Romans 3

English Standard Version

God's Righteousness Upheld

3 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? ²Much in every way. To begin with, ^(A)the Jews were entrusted with ^(B)the oracles of God. ³^(C)What if some were unfaithful? ^(D)Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? ⁴By no means! ^(E)Let God be true though ^(F)every one were a liar, as it is written,

^(G)“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you ^(H)are judged.”

⁵But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict ^(I)wrath on us? (^(J)I speak in a human way.) ⁶By no means! For then how could ^(K)God judge the world? ⁷But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, ^(L)why am I still being condemned as a sinner? ⁸And why not ^(M)do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

No One Is Righteous

⁹What then? Are we Jews^[a] any better off?^[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both ^(N)Jews and ^(O)Greeks, are ^(P)under sin, ¹⁰as it is written:

^(Q)“None is righteous, no, not one;
¹¹    no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
¹²All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
¹³^(R)“Their throat is ^(S)an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
^(T)“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
¹⁴    ^(U)“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
¹⁵^(V)“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶    in their paths are ruin and misery,
¹⁷and ^(W)the way of peace they have not known.”
¹⁸    ^(X)“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

¹⁹Now we know that whatever ^(Y)the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, ^(Z)so that every mouth may be stopped, and ^(AA)the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰For ^(AB)by works of the law no human being^[c] will be justified in his sight, since ^(AC)through the law comes knowledge of sin.

The Righteousness of God Through Faith

²¹But now ^(AD)the righteousness of God ^(AE)has been manifested apart from the law, although ^(AF)the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²²the righteousness of God ^(AG)through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. ^(AH)For there is no distinction: ²³for ^(AI)all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴^(AJ)and are justified ^(AK)by his grace as a gift, ^(AL)through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God ^(AM)put forward as ^(AN)a propitiation ^(AO)by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in ^(AP)his divine forbearance he had passed over ^(AQ)former sins. ²⁶It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷^(AR)Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸For we hold that one is justified by faith ^(AS)apart from works of the law. ²⁹Or ^(AT)is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰since ^(AU)God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and ^(AV)the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.