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
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© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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
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