Romans 2:25-3:18

New American Standard Bible

²⁵For indeed circumcision is of value if you ^(A)practice ^[a]the Law; but if you are a violator ^[b]of the Law, ^(B)your circumcision has turned into uncircumcision. ²⁶^(C)So if ^(D)the ^[c]uncircumcised man ^(E)keeps the requirements of the Law, will his uncircumcision not be regarded as circumcision? ²⁷And ^(F)he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not ^(G)judge you who ^[d]though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a violator ^[e]of the Law? ²⁸For ^(H)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. ²⁹But ^(I)he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and ^(J)circumcision is of the heart, by the ^(K)Spirit, not by the letter; ^(L)and his praise is not from people, but from God.

All the World Guilty

3 Then what ^[f]advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? ²Great in every respect. First, that ^(M)they were entrusted with the ^(N)actual words of God. ³What then? If ^(O)some ^[g]did not believe, their ^[h]unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? ⁴^[i]^(P)Far from it! Rather, God must prove to be true, though every person be found ^(Q)a liar, as it is written:

“^(R)So that You are justified in Your words,
And prevail ^[j]when You are judged.”

⁵But if our unrighteousness ^[k]^(S)demonstrates the righteousness of God, ^(T)what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (^(U)I am speaking from a human viewpoint.) ⁶^(V)Far from it! For otherwise, how will ^(W)God judge the world? ⁷But if through my lie ^(X)the truth of God abounded to His glory, ^(Y)why am I also still being judged as a sinner? ⁸And why not say (just as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “^(Z)Let’s do evil that good may come of it”? ^[l]Their condemnation is deserved.

⁹What then? ^[m]^(AA)Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both ^(AB)Jews and ^(AC)Greeks are ^(AD)all under sin; ¹⁰as it is written:

“^(AE)There is no righteous person, not even one;
¹¹There is no one who understands,
There is no one who seeks out God;
¹²They have all turned aside, together they have become ^[n]corrupt;
There is no one who does good,
There is not even one.”
¹³“^(AF)Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“^(AG)The venom of ^[o]asps is under their lips”;
¹⁴“^(AH)Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
¹⁵“^(AI)Their feet are swift to shed blood,
¹⁶Destruction and misery are in their paths,
¹⁷And they have not known the way of peace.”
¹⁸“^(AJ)There is no fear of God before their eyes.”