1 What good is it to be a Jew? What good is it to be circumcised? 2 It is good in a lot of ways! First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. 3 It is true that some of them did not believe the message. But does this mean that God cannot be trusted, just because they did not have faith? 4 No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The Scriptures say about God,
“Your words
will be proven true,
and in court
you will win your case.”
5 If our evil deeds show how right God is, then what can we say? Is it wrong for God to become angry and punish us? What a foolish thing to ask. 6 But the answer is, “No.” Otherwise, how could God judge the world? 7 Since your lies bring great honor to God by showing how truthful he is, you may ask why God still says you are a sinner. 8 You might as well say, “Let's do something evil, so that something good will come of it!” Some people even claim that we are saying this. But God is fair and will judge them as well.
No One Is Good
9 What does all this mean? Does it mean that we Jews are better off than the Gentiles? No, it doesn't! Jews, as well as Gentiles, are ruled by sin, just as I have said. 10 The Scriptures tell us,
“No one is acceptable to God!
11 Not one of them understands
or even searches for God.
12 They have all turned away
and are worthless.
There isn't one person
who does right.
13 Their words are like
an open pit,
and their tongues are good
only for telling lies.
Each word is as deadly
as the fangs of a snake,
14 and they say nothing
but bitter curses.
15 These people quickly
become violent.
16 Wherever they go,
they leave ruin
and destruction.
17 They don't know how
to live in peace.
18 They don't even fear God.”
19 We know that everything in the Law was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty. 20 God doesn't accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.
God's Way of Accepting People
21 Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses. 22 God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. 23 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. 24 But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. 25-26 God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus.
27 What is left for us to brag about? Not a thing! Is it because we obeyed some law? No! It is because of faith. 28 We see that people are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law. 29 Does God belong only to the Jews? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is! 30 There is only one God, and he accepts Gentiles as well as Jews, simply because of their faith. 31 Do we destroy the Law by our faith? Not at all! We make it even more powerful.
1 What is then the preferment of the Iewe? or what is the profite of circumcision? 2 Much euery maner of way: for chiefly, because vnto them were of credite committed the oracles of God. 3 For what, though some did not beleeue? shall their vnbeliefe make the faith of God without effect? 4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, and euery man a lyar, as it is written, That thou mightest be iustified in thy words, and ouercome, when thou art iudged. 5 Now if our vnrighteousnes comend the righteousnes of God, what shall we say? Is God vnrighteous which punisheth? (I speake as a man.) 6 God forbid: els how shall God iudge ye world? 7 For if the veritie of God hath more abounded through my lye vnto his glorie, why am I yet condemned as a sinner? 8 And (as we are blamed, and as some affirme, that we say) why doe we not euil, that good may come thereof? whose damnation is iust. 9 What then? are we more excellent? No, in no wise: for we haue alreadie prooued, that all, both Iewes and Gentiles are vnder sinne, 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one. 11 There is none that vnderstandeth: there is none that seeketh God. 12 They haue all gone out of the way: they haue bene made altogether vnprofitable: there is none that doeth good, no not one. 13 Their throte is an open sepulchre: they haue vsed their tongues to deceit: the poyson of aspes is vnder their lippes. 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse. 15 Their feete are swift to shead blood. 16 Destruction and calamity are in their waies, 17 And ye way of peace they haue not knowen. 18 The feare of God is not before their eies. 19 Now we know that whatsoeuer ye Lawe saieth, it saieth it to them which are vnder ye Law, that euery mouth may bee stopped, and all the world be subiect to the iudgement of God. 20 Therefore by the woorkes of the Lawe shall no flesh be iustified in his sight: for by the Lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne. 21 But nowe is the righteousnesse, of God made manifest without the Lawe, hauing witnes of the Lawe and of the Prophets, 22 To wit, the righteousnesse of God by the faith of Iesus Christ, vnto all, and vpon all that beleeue. 23 For there is no difference: for all haue sinned, and are depriued of the glorie of God, 24 And are iustified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus, 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnes, by the forgiuenesse of the sinnes that are passed, 26 Through the patience of God, to shewe at this time his righteousnesse, that hee might be iust, and a iustifier of him which is of the faith of Iesus. 27 Where is then the reioycing? It is excluded. By what Lawe? of woorkes? Nay: but by the Lawe of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude, that a man is iustified by faith, without the workes of the Lawe. 29 God, is he the God of the Iewes onely, and not of the Gentiles also? Yes, euen of the Gentiles also. 30 For it is one God, who shall iustifie circumcision of faith, and vncircumcision through faith. 31 Doe we then make the Lawe of none effect through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the Lawe.