Romans 3:9-31

9 What then? ¹Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both ²Jews and ³Greeks are ⁴all under sin;

10 as it is written, "⁵THERE 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 USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."

13 "⁶THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING," "⁷THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS ";

14 "⁸WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS ";

15 "⁹THEIR 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 "¹⁰THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."

19 Now we know that whatever the ¹¹Law says, it speaks to ¹²those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and ¹³all the world may become accountable to God;

20 because ¹⁴by the works of the Law no * flesh will be justified in His sight; for ¹⁵through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Justification by Faith

21 But now apart from the Law ¹⁶the righteousness of God has been manifested, being ¹⁷witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

22 even the ¹⁸righteousness of God through ¹⁹faith ²⁰in Jesus Christ for ²¹all those who believe; for ²²there is no distinction;

23 for all ²³have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 being justified as a gift ²⁴by His grace through ²⁵the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

25 whom God displayed publicly as ²⁶a propitiation ²⁷in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the ²⁸forbearance of God He ²⁹passed over the sins previously committed;

26 for the demonstration, I say, 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 ³⁰boasting? It is excluded. By ³¹what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.

28 For ³²we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

29 Or ³³is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,

30 since indeed ³⁴God ³⁵who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith ³⁶is one.

31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? ³⁷May it never be! On the contrary, we ³⁸establish the Law.

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Romans 3:9-31 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS 3

In this chapter are an answer to several objections which follow one upon another, relating to what the apostle had said concerning the equality of the Gentiles with the Jews; and various proofs out of the Psalms and Prophets, showing the general depravity and corruption of mankind, of the Jews as well as of the Gentiles; and the conclusion from all this, that there is no justification by the works of the law, but by the righteousness of God received by faith, of which a large and clear account is given. The first objection is in Ro 3:1, and is taken from the unprofitableness of being a Jew and a circumcised person, if that is true which is asserted in the preceding chapter; to which an answer is given, Ro 3:2, showing that though many things might be instanced in, in which the Jew had the advantage of the Gentile in external things; this might be mentioned as one for all, and taken sufficient answer, that the Jews had the oracles or word of God committed to their trust, by which they became acquainted with the will of God. The apostle foreseeing that another objection would arise upon this; what signifies their having the oracles of God, when these are not believed by them? prevents it by observing, Ro 3:3, that though some did not believe, some did, and as for the unbelief of others, the truth and faithfulness of God in his word were not made void by it; however false and deceitful men are, God is always true to his word, Ro 3:4, and which is confirmed by a passage of Scripture, cited out of Ps 51:4, hence arises another objection, that if the righteousness of God is commended and illustrated by the unrighteousness of man, then it would be unjust in God to take vengeance on men for their sins, Ro 3:5, which is removed with abhorrence, and answered by observing, that if there was any truth in it, the world could not be judged by God, as it certainly will, Ro 3:6, but still the objection is continued and strengthened, Ro 3:7, that if God is glorified through the sins of men, not only men ought not to be punished for them, but they should not be reckoned sinners, or as doers of evil things, but of good things, and be indulged in them; to which is replied, that this was the common calumny cast upon the doctrine of the apostle, and persons of such principles and practices are deserving of damnation, Ro 3:8. Having removed these objections, the apostle reassumes his former assertion, and supports it, that a carnal circumcised Jew is no better than a carnal uncircumcised Gentile; it being already sufficiently made to appear, that they are both under the power and guilt of sin; and as a further evidence of it, he produces several passages out of the book of Psalms, and out of the prophecies of Isaiah, which fully express the sad corruption of human nature, and especially of the Jews; and this account begins in Ro 3:10, and ends in Ro 3:18, and which account he suggests, Ro 3:19, carries in it such a full conviction of the truth of what he had said, that all men are under sin, that no one would be able to open his mouth in his own defence, but all must acknowledge themselves guilty before God: and then he proceeds to the conclusion he meant to draw from all this, that there is no justification of any before God by the deeds of the law; giving this as a reason for it, because the law discovered sin, but not a justifying righteousness, Ro 3:20, that is revealed in another way, by the Gospel, and not the law, though both law and prophets bear a testimony to it, Ro 3:21, which righteousness is described by the author of it, God; by the means through which it comes to the use and comfort of men, the faith of Christ; and by the subjects of it, them that believe; in the justification of which there is no difference, Ro 3:22, of which a reason is given, Ro 3:23, taken from the general state of men, as sinners, and bereaved of the image of God: the several causes, ways, means, and end of the justification of such persons are suggested; the moving cause is the free grace of God, the meritorious or procuring cause the redemption that is in Christ, Ro 3:24, and his propitiatory sacrifice, Ro 3:25, which is owing to the eternal purpose of God, whose end in it was to declare his purity, holiness, and justice; which end is repeated and enlarged on, in Ro 3:26, upon which the apostle asks, Ro 3:27, what is become of boasting in the creature? and answers himself by saying, it was excluded, not by the doctrine of works, but by the doctrine of faith, and particularly the doctrine of justification by faith in the righteousness of Christ; wherefore the conclusion stands firm and just, from the premises, that justification is by faith without the works of the law, Ro 3:28, and it is further confirmed, that Jews and Gentiles, with respect to their state and condition God-ward, are on a level; he is the God of the one, as well as of the other, Ro 3:29, and this appears by his justifying both in one and the same way, through faith in the righteousness of this Son, Ro 3:30, and the chapter is concluded by obviating an objection that might be made, that through this doctrine of justification by faith the law is made void, and is of no use, Ro 3:31, to which the apostle answers, that this is so far from being fact, that the law is established by it.

Ver 1. \\What advantage then hath the Jew\\? &c.] If he is not properly a Jew, who is born of Jewish parents, and brought up in the customs, rites, and religion of the Jewish nation, but anyone of whatsoever nation, that is born again of water, and of the Spirit; where is the superior excellency of the Jew to the Gentile? A man may as well be born and brought up a Heathen as a Jew; the one has no more advantages than the other by his birth and education: it may be rendered, "what hath the Jew more?" or "what has he superfluous" or "abundant?" the phrase answers to the Hebrew Mdal Nwrty hm in Ec 1:3, which is rendered, "what profit hath a man?" and in Ec 6:8, Mkxl rtwy hm, "what hath a wise man more" and in Ro 3:11, Mdal rty hm, "what is a man better?" the first of these passages the Septuagint render by tiv perisseia, "what abundance?" and the last by ti perisson, "what more", or "superfluous", or "abundant?" the phrase used by the apostle here:

\\or what profit is there of circumcision\\? since that which is outward in the flesh profits not unless the law is kept, otherwise circumcision is no circumcision; and if an uncircumcised Gentile keeps the law, he is a better man than a circumcised Jew; yea, he judges and condemns him; for the only true circumcision is internal, spiritual, and in the heart. To this the apostle answers in the Ro 3:2. 04849

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 38

1. Romans 3:1
2. Romans 2:1-29
3. Romans 1:18-32
4. Romans 3:19, 23; Romans 11:32; Galatians 3:22
5. Psalms 14:1-3; Psalms 53:1-3
6. Psalms 5:9
7. Psalms 140:3
8. Psalms 10:7
9. Isaiah 59:7
10. Psalms 36:1
11. John 10:34
12. Romans 2:12
13. Romans 3:9
14. Psalms 143:2; Acts 13:39; Galatians 2:16
15. Romans 4:15; Romans 5:13, 20; Romans 7:7
16. Romans 1:17; Romans 9:30
17. Acts 10:43; Romans 1:2
18. Romans 1:17; Romans 9:30
19. Romans 4:5
20. Acts 3:16; Galatians 2:16, 20; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 3:12
21. Romans 4:11, 16; Romans 10:4
22. Romans 10:12; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11
23. Romans 3:9
24. Rom 4:4f, 16; Ephesians 2:8
25. 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:15
26. 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10
27. 1 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 9:14, 28; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 1:5
28. Romans 2:4
29. Acts 14:16; Acts 17:30
30. Romans 2:17, 23; Romans 4:2; 1 Corinthians 1:29f
31. Romans 9:31
32. Acts 13:39; Romans 3:20, 21; Ephesians 2:9; James 2:20, 24, 26
33. Acts 10:34; Romans 9:24; Romans 10:12; Romans 15:9; Galatians 3:28
34. Romans 10:12; Galatians 3:20
35. Romans 3:22; Romans 4:11f, 16; Galatians 3:8
36. Deuteronomy 6:4
37. Luke 20:16; Romans 3:4
38. Matthew 5:17; Romans 3:4, 6; Romans 8:4

Footnotes 17

[a]. Or "Are we worse"
[b]. Lit "in"
[c]. Or "of law"
[d]. Or "through law"
[e]. Or "from law"
[f]. Or "who believe. For there is no distinction, since they all have sinned...and are being justified"
[g]. Or "sinned"
[h]. Or "a propitiatory sacrifice"
[i]. Or "by"
[j]. Lit "because of the passing over of the sins previously committed in the forbearance of God"
[k]. Lit "is of the faith of Jesus"
[l]. One early ms reads "Therefore"
[m]. Or "of law"
[n]. Lit "circumcision"
[o]. Lit "out of"
[p]. Lit "uncircumcision"
[q]. Or "law"