Romans 3

¹ Is there any benefit, then, in being a Jew? Is there any advantage in being circumcised?

² A great deal, in every way. First of al , it was to the Jews that the message of God was entrusted.

³ What if some of them were unfaithful? Do you think their lack of faith could cancel God's faithfulness?

⁴ Out of the question! God wil always be true even if no human being can be relied on. As scripturesays: That you may show your saving justice when you pass sentence and your victory may appear when yougive judgement.

⁵ But if our injustice serves to bring God's saving justice into view, can we say that God is unjust when --to use human terms -- he brings his retribution down on us?

⁶ Out of the question! It would mean that God could not be the judge of the world.

⁷ You might as wel say that if my untruthfulness makes God demonstrate his truthfulness, to his greaterglory, then I should not be judged to be a sinner at al .

⁸ In this case, the slanderous report some people are spreading would be true, that we teach that oneshould do evil that good may come of it. In fact such people are justly condemned.

⁹ Wel : are we any better off? Not at al : we have already indicted Jews and Greeks as being al alikeunder the dominion of sin.

¹⁰ As scripture says: Not one of them is upright, not a single one,

¹¹ not a single one is wise, not a single one seeks God.

¹² Al have turned away, all alike turned sour, not one of them does right, not a single one.

¹³ Their throats are wide -- open graves, their tongues seductive. Viper's venom behind their lips;

¹⁴ their speech is ful of cursing and bitterness.

¹⁵ Their feet quick to shed innocent blood,

¹⁶ wherever they go there is havoc and ruin.

¹⁷ They do not know the way of peace,

¹⁸ there is no fear of God before their eyes.

¹⁹ Now we are wel aware that whatever the Law says is said for those who are subject to the Law, sothat every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world brought under the judgement of God.

²⁰ So then, no human being can be found upright at the tribunal of God by keeping the Law; al that theLaw does is to tell us what is sinful.

²¹ God's saving justice was witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but now it has been revealedaltogether apart from law:

²² God's saving justice given through faith in Jesus Christ to al who believe.

²³ No distinction is made: all have sinned and lack God's glory,

²⁴ and all are justified by the free gift of his grace through being set free in Christ Jesus.

²⁵ God appointed him as a sacrifice for reconciliation, through faith, by the shedding of his blood, and soshowed his justness; first for the past, when sins went unpunished because he held his hand;

²⁶ and now again for the present age, to show how he is just and justifies everyone who has faith inJesus.

²⁷ So what becomes of our boasts? There is no room for them. On what principle- that only actionscount? No; that faith is what counts,

²⁸ since, as we see it, a person is justified by faith and not by doing what the Law tel s him to do.

²⁹ Do you think God is the God only of the Jews, and not of gentiles too? Most certainly of gentiles too,

³⁰ since there is only one God; he will justify the circumcised by their faith, and he will justify theuncircumcised through their faith.

³¹ Are we saying that the Law has been made pointless by faith? Out of the question; we are placing theLaw on its true footing.