Romans 3
3
Paul Answers an Objection
1So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted # Dt 4:8; Ps 147:19; Rm 9:4 with the spoken words of God. # Ac 7:38 3What then? If some did not believe, # Rm 10:16; Heb 4:2 will their unbelief cancel God’s faithfulness? 4Absolutely not! # Lk 20:16; Rm 3:31 God must be true, even if everyone is a liar, # Ps 116:11 as it is written:
That You may be justified in Your words
and triumph when You judge. # Ps 51:4 # Ps 51:4
5But if our unrighteousness highlights # Or shows, or demonstrates God’s righteousness, # Rm 5:8; 2Co 6:4; Gl 2:18 what are we to say? # Rm 4:1; 7:7; 8:31; 9:14,30 I use a human argument: # Lit I speak as a man # Rm 6:19; 1Co 9:8; 15:32; Gl 3:15 Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath? 6Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world? # Rm 2:16 7But if by my lie God’s truth is amplified to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? # Rm 9:19 8And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”? # Rm 6:1 Their condemnation is deserved!
The Whole World Guilty before God
9What then? Are we any better? # Are we Jews any better than the Gentiles? Not at all! For we have previously charged that both Jews # Rm 2:1-29 and Gentiles # Lit Greeks # Rm 1:18-32 are all under sin, # Under sin’s power or dominion # Rm 3:19,23; 11:32; Gl 3:22 10as it is written: # Paul constructs this charge from a chain of OT quotations, mainly from the Psalms.
There is no one righteous, not even one.
11There is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away;
all alike have become useless.
There is no one who does what is good,
not even one. # Ps 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ec 7:20 # Ps 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ec 7:20
13Their throat is an open grave;
they deceive with their tongues. # Ps 5:9 # Ps 5:9
Vipers’ venom is under their lips. # Ps 140:3 # Ps 140:3
14Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. # Ps 10:7 # Ps 10:7
15Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16ruin and wretchedness are in their paths,
17and the path of peace they have not known. # Is 59:7-8 # Is 59:7-8
18There is no fear of God before their eyes. # Ps 36:1 # Ps 36:1
19Now we know that whatever the law says # Jn 10:34 speaks to those who are subject to the law, # Lit those in the law # Rm 2:12 so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment. # Or become guilty before God, or may be accountable to God # Rm 2:9 20For no one will be justified # Or will be declared righteous, or will be acquitted in His sight by the works of the law, # Ps 143:2; Ac 13:39; Gl 2:16 because the knowledge of sin comes through the law. # Rm 4:15; 5:13,20; 7:7
God’s Righteousness through Faith
21But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed # Rm 1:17; 9:30 — attested by the Law and the Prophets # When capitalized, the Law and the Prophets = OT # Ac 10:43; Rm 1:2 22 — that is, God’s righteousness through faith # Rm 4:5 in Jesus Christ, # Or through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ # Ac 3:16; Gl 2:16,20; 3:22; Eph 3:12 to all who believe, # Rm 4:11,16; 10:4 since there is no distinction. # Rm 10:12; Gl 3:28; Col 3:11 23For all have sinned # Rm 3:9 and fall short of the # Or and lack the glory of God. 24They are justified freely by His grace # Rm 4:4,16; Eph 2:8 through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. # 1Co 1:30; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Heb 9:15 25God presented Him as a propitiation # Or as a propitiatory sacrifice, or as an offering of atonement, or as a mercy seat ; 2Co 5:21; Heb 9:5 # 1Jn 2:2; 4:10 through faith in His blood, # 1Co 5:7; Heb 9:14,28; 1Pt 1:19; Rv 1:5 to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God # Rm 2:4 passed over the sins previously committed. # Ac 17:30; 14:16 26God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous # Or and justify, or and acquit the one who has faith in Jesus.
Boasting Excluded
27Where then is boasting? # Rm 2:17,23; 4:2; 1Co 1:29-31 It is excluded. By what kind of law? # Or what principle? # Rm 9:31 By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law # Or a principle of faith. 28For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. # Ac 13:39; Rm 9:31; Eph 2:9; Jms 2:20,24,26 29Or is God for Jews only? # Ac 10:34; Rm 9:24; 10:12; 15:9; Gl 3:28 Is He not also for Gentiles? Yes, for Gentiles too, 30since there is one God # Rm 10:12 who will justify the circumcised by faith # Rm 4:11,16; Gl 3:8 and the uncircumcised through faith. 31Do we then cancel the law through faith? Absolutely not! # Lk 20:16; Rm 3:4 On the contrary, we uphold the law. # Mt 5:17; Rm 4:3; 8:4
Currently Selected:
Romans 3: HCSB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Romans 3
3
All the World Guilty
1Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 4May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written,
“That You may be justified in Your words,
And prevail when You are judged.”
5But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) 6May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? 7But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? 8And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just.
9What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10as it is written,
“There is none righteous, not even one;
11There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13“Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15“Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17And the path of peace they have not known.”
18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Justification by Faith
21But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.
31Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by THE LOCKMAN FOUNDATION
A Corporation Not for Profit
LA HABRA, CA
All Rights Reserved
http://www.lockman.org