Romans 3
3
1WHAT advantage then hath the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?
2Much every way. First indeed, because the words of God were committed to them.
3For what if some of them have not believed? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid.
4But God is true; and every man a liar, as it is written, That thou mayest be justified in thy words, and mayest overcome when thou art judged.
5But if our injustice commend the justice of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust, who executeth wrath?
6(I speak according to man.) God forbid: otherwise how shall God judge this world?
7For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie, unto his glory, why am I also yet judged as a sinner?
8And not rather (as we are slandered, and as some affirm that we say) let us do evil, that there may come good? whose damnation is just.
9What then? Do we excel them? No, not so. For we have charged both Jews, and Greeks, that they are all under sin.
10As it is written: There is not any man just.
11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12All have turned out of the way; they are become unprofitable together: there is none that doth good, there is not so much as one.
13Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have dealt deceitfully. The venom of asps is under their lips.
14Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15Their feet swift to shed blood:
16Destruction and misery in their ways:
17And the way of peace they have not known:
18There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19Now we know, that what things soever the law speaketh, it speaketh to them that are in the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be made subject to God.
20Because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified before him. For by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21But now without the law the justice of God is made manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.
22Even the justice of God, by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe in him: for there is no distinction:
23For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God.
24Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption, that is in Christ Jesus,
25Whom God hath proposed to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to the shewing of his justice, for the remission of former sins,
26Through the forbearance of God, for the shewing of his justice in this time; that he himself may be just, and the justifier of him, who is of the faith of Jesus Christ.
27Where is then thy boasting? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
28For we account a man to be justified by faith, without the works of the law.
29Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.
30For it is one God, that justifieth circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31Do we, then, destroy the law through faith? God forbid: but we establish the law.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Romans 3
3
1Have the Jews then any advantage over the Gentiles? Or is there any value in being circumcised? 2Much, indeed, in every way! In the first place, God trusted his message to the Jews. 3But what if some of them were not faithful? Does this mean that God will not be faithful? 4#Ps 51.4 (LXX)Certainly not! God must be true, even though every human being is a liar. As the scripture says,
“You must be shown to be right when you speak;
you must win your case when you are being tried.”
5But what if our doing wrong serves to show up more clearly God's doing right? Can we say that God does wrong when he punishes us? (This would be the natural question to ask.) 6By no means! If God is not just, how can he judge the world?
7But what if my untruth serves God's glory by making his truth stand out more clearly? Why should I still be condemned as a sinner? 8Why not say, then, “Let us do evil so that good may come”? Some people, indeed, have insulted me by accusing me of saying this very thing! They will be condemned, as they should be.
No one is Righteous
9Well then, are we Jews in any better condition than the Gentiles? Not at all!#3.9 any better condition than the Gentiles? Not at all!; or any worse condition than the Gentiles? Not altogether. I have already shown that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10#Ps 14.1–3 (LXX); 53.1–3 (LXX)As the Scriptures say:
“There is no one who is righteous,
11no one who is wise
or who worships God.
12All have turned away from God;
they have all gone wrong;
no one does what is right, not even one.
13 #
Ps 5.9 (LXX); 140.3 Their words are full of deadly deceit;
wicked lies roll off their tongues,
and dangerous threats, like snake's poison, from their lips;
14 #
Ps 10.7 (LXX) their speech is filled with bitter curses.
15 #
Is 59.7–8
They are quick to hurt and kill;
16they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go.
17They have not known the path of peace,
18 #
Ps 36.1
nor have they learnt reverence for God.”
19Now we know that everything in the Law applies to those who live under the Law, in order to stop all human excuses and bring the whole world under God's judgement. 20#Ps 143.2; Gal 2.16For no one is put right in God's sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make people know that they have sinned.
How We are Put Right with God
21But now God's way of putting people right with himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it. 22#Gal 2.16God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all: 23everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence. 24But by the free gift of God's grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. 25-26God offered him, so that by his blood#3.25–26 by his blood; or by his sacrificial death. he should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in him. God did this in order to demonstrate that he is righteous. In the past he was patient and overlooked people's sins; but in the present time he deals with their sins, in order to demonstrate his righteousness. In this way God shows that he himself is righteous and that he puts right everyone who believes in Jesus.
27What, then, can we boast about? Nothing! And what is the reason for this? Is it that we obey the Law? No, but that we believe. 28For we conclude that a person is put right with God only through faith, and not by doing what the Law commands. 29Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles also? Of course he is. 30#Deut 6.4; Gal 3.20God is one, and he will put the Jews right with himself on the basis of their faith, and will put the Gentiles right through their faith. 31Does this mean that by this faith we do away with the Law? No, not at all; instead, we uphold the Law.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.