Romans 3–4

Jews Still Have an Advantage

3Therefore, what is the advantage of the Jew, or what is the use of circumcision? ²Much in every way. For first, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. ³What is the result^a if some refused to believe? Their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? ⁴May it never be! But let God be true but every human being a liar, just as it is written,

“In order that you may be justified in your words,

and may prevail when you are^* judged.”^b

⁵But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? God, who inflicts wrath, is not unjust, is he? (I am speaking according to a human perspective.) ⁶May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? ⁷But if by my lying, the truth of God abounded to his glory, why am I also still condemned as a sinner? ⁸And why not (as we are slandered, and as some affirm that we say), “Let us do evil, in order that good may come of it”? Their^c condemnation is just!

The Entire World Guilty of Sin

⁹What then? Do we have an advantage? Not at all. For we have already charged both Jews and Greeks are all under sin, ¹⁰just as it is written,

“There is no one righteous, not even one;

¹¹there is no one who understands;

there is no one who seeks God.

¹²All have turned aside together; they have become worthless;

There is no one who practices kindness;

there is not even one.^d

¹³Their throat is an opened grave;

they deceive with their tongues;

the venom of asps is under their lips,^e

¹⁴whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.^f

¹⁵Their feet are swift to shed blood;

¹⁶destruction and distress are in their paths,

¹⁷and they have not known the way of peace.^g

¹⁸The fear of God is not before their eyes.”^h

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those under the law, in order that every mouth may be closed and the whole world may become accountable to God. ²⁰For by the works of the law no person will be declared righteousⁱ before him, for through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Righteousness through Faith Revealed

²¹But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified about by the law and the prophets—²²that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ^j to all who believe. For there is no distinction, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat^k through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins, ²⁶in the forbearance of God, for the demonstration of his righteousness in the present time, so that he should be just and the one who justifies the person by faith^l in Jesus.

²⁷Therefore, where is boasting? It has been excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law^m of faith. ²⁸For we consider a person to be justified by faith apart from the works of the law. ²⁹Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, also of the Gentiles, ³⁰since God is one, who will justify those who are circumcisedⁿ by faith and those who are uncircumcised^o through faith. ³¹Therefore, do we nullify the law through faith? May it never be! But we uphold the law.

Abraham’s Faith Counted as Righteousness

4What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has found? ²For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³For what does the scripture say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.”^{a 4}Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited according to grace, but according to his due. ⁵But to the one who does not work, but who believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness, ⁶just as David also speaks about the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁷“Blessed are they whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,

and whose sins are covered over.

⁸Blessed is the person against whom the Lord will never count sin.”^b

⁹Therefore, is this blessing for those who are circumcised^c, or also for those who are uncircumcised^d? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.”^{e 10}How then was it credited? While he^* was circumcised^f or uncircumcised^g? Not while circumcised^h but while uncircumcisedⁱ! ¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal^j of the righteousness by faith which he had while uncircumcised^k, so that he could be the father of all who believe although they are uncircumcised^l, so that righteousness could be credited to them,^{m 12}and the father of those who are circumcisedⁿ to those who are not only from the circumcision, but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised^o.

The Promise to Abraham Secured through Faith

¹³For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, was not through the law, but through the righteousness by faith. ¹⁴For if those of the law are heirs, faith is rendered void and the promise is nullified. ¹⁵For the law produces wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there transgression. ¹⁶Because of this, it is by faith, in order that it may be according to grace, so that the promise may be secure to all the descendants, not only to those of the law, but also to those of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all ¹⁷(just as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)^p before God, in whom he believed, the one who makes the dead alive and who calls the things that are not as though they are, ¹⁸who against hope believed in hope, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was said, “so will your descendants be.”^{q 19}And not being weak in faith, he considered his own body as good as dead, ^r because he^* was approximately a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰And he did not waver in unbelief at the promise of God, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God ²¹and being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was also able to do. ²²Therefore^s it was credited to him for righteousness. ²³But it was not written for the sake of him alone that it was credited to him, ²⁴but also for the sake of us to whom it is going to be credited, to those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵who was handed over on account of our trespasses, and was raised up in the interest of our justification.^t