Outline
1.
The principle
established (3:27-31)
- Commendation, Greetings and Doxology (ch. 16)
Romans 3
9 Well then, should we conclude that we
Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all
people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.
10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is
righteous— not even one.
11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking
God.
12 All have turned away; all have become
useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench
from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips
from their lips.”
14“Their mouths are full of cursing and
bitterness.”
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow
them.
17 They don’t know where to find
peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to
whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and
to show that the entire world is guilty before God.
20 For no one can ever be made right with
God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we
are.
21 But now God has shown us a way to be
made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was
promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.
22 We are made right with God by placing
our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no
matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall
short of God’s glorious standard.
24 Yet God freely and graciously declares
that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from
the penalty for our sins.
25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice
for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed
his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when
he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
26 for he was looking ahead and including
them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his
righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be
right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have done
anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on
obeying the law. It is based on faith.
28 So we are made right with God through
faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews
only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is.
30There is only one God, and he makes people
right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.
31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does
this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when
we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
