Romans 3

All the World Guilty

1Then what 1advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2Great in every respect. First, that 2they were entrusted with the 3actual words of God. 3What then? If 4some 5did not believe, their 6unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 478Far from it! Rather, God must prove to be true, though every person be found 9a liar, as it is written: “10So that You are justified in Your words, And prevail 11when You are judged.” 5But if our unrighteousness 1213demonstrates the righteousness of God, 14what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (15I am speaking from a human viewpoint.) 616Far from it! For otherwise, how will 17God judge the world? 7But if through my lie 18the truth of God abounded to His glory, 19why am I also still being judged as a sinner? 8And why not say (just as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “20Let’s do evil that good may come of it”? 21Their condemnation is deserved.

9What then? 2223Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both 24Jews and 25Greeks are 26all under sin; 10as it is written: “27There is no righteous person, not even one;11There is no one who understands, There is no one who seeks out God;12They have all turned aside, together they have become 28corrupt; There is no one who does good, There is not even one.”13“29Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “30The venom of 31asps is under their lips”;14“32Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;15“33Their feet are swift to shed blood,16Destruction and misery are in their paths,17And they have not known the way of peace.”18“34There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19Now we know that whatever the 35Law says, it speaks to 36those who are 37under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and 38all the world may become accountable to God; 20because 39by the works 40of the Law 41none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for 4243through the Law comes 44knowledge of sin.

Justification by Faith

21But now apart 45from the Law 46the righteousness of God has been revealed, being 47witnessed by the 48Law and the Prophets, 22but it is the 49righteousness of God through 50faith 51in Jesus Christ for 52all those 53who believe; for 54there is no distinction, 23for all 5556have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift 57by His grace through 58the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God displayed publicly as 59a 60propitiation 6162in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, 63because in God’s merciful 64restraint He 65let the sins previously committed go unpunished; 26for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who 66has faith in Jesus.

27Where then is 67boasting? It has been excluded. By 68what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 2869For 70we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works 71of the Law. 29Or 72is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed 73God 74who will justify the 75circumcised 76by faith and the 77uncircumcised through faith 78is one.

31Do we then nullify 79the Law through faith? 80Far from it! On the contrary, we 81establish the Law.