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Romans 3

Romans 3 is a continuation of Paul's argument concerning the universal sinfulness of humanity. In this chapter, Paul emphasizes that both Jews and Gentiles are under the power of sin. He also highlights the role of the Law in revealing sin, but not in justifying people. The chapter climaxes with the declaration that righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from the Law, for all who believe.

Romans 3:1-2 (NKJV)
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.

Paul begins by acknowledging that Jews have advantages, particularly because they were entrusted with God’s revelation (the Law and the prophets). This is significant because it indicates that God's promises were first made known to Israel. However, the Jews' possession of the Law did not make them immune to sin or judgment, but it still offered them a unique role in salvation history by being the custodians of God’s word.

Romans 3:3-4 (NKJV)
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.”

Paul addresses the concern that Jewish unbelief might nullify God's promises. He quickly dismisses this, affirming that God’s faithfulness is not dependent on human belief. Even if many failed to uphold their end, God remains faithful to His covenant. Paul quotes from the Psalms to show that God's truth stands firm even when individuals fail, emphasizing that God's judgment is righteous.

Romans 3:5-6 (NKJV)
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?

Here, Paul confronts a possible objection: if human sinfulness highlights God's righteousness, is it unjust for God to punish sin? Paul answers emphatically that this is not the case. God’s judgment is necessary and just because, without it, He could not be the moral judge of the entire world. Sin does not excuse itself by magnifying God’s righteousness.

Romans 3:7-8 (NKJV)
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.

Paul presents a hypothetical objection: If lying enhances God’s truth and glorifies Him, why should the liar be condemned? Critics twisted Paul’s teaching on grace (as in Romans 5:20, where grace abounds as sin increases) to suggest that sinning more could glorify God by showcasing His grace. This distorted reasoning implies that doing evil could be justified if it highlights God's goodness. Paul firmly rejects this perversion of the gospel, declaring that those who promote such ideas are rightly condemned. God's grace is not a license for sin but a call to righteousness and transformation. Paul’s response highlights the integrity of the gospel and reminds believers of their responsibility to reflect God’s character, not exploit His grace as an excuse for sin.

Romans 3:9-10 (NKJV)
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;

Paul concludes that neither Jews nor Gentiles are inherently better than the other, for all are under the power of sin. He draws on Old Testament passages to underscore that no one is righteous on their own. By quoting Scripture, Paul emphasizes the universality of sin, demonstrating that all humanity is in need of God’s grace.

Romans 3:11-12 (NKJV)
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.”

Paul continues quoting from Scripture to show the spiritual blindness and waywardness of humanity. No one seeks God by their own natural inclination; rather, people have collectively deviated from the path of righteousness. This reveals the depths of human corruption and the inability of anyone to be justified through their own deeds.

Romans 3:13-14 (NKJV)
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.”

Paul paints a vivid picture of the destructive power of human speech, likening it to an open grave. He describes how people use their tongues to lie, curse, and spread bitterness. This imagery highlights how deep-rooted sin is in humanity, manifesting even in everyday actions like speech.

Romans 3:15-18 (NKJV)
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.”

Paul continues his list of accusations against humanity. The imagery of swift feet rushing to commit violence and the absence of peace underscores the extent of human depravity. Finally, Paul identifies the core problem: a lack of fear or reverence for God, which leads to sinful actions and destructive behavior.

Romans 3:19-20 (NKJV)
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.

Paul emphasizes that the Law (verses 10-18) speaks to those under it (specifically the Jews), so that "every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God." This is a pivotal point where he links the specific guilt of the Jews, who had the Law and did not follow it, to the broader point that all humanity is accountable to God. The phrase "every mouth may be silenced" refers to removing any basis for boasting or claiming moral superiority, specifically addressing the Jewish reliance on the Law for righteousness. While verse 19 does indeed highlight the Jews’ accountability due to the Law, the latter part of the verse ("and the whole world held accountable to God") broadens the scope again to include everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, under the power of sin. This structure allows Paul to make a comprehensive case that neither Gentiles (who sinned without the Law) nor Jews (who sinned under the Law) can claim righteousness on their own. This sets the stage for the introduction of a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ, applicable universally to all who believe (Romans 3:21-22).

Romans 3:21-22 (NKJV)
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;

Paul shifts the focus to the good news: God’s righteousness has been revealed apart from the Law, and it is available to all through faith in Jesus Christ. The Law and the prophets anticipated this righteousness, but now it is made clear in Christ. Paul emphasizes that this offer is universal—there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile.

Romans 3:23-24 (NKJV)
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,

Paul reiterates that all have sinned and are in need of redemption. However, God offers justification freely by His grace through Jesus Christ. Redemption implies a ransom paid for freedom, and Jesus’ sacrifice is that ransom. This is a central point of the gospel: salvation is a gift of grace, not something earned by human effort.

Romans 3:25-26 (NKJV)
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.

Paul explains that Jesus is the propitiation, meaning His sacrificial death appeased the wrath of God. By His blood, believers receive forgiveness, demonstrating God’s righteousness. God’s past forbearance allowed sins to go unpunished for a time, but now, through Christ, justice is served. God remains just while also justifying those who have faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:27-28 (NKJV)
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.

Paul concludes that there is no room for boasting in one’s own righteousness because justification is by faith, not by works. The "law of faith" replaces the "law of works" in terms of how people are made right with God. This underscores the idea that salvation is a gift, not something to be earned.

Romans 3:29-30 (NKJV)
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.

Paul reinforces the universality of God’s plan for salvation. God is not the God of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles as well. Since there is only one God, He justifies both the circumcised (Jews) and the uncircumcised (Gentiles) through faith, making no distinction between them.

Romans 3:31 (NKJV)
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Paul addresses a potential misunderstanding of his message on justification by faith. Some might think that faith in Christ abolishes the law, but Paul emphatically denies this. Rather than nullifying the law, faith upholds it by fulfilling its true purpose. Through faith, believers fulfill the law’s deeper intention—not through mere legalistic observance, but through righteous living that comes from receiving the indwelling of Christ and abiding in Him.

This is echoed in Romans 7:6 (NKJV), where Paul says, "But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." This shows that believers are not bound by the written code of the law but are called to live by the Spirit, fulfilling the deeper principles and intent of the law.

This also aligns with what Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:17-18 (NKJV), where He says, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Jesus affirms that the written scriptures retain their significance and are not abolished, but fulfilled in Him as believers live by the Spirit and the principles the law teaches, rather than just following written codes.

Thus, the moral principles of the law are not set aside but established in their fullness through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, and through the transformed, righteous lives of those who abide in Him.

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