Romans 3-4  New American Standard Bible

All the World Guilty

3 Then what ^[a]advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? ² Great in every respect. First, that ^(A)they were entrusted with the ^(B)actual words of God. ³ What then? If ^(C)some ^[b]did not believe, their ^[c]unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? ^4 [d](D)Far from it! Rather, God must prove to be true, though every person be found ^(E)a liar, as it is written:

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

⁹ What then? ^[h](O)Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both ^(P)Jews and ^(Q)Greeks are ^(R)all under sin; ¹⁰ as it is written:

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the ^(Y)Law says, it speaks to ^(Z)those who are ^[k]under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and ^(AA)all the world may become accountable to God; ²⁰ because ^(AB)by the works ^[l]of the Law ^[m]none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for ^[n](AC)through the Law comes ^[o]knowledge of sin.

Justification by Faith

²¹ But now apart ^[p]from the Law ^(AD)the righteousness of God has been revealed, being ^(AE)witnessed by the ^[q]Law and the Prophets, ²² but it is the ^(AF)righteousness of God through ^(AG)faith ^(AH)in Jesus Christ for ^(AI)all those ^[r]who believe; for ^(AJ)there is no distinction, ²³ for all ^[s](AK)have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified as a gift ^(AL)by His grace through ^(AM)the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God displayed publicly as ^(AN)a ^[t]propitiation ^[u](AO)in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, ^[v]because in God’s merciful ^(AP)restraint He ^(AQ)let the sins previously committed go unpunished; ²⁶ for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who ^[w]has faith in Jesus.

²⁷ Where then is ^(AR)boasting? It has been excluded. By ^(AS)what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. ^28 [x]For ^(AT)we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works ^[y]of the Law. ²⁹ Or ^(AU)is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰ since indeed ^(AV)God ^(AW)who will justify the ^[z]circumcised ^[aa]by faith and the ^[ab]uncircumcised through faith ^(AX)is one.

³¹ Do we then nullify ^[ac]the Law through faith? ^(AY)Far from it! On the contrary, we ^(AZ)establish the Law.

Abraham’s Justification by Faith

4 What then shall we say that Abraham, ^[ad]our forefather ^(BA)according to the flesh, has found? ² For if Abraham was justified ^[ae]by works, he has something to boast about; but ^(BB)not ^[af]before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “^(BC)Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ⁴ Now to the one who ^(BD)works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but ^(BE)believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, ⁶ just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁹ Is this blessing then on ^[ag](BI)the circumcised, or on ^[ah]the uncircumcised also? For ^(BJ)we say, “^(BK)Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” ¹⁰ How then was it credited? While he was ^[ai]circumcised, or ^[aj]uncircumcised? Not while ^[ak]circumcised, but while ^[al]uncircumcised; ¹¹ and he ^(BL)received the sign of circumcision, ^(BM)a seal of the righteousness of the faith which ^[am]he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be ^(BN)the father of ^(BO)all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, ¹² and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which ^[an]he had while uncircumcised.

¹³ For ^(BP)the promise to Abraham or to his ^[ao]descendants ^(BQ)that he would be heir of the world was not ^[ap]through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For ^(BR)if those who are ^[aq]of the Law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise is nullified; ¹⁵ for ^(BS)the Law brings about wrath, but ^(BT)where there is no law, there also is no violation.

¹⁶ For this reason it is ^[ar]by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with ^(BU)grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to ^(BV)all the ^[as]descendants, not only to ^[at]those who are of the Law, but also to ^[au](BW)those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is ^(BX)the father of us all, ¹⁷ (as it is written: “I have made you ^(BY)a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, that is, God, ^(BZ)who gives life to the dead and ^(CA)calls into being ^(CB)things that do not exist. ¹⁸ In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become ^(CC)a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “^(CD)So shall your ^[av]descendants be.” ¹⁹ Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now ^(CE)as good as dead since ^(CF)he was about a hundred years old, and ^(CG)the deadness of Sarah’s womb; ²⁰ yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, ^(CH)giving glory to God, ²¹ and ^(CI)being fully assured that ^(CJ)what God had promised, He was able also to perform. ²² Therefore ^(CK)it was also credited to him as righteousness. ²³ Now ^(CL)not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, ²⁴ but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, to us ^(CM)who believe in Him who ^(CN)raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ He who was ^(CO)delivered over because of our wrongdoings, and was ^(CP)raised because of our justification.