Romans 2–3

God’s Righteous Judgment

2Therefore, any one of you ^wxwho judges is without excuse. ^yFor when you judge another, ^zyou condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. ²We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. ³Do you really think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment? ⁴Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, ^arestraint, ^band patience, ^cnot recognizing ^dthat God’s kindness ^eis intended to lead you to repentance? ⁵But because of your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath ^ffor yourself in the day of wrath, ^gwhen God’s righteous judgment is revealed. ⁶He will repay each one according to his works: ^hi7eternal life ^jto those who by persistence in doing good ^kseek glory, honor, ^land immortality; ^m8but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking ⁿand disobey the truth ^obut are obeying unrighteousness; ⁹affliction and distress ^pfor every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek; ^q10but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. ¹¹There is no favoritism with God. ^r

¹²All those who sinned without the law ^swill also perish without the law, and all those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³For the hearers of the law ^tare not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous. ^u14So, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, instinctively ^vdo what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵They show that the work of the law ^wis written on their hearts. ^xTheir consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them ^y16on the day when God judges ^zwhat people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus. ^a

Jewish Violation of the Law

¹⁷Now if ^byou call yourself a Jew, and rest in the law, ^cboast in God, ¹⁸know His will, and approve the things that are superior, ^dbeing instructed from the law, ¹⁹and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, ²⁰an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the full expression ^eof knowledge and truth ^fin the law— ²¹you then, who teach another, ^gdon’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? ²²You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob their temples? ^h23You who boast in the law, ⁱdo you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. ^jk

Circumcision of the Heart

²⁵For circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ^l26Therefore if an uncircumcised ^mman keeps the law’s requirements, ⁿwill his uncircumcision not be counted as circumcision? ²⁷A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who fulfills the law, will judge you ^owho are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision. ²⁸For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, ^pand true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. ²⁹On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, ^qand circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. ^rsThat man’s praise ^tis not from men but from God. ^u

Paul Answers an Objection

3So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? ²Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted ^vwith the spoken words of God. ^w3What then? If some did not believe, ^xwill their unbelief cancel God’s faithfulness? ⁴Absolutely not! ^yGod must be true, even if everyone is a liar, ^zas it is written:

That You may be justified in Your words

and triumph when You judge. ^ab

⁵But if our unrighteousness highlights ^cGod’s righteousness, ^dwhat are we to say? ^eI use a human argument: ^fgIs God unrighteous to inflict wrath? ⁶Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world? ^h7But if by my lie God’s truth is amplified to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? ⁱ⁸And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”? ^jTheir condemnation is deserved!

The Whole World Guilty before God

⁹What then? Are we any better? ^kNot at all! For we have previously charged that both Jews ^land Gentiles ^mnare all under sin, ^op10as it is written: ^q

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. ^rs

¹³Their throat is an open grave;

they deceive with their tongues. ^tu

Vipers’ venom is under their lips. ^vw

¹⁴Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. ^xy

¹⁵Their feet are swift to shed blood;

¹⁶ruin and wretchedness are in their paths,

¹⁷and the path of peace they have not known. ^za

¹⁸There is no fear of God before their eyes. ^bc

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says ^dspeaks to those who are subject to the law, ^efso that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment. ^gh20For no one will be justified ⁱin His sight by the works of the law, ^jbecause the knowledge of sin comes through the law. ^k

God’s Righteousness through Faith

²¹But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed ^l—attested by the Law and the Prophets ^mn22—that is, God’s righteousness through faith ^oin Jesus Christ, ^pqto all who believe, ^rsince there is no distinction. ^s23For all have sinned ^tand fall short of the ^uglory of God. ²⁴They are justified freely by His grace ^vthrough the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. ^w25God presented Him as a propitiation ^xythrough faith in His blood, ^zto demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God ^apassed over the sins previously committed. ^b26God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous ^cthe one who has faith in Jesus.

Boasting Excluded

²⁷Where then is boasting? ^dIt is excluded. By what kind of law? ^efBy one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law ^gof faith. ²⁸For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. ^h29Or is God for Jews only? ⁱIs He not also for Gentiles? Yes, for Gentiles too, ³⁰since there is one God ^jwho will justify the circumcised by faith ^kand the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹Do we then cancel the law through faith? Absolutely not! ^lOn the contrary, we uphold the law. ^m