Romans 2

Gods Righteous Judgment

1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,6 who will render to each one according to his deeds :7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousnessindignation and wrath,9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.11 For there is no partiality with God.12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them )16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

The Jews Guilty as the Gentiles

17 Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, 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 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?22 You who say, Do not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, as it is written.

Circumcision of No Avail

25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Romans 3

Gods Judgment Defended

1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.)6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?8 And why not say, Let us do evil that good may come?as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.

All Have Sinned

9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.10 As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.13 Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit; The poison of asps is under their lips;14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.15 Their feet are swift to shed blood;16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;17 And the way of peace they have not known.18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Gods Righteousness Through Faith

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Boasting Excluded

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Romans 4

Abraham Justified by Faith

1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

David Celebrates the Same Truth

5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:7  Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.

Abraham Justified Before Circumcision

9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

The Promise Granted Through Faith

13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all17 (as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations ) in the presence of Him whom he believedGod, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, So shall your descendants be. 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarahs womb.20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.22 And therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.