God’s Righteous Judgment
Therefore you are awithout excuse, bO man, everyone who passes judgment, for in that which cyou judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. 3 But do you presume this, aO man—who passes judgment on those who practice such things and does the same—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you think lightly of athe riches of His bkindness and cforbearance and dpatience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart ayou are storing up wrath for yourself bin the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 awho will repay to each according to his works: 7 to those who by aperseverance in doing good seek for bglory and honor and cimmortality, deternal life; 8 but to those who are aselfishly ambitious and bdo not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. 9 There will be aaffliction and turmoil for every soul of man who works out evil, of the Jew bfirst and also of the Greek, 10 but aglory and honor and peace to everyone who works good, to the Jew bfirst and also to the Greek. 11 For athere is no partiality with God.
12 For all who have sinned awithout the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. 13 For it is anot the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law anaturally do the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they demonstrate athe work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16 on the day when, aaccording to my gospel, bGod will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
The Jew Is Judged by the Law
17 But if you bear the name “Jew” and arely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and aapprove the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law athe embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore, awho teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you arob temples? 23 You who aboast in the Law, through your transgression of the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For “athe name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles bbecause of you,” just as it is written.
25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you apractice the Law, but if you are a transgressor of the Law, byour circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 aSo if bthe uncircumcised man cobserves the righteous requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And ahe who is physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the Law, will he not bjudge you who, through the letter of the Law and circumcision, are a transgressor of the Law? 28 For ahe is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But ahe is a Jew who is one inwardly; and bcircumcision is that which is of the heart, by the cSpirit, not by the letter; dand his praise is not from men, but from God.
There Is None Righteous
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Great in every respect. First of all, that athey were entrusted with the boracles of God. 3 What then? If asome did not believe, does their unbelief abolish the faithfulness of God? 4 aMay it never be! Rather, let God be true and every man ba liar, as it is written,
“cThat You may be justified in Your words,
And overcome when You are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness ademonstrates the righteousness of God, bwhat shall we say? Is the God who inflicts wrath unrighteous? (cI am speaking in human terms.) 6 aMay it never be! For otherwise, how will bGod judge the world? 7 But if through my lie athe truth of God abounded to His glory, bwhy am I also still being judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “aLet us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just.
9 What then? aAre we better? Not at all; for we have already charged that both bJews and cGreeks are dall under sin; 10 as it is written,
“aThere is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “aTheir throat is an open tomb,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“bThe poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “aWhose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15 “aTheir feet are swift to shed blood,
16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17 And the path of peace they have not known.”
18 “aThere is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the aLaw says, it speaks to bthose who are in the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and call the world may become accountable to God; 20 because aby the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for bthrough the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
The Righteousness of God through Faith
21 But now apart from the Law athe righteousness of God has been manifested, being bwitnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the arighteousness of God through bfaith cin Jesus Christ for dall those who believe; for ethere is no distinction; 23 for all ahave sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift aby His grace through bthe redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as aa propitiation bin His blood through faith, for a demonstration of His righteousness, because in the cforbearance of God He dpassed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where then is aboasting? It is excluded. By bwhat kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 For awe maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29 Or ais God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed aGod, bwho will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that faith, cis one.
31 Do we then abolish the Law through faith? aMay it never be! On the contrary, we bestablish the Law.