Romans 3

3 ¹What advantage, then, does the Jew have? Or what is the value of circumcision? ²Much in every way. First of all, they were entrusted with the very words of our Father. ³What then? If some were unfaithful, will their unfaithfulness nullify the faithfulness of our Father? ⁴No! Let our Father be true, though every person is a liar. As it is written: "You are proven right in your words, and win when judged."

⁵But if our wrongdoing highlights our Father's righteousness, what do we say? Is our Father unjust to bring wrath on us? (I speak in human terms.). ⁶Certainly not! For then how could our Father judge the world? ⁷But if my lie makes our Father's truth overflow to his glory, why am I still judged as a sinner? ⁸Why not say, as some slander us as saying, "Let's do evil so good may come"? Their judgment is deserved.

No One Is Righteous

⁹What then? Are we better off? Not at all—we've already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin's grip, ¹⁰as it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; ¹¹no one understands; no one seeks our Father. ¹²All have turned away; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. ¹³Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of snakes is under their lips. ¹⁴Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. ¹⁵Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ruin and misery mark their ways, ¹⁷and the way of peace they have not known. ¹⁸There is no fear of our Father before their eyes."

¹⁹We know whatever the law says applies to those under it, so every mouth is silenced and the whole world stands accountable to our Father. ²⁰No one is made right before him by works of the law; the law brings awareness of sin.

Made Right Through Faith in Jesus

²¹But now, apart from the law, our Father's righteousness has been revealed, testified to by the Law and the Prophets. ²²This righteousness of our Father comes through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, for there's no distinction, ²³since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of our Father, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. ²⁵Our Father presented him as the atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, to show his righteousness, since in his patience he had passed over sins committed before, ²⁶to show his righteousness now, so he is both just and the justifier of whoever trusts in Jesus.

²⁷Where then is boasting? Excluded. By what law? Of works? No—by the law of faith. ²⁸For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. ²⁹Or is our Father the Father of Jews only? Not the Father of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, ³⁰since our Father is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

³¹Do we cancel the law through this faith? Never—we confirm the law.