Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of
circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were
entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful?
Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no
means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is
written,
“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”
But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness
of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath
on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could
God judge the world? But if through my lie God's truth abounds to
his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not
do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us
with saying. Their condemnation is just.
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we
have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who
are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the
whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law
no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the
law comes knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from
the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who
believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a
gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put
forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine
forbearance he had passed over former sins. 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.
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. For we hold
that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is
God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes,
of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised
by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow
the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the
law.
