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2 You, therefore, have no excuse,a you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.b 2Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere human, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4Or do you show contempt for the richesc of his kindness,d forbearancee and patience,f not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?g
5But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrathh, when his righteous judgmenti will be revealed. 6God “will repay everyone according to what they have done.”*j 7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honork and immortality,l he will give eternal life.m 8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil,n there will be wrath and anger.o 9There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil:p first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;q 10but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.r 11For God does not show favoritism.s
12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the lawt will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obeyu the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law,v they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God judges everyone’s secretsw through Jesus Christ,x as my gospely declares.
17Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;a 18if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?b 22You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?c 23You who boast in the law,d do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”*e
25Circumcision has value if you observe the law,f but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised.g 26If those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements,h will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?i 27The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn youj who, even though you have the* written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.
28A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly,k nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.l 29No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart,m by the Spirit,n not by the written code.o Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.p
3 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2Much in every way!a First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.b
3What if some were unfaithful?c Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness?d 4Not at all! Let God be true,e and every human being a liar.f As it is written:
“So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge.”*g
5But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly,h what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.)i 6Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?j 7Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory,k why am I still condemned as a sinner?”l 8Why not say—as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”?m Their condemnation is just!
9What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage?a Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.b 10As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
13“Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”*d
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”*e
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”*f
15“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17and the way of peace they do not know.”*g
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”*h
19Now we know that whatever the law says,i it says to those who are under the law,j so that every mouth may be silencedk and the whole world held accountable to God.l 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law;m rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.n
21But now apart from the law the righteousness of Goda has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.b 22This righteousnessc is given through faithd in* Jesus Christe to all who believe.f There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,g 23for all have sinnedh and fall short of the glory of God, 24and all are justifiedi freely by his gracej through the redemptionk that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,*l through the shedding of his bloodm—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunishedn— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27Where, then, is boasting?o It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the “law” that requires faith. 28For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from observing the law.p 29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,q 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.r 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
4 What then shall we saya that Abraham, the forefather of us Jews,b discovered in this matter? 2If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.c 3What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”*d
4Now to anyone who works, their wages are not credited to them as a gift,e but as an obligation. 5However, to anyone who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.f 6David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”*g
9Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised?h We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.i 10Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.j So then, he is the fatherk of all who believel but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promisem that he would be heir of the world,n but through the righteousness that comes by faith.o 14For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,p 15because the law brings wrath.q And where there is no law there is no transgression.r
16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by graces and may be guaranteedt to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.u 17As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”*v He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives lifew to the dead and callsx into being things that were not.y
18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations,z just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”*a 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as deadb—since he was about a hundred years oldc—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.d 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthenede in his faith and gave glory to God,f 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.g 22This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”h 23The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24but also for us,i to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in himj who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.k 25He was delivered over to death for our sinsl and was raised to life for our justification.m
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