Romans 3:21

Romans 3:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
• New International Version (NIV)But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
• New King James Version (NKJV)But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

Context of Romans 3:21

19So, we know that God's Law belongs to the Jews. God told them to obey everything that his Law teaches. As a result, nobody can say: ‘God should not punish me.’ Everybody in the world must stand in front of God and he will judge them. 20God's Law shows people clearly that they have done wrong things. Nobody can become right with God because they obey that Law. But now we know how to become right with God. God has shown us the way that he will accept people as right with himself. This way is not part of the Law that he gave to Moses. But God's Law and the messages of his prophets have told us about it. 22God accepts people as right with himself because Jesus Christ did what God wanted. God accepts every person who believes in Christ. It is the same way for everyone, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 23All people have done wrong things. Nobody can be good and great, as God wanted them to be.

Romans 3:21 word by word

νυνὶ δὲ χωρὶς νόμου δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• nowνυνίnuni · nowG3570
• the righteousnessδικαιοσύνηdikaiosunē · righteousnessG1343
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• withoutχωρίςchōris · withoutG5565
• the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• is manifestedφανερόωphaneroō · to revealG5319
• being witnessedμαρτυρέωmartureō · to testifyG3140
• byὑπόhupo · by/under: byG5259
• the lawὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• the prophetsπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396

Cross-references for Romans 3:21

• Romans 1:17The good news explains how God accepts people as right with himself. He does this when they believe in Christ. It is only because of their faith. Nothing else. This is what was written in the Bible long ago: ‘Everyone that God accepts as right will live, because they trust him.’
• Romans 5:19One man did not obey God and, as a result, many people became guilty because of their sins. But, because one man did obey God, many people will become right with God.
• Romans 10:3They have not understood the way that God accepts people. Instead, they tried to make their own way to become right with God. They refused to accept God's way that would make them right with him.
• Genesis 15:6Abram believed the Lord. As a result, the Lord accepted Abram as right with him.
• Isaiah 45:24They will all say this about me: “The Lord alone is true and strong.” ’ Everybody who has been angry with God will come to him. They will be ashamed that they were angry.
• Isaiah 46:13But now I am ready to rescue you, and I will show you what is right. This will soon happen! I will save the people in Zion. I will make Israel great and beautiful.’
• Isaiah 51:8Those people will soon disappear, like clothes that moths have eaten, like wool that worms have eaten. But I will always rule with righteousness. I will keep my people safe for ever.’
• Isaiah 54:17But nobody can make a weapon that will beat you, when your enemies attack you. If people accuse you of bad things, you will show that they are wrong. That is what the Lord will do as a gift for his servants. Yes, I will show that they are right.’ That is what the Lord says.
• Isaiah 61:10I am very happy, because of what the Lord, my God, has done. I have so much joy! He has given salvation to me, like clothes that I can wear all the time. I have his righteousness as my coat! He makes me handsome, like a bridegroom who wears a priest's hat. He makes me beautiful, like a bride who wears her jewels.
• Jeremiah 23:5The Lord says, ‘The time will come when I do this: I will cause a descendant of David to be born. He will be righteous. He will grow like a branch on the tree of David's family. He will rule as king in a wise way. He will do what is right and fair in the land.
• Jeremiah 33:16When he rules, the people of Judah will be safe. Jerusalem's people will live in peace. People will give this name to the city: ‘The Lord is our righteous Saviour.’ ”
• Daniel 9:24God has decided the time of punishment for your people and your holy city. It will continue for 70 weeks. That will finish the punishment for their sins. The people will no longer turn against God. They will have paid the price for their sins. God will cause them to live for ever in a way that is right. God will show that the visions and messages of the prophets are true. The Most Holy Place will belong to God again.
• Acts 15:11God saves us who are Jews when we believe in Jesus. It is not because we obey the Law of Moses. It is because the Lord Jesus is kind to us. God saves Gentiles in the same way, when they believe in Jesus.’
• 1 Corinthians 1:30It is because of God's work that you now belong to Christ Jesus. As a result of Christ's death on the cross, we share in God's wise plan. Because we belong to Christ, God makes us right with himself. He makes us his own special people. He makes us free from the power of sin.
• 2 Corinthians 5:21Christ never did any wrong thing, but God punished him as if he had. He died as punishment for our sins. As a result, we become right with God when we belong to Christ. We become right, because he is right.
• Galatians 5:5But if we trust what Christ has done for us, God's Spirit helps us to wait. We are sure that God will accept us as right with him.

Commentaries on Romans 3:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21But now the righteousness of God - God's method of saving sinners is now shown, by the Gospel, to be through his own mere mercy, by Christ Jesus; without the law - without any right or claim which might result from obedience to the law; and is evidently that which was intended by God from the beginning; for it is witnessed by the law and the prophets - the rites and ceremonies of the one, and the preachings and predictions of the others, all bearing…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21But now - The apostle, having shown the entire failure of all attempts to be justified by the “Law,” whether among Jews or Gentiles, proceeds to state fully the plan of justification by Jesus Christ in the gospel. To do this, was the main design of the Epistle, Romans 1:17. He makes, therefore, in the close of this chapter, an explicit statement of the nature of the doctrine; and in the following parts of the Epistle he fully proves it, and illustrates…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-26Verses 21-26 Must guilty man remain under wrath? Is the wound for ever incurable? No; blessed be God, there is another way laid open for us. This is the righteousness of God; righteousness of his ordaining, and providing, and accepting. It is by that faith which has Jesus Christ for its object; an anointed Saviour, so Jesus Christ signifies. Justifying faith respects Christ as a Saviour, in all his three anointed offices, as Prophet, Priest, and King…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-22After a long discussion about the power of sin (1:18–3:20), Paul returns to the main idea in 1:17, which is how to be in a right relationship with God (literally the righteousness of God). In 1:17, “the righteousness of God” is the way that God puts people in right relationship with himself. apart from the law: The old covenant looked ahead to God’s righteousness being revealed in his Son, Jesus Christ. Through Christ, God fulfilled the law for us…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 21-2621-23. But now the righteousness of God--(See on Ro 1:17). without the law--that is, a righteousness to which our obedience to the law contributes nothing whatever (Ro 3:28; Ga 2:16). is manifested, being witnessed--attested. by the law and the prophets--the Old Testament Scriptures. Thus this justifying righteousness, though new, as only now fully disclosed, is an old righteousness, predicted and foreshadowed in the Old Testament.Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 3:21

• Bigotry
• Boasting
• Catholicity
• Justification
• Law
• Salvation
• Works

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Boasting
• Conclude
• Destruction
• Establish
• Faith
• Justifier
• Overcome
• Sin

Commentaries on Romans 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings