Romans 3:1–20

3Have the Jews then any advantage over the Gentiles? Or is there any value in being circumcised? ²Much, indeed, in every way! In the first place, God trusted his message to the Jews. ³But what if some of them were not faithful? Does this mean that God will not be faithful? ^4*Certainly not! God must be true, even though every human being is a liar. As the scripture says,

“You must be shown to be right when you speak;

you must win your case when you are being tried.”

⁵But what if our doing wrong serves to show up more clearly God’s doing right? Can we say that God does wrong when he punishes us? (This would be the natural question to ask.) ⁶By no means! If God is not just, how can he judge the world?

⁷But what if my untruth serves God’s glory by making his truth stand out more clearly? Why should I still be condemned as a sinner? ⁸Why not say, then, “Let us do evil so that good may come”? Some people, indeed, have insulted me by accusing me of saying this very thing! They will be condemned, as they should be.

No One Is Righteous

⁹Well then, are we Jews in any better condition than the Gentiles? Not at all!^c I have already shown that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. ^10*As the Scriptures say:

“There is no one who is righteous,

^11*no one who is wise

or who worships God.

^12*All have turned away from God;

they have all gone wrong;

no one does what is right, not even one.

^13*Their words are full of deadly deceit;

wicked lies roll off their tongues,

and dangerous threats, like snake’s poison, from their lips;

^14*their speech is filled with bitter curses.

^15*They are quick to hurt and kill;

^16*they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go.

^17*They have not known the path of peace,

^18*nor have they learnt reverence for God.”

¹⁹Now we know that everything in the Law applies to those who live under the Law, in order to stop all human excuses and bring the whole world under God’s judgement. ^20*For no one is put right in God’s sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make people know that they have sinned.