith # 3:27 The Aramaic can be translated “It was not our works of keeping Torah, but the Torah of faith.” The Greek is “the law [principle] of faith.” in his finished work that makes us right with God. 28So our conclusion is this: God’s wonderful declaration that we are righteous # 3:28 Or “continually made righteous.” in his eyes can only come when we put our faith in Christ, and not in keeping the law.

The God of All the People

29After all, is God the God of the Jews only, or is he equally the God for all of humanity? Of course, he’s the God of all people! 30Since there is only one God, he will treat us all the same—he eliminates our guilt and makes us right with him by faith no matter who we are. # 3:30 Or “whether they are circumcised or uncircumcised.” 31Does emphasizing our faith invalidate the law? Absolutely not. Instead, our faith establishes the role the law should rightfully have. # 3:31 Or “upholds the law.” The rightful role of the law is to bring conviction of sin (vv. 19–20) and to present God’s standard of holiness, now fulfilled in Christ (8:4).

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Romans 3: TPT

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Romans 3

1So, do Jews have anything that others don’t have? Do they get any benefit from being circumcised? 2Yes, the Jews have many benefits. The most important one is this: God trusted the Jews with his teachings. 3It is true that some Jews were not faithful to God. But will that stop God from doing what he promised? 4No, even if everyone else is a liar, God will always do what he says. As the Scriptures say about him,

“You will be proved right in what you say,

and you will win when people accuse you.” Psalm 51:4

5When we do wrong, that shows more clearly that God is right. So can we say that God does wrong when he punishes us? (That’s the way some people think.) 6Of course not. If God could not punish us, how could he judge the world?

7Someone might say, “When I lie, it really gives God glory, because my lie makes his truth easier to see. So why am I judged a sinner?” 8It would be the same to say, “We should do evil so that good will come.” Many people criticize us, saying that’s what we teach. They are wrong, and they should be condemned for saying that.

All People Are Guilty

9So are we Jews better than other people? No, we have already said that those who are Jews, as well as those who are not Jews, are the same. They are all guilty of sin. 10As the Scriptures say,

“There is no one doing what is right,

not even one.

11There is no one who understands.

There is no one who is trying to be with God.

12They have all turned away from him,

and now they are of no use to anyone.

There is no one who does good,

not even one.” Psalm 14:1-3

13“Their words come from mouths that are like open graves.

They use their lying tongues to deceive others.” Psalm 5:9

“Their words are like the poison of snakes.” Psalm 140:3

14“Their mouths are full of cursing and angry words.” Psalm 10:7

15“They are always ready to kill someone.

16Everywhere they go they cause trouble and ruin.

17They don’t know how to live in peace.” Isaiah 59:7-8

18“They have no fear or respect for God.” Psalm 36:1

19What the law says is for those who are under the law. It stops anyone from making excuses. And it brings the whole world under God’s judgment, 20because no one can be made right with God by following the law. The law only shows us our sin.

How God Makes People Right

21But God has a way to make people right, and it has nothing to do with the law. He has now shown us that new way, which the law and the prophets told us about. 22God makes people right through their faith in#3:22 their faith in Or “the faithfulness of.” Jesus Christ. He does this for all who believe in Christ. Everyone is the same. 23All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ. 25-26God gave Jesus as a way to forgive people’s sins through their faith in him. God can forgive them because the blood sacrifice of Jesus pays for their sins. God gave Jesus to show that he always does what is right and fair. He was right in the past when he was patient and did not punish people for their sins. And in our own time he still does what is right. God worked all this out in a way that allows him to judge people fairly and still make right any person who has faith in Jesus.

27So do we have any reason to boast about ourselves? No reason at all. And why not? Because we are depending on the way of faith, not on what we have done in following the law. 28I mean we are made right with God through faith, not through what we have done to follow the law. This is what we believe. 29God is not only the God of the Jews. He is also the God of those who are not Jews. 30There is only one God. He will make Jews#3:30 Jews Literally, “circumcision.” right with him by their faith, and he will also make non-Jews#3:30 non-Jews Literally, “uncircumcision.” right with him through their faith. 31So do we destroy the law by following the way of faith? Not at all! In fact, faith causes us to be what the law actually wants.

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