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Romans · Unlocked Literal Bible

Romans 3 Unlocked Literal Bible

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About ULB
  • Protestant
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • NT: Critical text (not verified)
  • Protestant (66 books)
  • Formal (word for word)
  • 2017
  • CC BY-SA 4.0

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

1 Then what advantage does the Jew have? And what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 It is great in every way. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with revelation from God. 3 For what if some Jews were without faith? Will their unbelief abolish God's faithfulness? 4 May it never be. Instead, let God be found to be true, even though every man is a liar. As it has been written, “That you might be shown to be righteous in your words, and that you might prevail when you come into judgment.” 5 But if our unrighteousness shows the righteousness of God, what can we say? Can we say that God is unrighteous to bring his wrath upon us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 May it never be! For then how would God judge the world? 7 But if the truth of God through my lie provides abundant praise for him, why am I still being judged as a sinner? 8 Why not say, as we are falsely reported to say, and as some affirm that we say, “Let us do evil, so that good may come”? The judgment on them is just. 9 What then? Are we excusing ourselves? Not at all. For we have already accused both Jews and Greeks, all of them, of being under sin. 10 This is as it is written: “There is no one righteous, not one. 11 There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned away. They together have become useless. There is no one who does good, no, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave. Their tongues have deceived. The poison of snakes is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to pour out blood. 16 Destruction and suffering are in their paths. 17 These people have not known a way of peace.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to the ones who are under the law. This is in order that every mouth may be shut, and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 This is because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known. It was witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe. For there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, 24 and they are freely justified by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 For God provided Christ Jesus as a propitiation through faith in his blood. He offered Christ as proof of his justice, because of his disregard of previous sins 26 in his patience. This all happened for the demonstration of his righteousness at this present time. This was so he could prove himself just, and to show that he justifies anyone because of faith in Jesus. 27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. On what grounds? Of works? No, but on the grounds of faith. 28 We conclude then that a person is justified by faith without works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not also the God of Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles also. 30 If, indeed, God is one, he will justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. 31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! Instead, we uphold the law.

Cross references (30)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Romans 2:25–29; Genesis 25:32; Ecclesiastes 6:8; Ecclesiastes 6:11; Hebrews 13:9
  2. 2 Romans 9:4; Acts 7:38; Psalm 147:19–20; Nehemiah 9:13–14; 1 Corinthians 9:17
  3. 3 2 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 4:2; Romans 9:6; Titus 1:1–2; Isaiah 55:11
  4. 4 Psalm 51:4; Psalm 116:11; Galatians 2:17; Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2
  5. 5 Romans 6:19; Galatians 3:15; 1 Corinthians 9:8; Romans 2:5; Romans 9:18–20
  6. 6 Genesis 18:25; Acts 17:31; Job 8:3; Psalm 98:9; Psalm 50:6
  7. 7 Romans 3:4; Romans 9:19–20; Acts 13:27–29; 2 Kings 8:10–15; Isaiah 10:6–7
  8. 8 Romans 6:1; Romans 6:15; Romans 5:20; Romans 7:7; 1 Peter 3:16–17
  9. 9 Galatians 3:22; Romans 6:15; Isaiah 65:5; Romans 11:32; Romans 3:22–23
  10. 10 Psalm 53:1–3; Psalm 14:1–3; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8–10; Job 15:14
  11. 11 Psalm 14:2–4; Psalm 53:2; Titus 3:3; Hosea 4:6; Romans 8:7
  12. 12 Psalm 14:3; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 59:8; Isaiah 64:6; Isaiah 53:6
  13. 13 Psalm 5:9; Psalm 140:3; Matthew 23:27–28; Jeremiah 9:3–5; Psalm 57:4
  14. 14 Psalm 10:7; Psalm 109:17–18; Psalm 59:12; James 3:10
  15. 15 Isaiah 59:7–8; Proverbs 1:16; Proverbs 6:18
  16. 17 Isaiah 59:8; Romans 5:1; Luke 1:79; Matthew 7:14; Isaiah 57:21
  17. 18 Psalm 36:1; Proverbs 23:17; Proverbs 16:6; Proverbs 8:13; Revelation 19:5
  18. 19 Galatians 3:10; Galatians 3:22–23; Romans 2:12–18; Romans 3:9; Galatians 5:18
  19. 20 Galatians 2:16; Acts 13:39; Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:19; Romans 4:15
  20. 21 Acts 10:43; Jeremiah 33:16; Philippians 3:9; Jeremiah 23:5–6; Galatians 3:8
  21. 22 Romans 10:12; Galatians 3:28; Romans 8:1; Galatians 2:16; Romans 5:1–11
  22. 23 Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8–10; Romans 3:9; Galatians 3:22; Romans 11:32
  23. 24 1 Peter 1:18–19; Titus 3:5–7; Colossians 1:14; Ephesians 1:6–7; Romans 5:9
  24. 25 Romans 3:23–24; 1 Peter 1:18–20; 1 John 4:10; 1 John 2:2; Colossians 1:20–23
  25. 26 Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 4:5; Acts 13:38–39; Romans 3:30; Zephaniah 3:5
  26. 27 Romans 4:2; Romans 2:23; 1 Corinthians 1:29–31; Galatians 3:22; Romans 2:17
  27. 28 Titus 3:7; Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3:24; Galatians 3:8; Romans 3:26
  28. 29 Colossians 3:11; Zechariah 2:11; Ephesians 3:6; Galatians 3:14; Galatians 3:25–29
  29. 30 Galatians 3:8; Galatians 3:20; Philippians 3:3; Colossians 2:10–11; Galatians 5:6
  30. 31 Galatians 2:21; Matthew 5:17; Romans 13:8–10; Romans 10:4; Romans 8:4

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Commentary 3:9 John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans (Homily VII)

    He had accused the Gentiles, he had accused the Jews; it came next in order to mention the righteousness which is by faith.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)

  2. Quotes verse 3:11 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book I, Chapters XVIII–XIX)

    And, "There is none that understandeth, or that seeketh after God: they have all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable," they maintain to be said concerning ignorance of Bythus.

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  3. Quotes verse 3:20 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XIV)

    … in many other significations; and among these various usages, a frequent one is to use flesh for man himself, the nature of man taking the part for the whole, as in the words, "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified;" for what does he mean here by "no flesh" but "no man?" And this, indeed, …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)

  4. Quotes verse 3:31 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily XVI)

    God forbid! yea, we establish the law." For since the law was laboring at this, to make man righteous, but had not power, He came and brought in the way of righteousness by faith, and so established that which the law desired: and what the law could not by letters, this He accomplished by faith.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)

  5. Quotes verse 3:12 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (Lecture XII)

    for the godly man is perished out of the earth, and there is none that doeth right among men: and again, They are all gone out of the way, they are together became unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one: and again, Cursing and stealing, and adultery, and murder are poured out upon the land.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)