Romans 3–4

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

Abraham Justified by Faith

4What then can we say that Abraham, our physical ancestor, ^nohas found? ²If Abraham was justified ^pby works, ^qhe has something to brag about—but not before God. ^r3For what does the Scripture say?

Abraham believed God,

and it was credited to him for righteousness. ^st

⁴Now to the one who works, ^upay is not considered as a gift, but as something owed. ⁵But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares the ungodly to be righteous, ^vwhis faith is credited for righteousness.

David Celebrating the Same Truth

⁶Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the man God credits righteousness to apart from works:

⁷How joyful are those whose lawless acts are forgiven

and whose sins are covered!

⁸How joyful is the man

the Lord will never charge with sin! ^xy

Abraham Justified before Circumcision

⁹Is this blessing only for the circumcised, ^zthen? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness. ^ab10In what way then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. ¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision ^cas a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith ^dewhile still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father ^fof all who believe ^gbut are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. ¹²And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

The Promise Granted through Faith

¹³For the promise to Abraham ^hor to his descendants that he would inherit the world ⁱwas not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. ^j14If those who are of the law are heirs, ^kfaith is made empty and the promise is canceled. ¹⁵For the law produces wrath. ^lAnd where there is no law, ^mthere is no transgression.

¹⁶This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, ⁿto guarantee it to all the descendants ^o—not only to those who are of the law ^pbut also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all ¹⁷in God’s sight. As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations. ^qrHe believed in God, who gives life to the dead ^sand calls ^tthings into existence that do not exist. ^u18He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations ^vwaccording to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be. ^xy19He considered ^zhis own body to be already dead ^a(since he was about 100 years old) ^band also considered the deadness of Sarah’s womb, ^cwithout weakening in the faith. ²⁰He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ^d21because he was fully convinced ^ethat what He had promised He was also able to perform. ^f22Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness. ^gh23Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone, ⁱ²⁴but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in Him ^jwho raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ^k25He was delivered up for ^lour trespasses ^mand raised for ⁿour justification. ^op