God Remains Faithful

¹ What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? ² Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.

³ What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith^* nullify God’s faithfulness?^{* 4} Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written:

“So that You may be proved right when You speak

and victorious^* when You judge.”

⁵ But if our unrighteousness highlights the righteousness^* of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict His wrath on us?^* I am speaking in human terms. ⁶ Certainly not! In that case, how could God judge the world? ⁷ However, if my falsehood accentuates God’s truthfulness, to the increase of His glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner? ⁸ Why not say, as^* some slanderously claim that^* we say, “Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is deserved!

There Is No One Righteous

⁹ What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin. ¹⁰ As it is written:

“There is no one righteous,

not even one.

¹¹ There is no one who understands,

no one who seeks God.

¹² All have turned away,

they have together become worthless;

there is no one who does good,

not even one.”

¹³ “Their throats are open graves;

their tongues practice deceit.”

“The venom of vipers is on their lips.”

¹⁴ “Their mouths are full

of cursing and bitterness.”

¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

¹⁶ ruin and misery lie in their wake,

¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.”

¹⁸ “There is no fear of God

before their eyes.”

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law^* says, it says to those who are under the law,^* so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰ Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law.^* For the law^* merely brings awareness of sin.

Righteousness through Faith in Christ

²¹ But now, apart from the law,^* the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law^* and the Prophets. ²² And this righteousness from God comes through faith^* in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short^* of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

²⁵ God presented^* Him as an atoning sacrifice^* in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand. ²⁶ He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith^* in Jesus.

²⁷ Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle?^* On that of works? No, but on that^* of faith. ²⁸ For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from^* works of the law.^*

²⁹ Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, ³⁰ since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.

³¹ Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.