1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
2 Much in every way. To begin with,xDeut. 4:8; Ps. 147:19, 20; See John 4:22 the Jews were entrusted withySee Acts 7:38 the oracles of God.
3 zch. 10:16; Heb. 4:2 What if some were unfaithful?a[ch. 9:6; 2 Tim. 2:13] Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
4 By no means!bSee John 8:26 Let God be true thoughcPs. 62:9; 116:11; [ver. 7] every one were a liar, as it is written,
dCited from Ps. 51:4 (Gk.) “That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when youe[Job 9:32] are judged. ”
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflictf[ch. 2:5] wrath on us? (gch. 6:19; 1 Cor. 9:8; Gal. 3:15; [1 Cor. 15:32] I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how couldh[Gen. 18:25; Job 8:3]; See ch. 2:16 God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory,i[ch. 9:19] why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why notj[ch. 6:1, 15] do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
9 What then? Are we Jews any better off?2Or at any disadvantage? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, bothkch. 2:1-29 Jews andlch. 1:18-32 Greeks, aremGal. 3:22; [ver. 19, 23; ch. 11:32; Prov. 20:9] under sin,
10 as it is written:
nver. 10-12, cited from Ps. 14:1-3; 53:1-3 “None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one. ”
13 oCited from Ps. 5:9 “Their throat ispJer. 5:16 an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive. ”
qCited from Ps. 140:3 “The venom of asps is under their lips. ”
14 rCited from Ps. 10:7 (Gk.) “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. ”
15 sCited from Prov. 1:16; ver. 15-17, cited from Isa. 59:7, 8 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 andtLuke 1:79 the way of peace they have not known. ”
18 uCited from Ps. 36:1 “There is no fear of God before their eyes. ”
19 Now we know that whatevervJohn 10:34; 15:25 the law says it speaks to those who are under the law,wJob 5:16; Ps. 63:11; 107:42; Ezek. 16:63; [ch. 1:20; 2:1] so that every mouth may be stopped, andxSee ver. 9 the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 ForyGal. 2:16; [Ps. 143:2; Acts 13:39] by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, sincezch. 7:7; [ch. 4:15; 5:13, 20] through the law comes knowledge of sin.
21 But nowaSee ch. 1:17 the righteousness of Godbch. 16:26; 2 Tim. 1:10 has been manifested apart from the law, althoughcActs 10:43; [ch. 1:2; John 5:46] the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of Goddch. 4:5; [2 Tim. 3:15] through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.ech. 10:12; [Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11] For there is no distinction: 23 forfSee ver. 9 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 gTitus 3:7 and are justifiedhch. 4:4, 5, 16; See Acts 15:11 by his grace as a gift,iEph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:15; [1 Cor. 1:30] through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom GodjEph. 1:9 put forward askSee 1 John 2:2 a propitiationlch. 5:9; Eph. 2:13 by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because inmch. 2:4 his divine forbearance he had passed overn[Acts 17:30] former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 och. 2:17, 23; 4:2; 1 Cor. 1:29-31; Eph. 2:9; 2 Tim. 1:9; See Acts 13:39 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faithpSee James 2:18 apart from works of the law. 29 Orqch. 9:24; 10:12; 15:9 is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 sincerGal. 3:20; [ch. 10:12] God is one. He will justify the circumcised by faith andsGal. 3:8; [ch. 4:9]; See ch. 2:26 the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.