Romans 3:1-31 (New American Standard)

All the World Guilty

1 Then what ^aadvantage has the Jew ? Or what is the benefit of circumcision ? 2 Great in every respect. First of all, that ¹they were entrusted with the ²oracles of God. 3 What then ? If ³some ^bdid not believe, their ^cunbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 4 ⁴May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found ⁵a liar, as it is written, "⁶THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ^dARE JUDGED." 5 But if our unrighteousness ^e7demonstrates the righteousness of God, ⁸what shall we say ? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (⁹I am speaking in human terms.) 6 ¹⁰May it never be! For otherwise, how will ¹¹God judge the world ? 7 But if through my lie ¹²the truth of God abounded to His glory, ¹³why am I also still being judged as a sinner ? 8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say ), "¹⁴Let us do evil that good may come "? ^fTheir condemnation is just. 9 What then ? ^g15Are we better than they? Not at all ; for we have already charged that both ¹⁶Jews and ¹⁷Greeks are ¹⁸all under sin ; 10 as it is written, "¹⁹THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE ; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD ; 12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS ; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE." 13 "²⁰THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING," "²¹THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS "; 14 "²²WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS "; 15 "²³THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, 16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, 17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN." 18 "²⁴THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES." 19 Now we know that whatever the ²⁵Law says, it speaks to ²⁶those who are ^hunder the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and ²⁷all the world may become accountable to God ; 20 because ²⁸by the works ⁱof the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight ; for ^j29through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Justification by Faith

21 But now apart ^kfrom the Law ³⁰the righteousness of God has been manifested, being ³¹witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the ³²righteousness of God through ³³faith ³⁴in Jesus Christ for ³⁵all those ^lwho believe ; for ³⁶there is no distinction ; 23 for all ^m37have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift ³⁸by His grace through ³⁹the redemption which is in Christ Jesus ; 25 whom God displayed publicly as ⁴⁰a ⁿpropitiation ^o41in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, ^pbecause in the ⁴²forbearance of God He ⁴³passed over the sins previously committed ; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who ^qhas faith in Jesus. 27 Where then is ⁴⁴boasting ? It is excluded. By ⁴⁵what kind of law ? Of works ? No, but by a law of faith. 28 ^rFor ⁴⁶we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works ^sof the Law. 29 Or ⁴⁷is God the God of Jews only ? Is He not the God of Gentiles also ? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed ⁴⁸God ⁴⁹who will justify the ^tcircumcised ^uby faith and the ^vuncircumcised through faith ⁵⁰is one. 31 Do we then nullify ^wthe Law through faith ? ⁵¹May it never be! On the contrary, we ⁵²establish the Law.