Romans 3:20-5:21

English Standard Version

²⁰ For ^(A)by works of the law no human being^[a] will be justified in his sight, since ^(B)through the law comes knowledge of sin.

The Righteousness of God Through Faith

²¹ But now ^(C)the righteousness of God ^(D)has been manifested apart from the law, although ^(E)the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God ^(F)through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. ^(G)For there is no distinction: ²³ for ^(H)all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ^24 (I)and are justified ^(J)by his grace as a gift, ^(K)through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God ^(L)put forward as ^(M)a propitiation ^(N)by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in ^(O)his divine forbearance he had passed over ^(P)former sins. ²⁶ It 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 (Q)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. ²⁸ For we hold that one is justified by faith ^(R)apart from works of the law. ²⁹ Or ^(S)is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰ since ^(T)God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and ^(U)the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹ Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Abraham Justified by Faith

4 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, ^(V)our forefather according to the flesh? ² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but ^(W)not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? ^(X)“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” ⁴ Now ^(Y)to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. ⁵ And to the one who does not work but ^(Z)believes in^[b] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, ⁶ just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

⁹ Is this blessing then only for ^(AC)the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? ^(AD)For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. ¹⁰ How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. ^11 (AE)He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was ^(AF)to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, ¹² and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

The Promise Realized Through Faith

¹³ For ^(AG)the promise to Abraham and his offspring ^(AH)that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. ^14 (AI)For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵ For ^(AJ)the law brings wrath, but ^(AK)where there is no law ^(AL)there is no transgression.

¹⁶ That is why it depends on faith, ^(AM)in order that the promise may rest on grace and ^(AN)be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, ^(AO)who is the father of us all, ¹⁷ as it is written, ^(AP)“I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, ^(AQ)who gives life to the dead and calls into existence ^(AR)the things that do not exist. ¹⁸ In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, ^(AS)“So shall your offspring be.” ¹⁹ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was ^(AT)as good as dead (^(AU)since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered ^(AV)the barrenness^[c] of Sarah's womb. ²⁰ No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹ fully convinced that ^(AW)God was able to do what he had promised. ²² That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” ²³ But ^(AX)the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, ²⁴ but for ours also. It will be counted to us ^(AY)who believe in ^(AZ)him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ^25 (BA)who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised ^(BB)for our justification.

Peace with God Through Faith

5 ^(BC)Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, ^(BD)we^[d] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² Through him we have also ^(BE)obtained access by faith^[e] into this grace ^(BF)in which we stand, and ^(BG)we^[f] rejoice^[g] in hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only that, but we ^(BH)rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering ^(BI)produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and ^(BJ)hope does not put us to shame, because God's love ^(BK)has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

⁶ For ^(BL)while we were still weak, at the right time ^(BM)Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but ^(BN)God shows his love for us in that ^(BO)while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, ^(BP)we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from ^(BQ)the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if ^(BR)while we were enemies ^(BS)we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by ^(BT)his life. ¹¹ More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received ^(BU)reconciliation.

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

¹² Therefore, just as ^(BV)sin came into the world through one man, and ^(BW)death through sin, and ^(BX)so death spread to all men^[h] because ^(BY)all sinned— ¹³ for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but ^(BZ)sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴ Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not ^(CA)like the transgression of Adam, ^(CB)who was a type of ^(CC)the one who was to come.

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for ^(CD)many. ¹⁶ And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For ^(CE)the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought ^(CF)justification. ¹⁷ For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness ^(CG)reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespass^[i] led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness^[j] leads to justification and life for ^(CH)all men. ¹⁹ For as by the one man's ^(CI)disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's ^(CJ)obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ Now ^(CK)the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, ^(CL)grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, ^(CM)as sin reigned in death, ^(CN)grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.