Romans 3
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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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Romans 3
3
God’s Judgment Defended
1What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2Much in every way! Chiefly because #Deut. 4:5–8; Ps. 147:19; Rom. 9:4to them were committed the oracles of God. 3For what if #Rom. 10:16; Heb. 4:2some did not believe? #Num. 23:19; (2 Tim. 2:13)Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4#Job 40:8Certainly not! Indeed, let #(John 3:33)God be true but #Ps. 62:9every man a liar. As it is written:
#Ps. 51:4“That You may be justified in Your words,
And may overcome when You are judged.”
5But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? #Rom. 6:19; 1 Cor. 9:8; 15:32; Gal. 3:15(I speak as a man.) 6Certainly not! For then #(Gen. 18:25)how will God judge the world?
7For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8And why not say, #Rom. 5:20“Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.
All Have Sinned
9What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that #Rom. 3:19, 23; 11:32; Gal. 3:22they are all under sin.
10As it is written:
#Ps. 14:1–3; 53:1–3; Eccl. 7:20“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13“Their#Ps. 5:9 throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
#Ps. 140:3“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14“Whose#Ps. 10:7 mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15“Their#Prov. 1:16; Is. 59:7, 8 feet are swift to shed blood;
16Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17And the way of peace they have not known.”
18“There#Ps. 36:1 is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19Now we know that whatever #John 10:34the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that #Job 5:16; Ps. 107:42every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20Therefore #Ps. 143:2; (Acts 13:39; Gal. 2:16)by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
God’s Righteousness Through Faith
21But now #Acts 15:11the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, #John 5:46being witnessed by the Law #1 Pet. 1:10and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For #Rom. 10:12; (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11)there is no difference; 23for #Gal. 3:22all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified freely #Rom. 4:4, 16; (Eph. 2:8; Titus 3:5, 7)by His grace #(Matt. 20:28; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; 1 Tim. 2:6; Heb. 9:12, 15; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19)through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God set forth #Lev. 16:15as a propitiation #Col. 1:20by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over #Acts 14:16; 17:30; (Rom. 2:4)the sins that were previously committed, 26to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Boasting Excluded
27#Rom. 2:17, 23; (1 Cor. 1:29); Eph. 2:9Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28Therefore we conclude #Gal. 2:16that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30since #Rom. 10:12; (Gal. 3:8, 20)there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.