Romans 3

All the World Guilty

1Then what 1advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2Great in every respect. First of all, that 2they were entrusted with the 3oracles of God. 3What then? If 4some 5did not believe, their 6unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 47May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found 8a liar, as it is written, “9That You may be justified in Your words, And prevail when You 10are judged.” 5But if our unrighteousness 1112demonstrates the righteousness of God, 13what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (14I am speaking in human terms.) 615May it never be! For otherwise, how will 16God judge the world? 7But if through my lie 17the truth of God abounded to His glory, 18why 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), “19Let us do evil that good may come”? 20Their condemnation is just.

9What then? 2122Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both 23Jews and 24Greeks are 25all under sin; 10as it is written, “26There 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“27Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “28The poison of asps is under their lips”;14“29Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;15“30Their feet are swift to shed blood,16Destruction and misery are in their paths,17And the path of peace they have not known.”18“31There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19Now we know that whatever the 32Law says, it speaks to 33those who are 34under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and 35all the world may become accountable to God; 20because 36by the works 37of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for 3839through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Justification by Faith

21But now apart 40from the Law 41the righteousness of God has been manifested, being 42witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the 43righteousness of God through 44faith 45in Jesus Christ for 46all those 47who believe; for 48there is no distinction; 23for all 4950have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift 51by His grace through 52the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as 53a 54propitiation 5556in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, 57because in the 58forbearance of God He 59passed 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 60has faith in Jesus.

27Where then is 61boasting? It is excluded. By 62what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 2863For 64we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works 65of the Law. 29Or 66is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed 67God 68who will justify the 69circumcised 70by faith and the 71uncircumcised through faith 72is one.

31Do we then nullify 73the Law through faith? 74May it never be! On the contrary, we 75establish the Law.