Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
ROMANS 3
God’s Faithfulness
1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:
“So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge.”
5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!
No One Is Righteous
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
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, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Application Notes
3:1-31 In this chapter Paul contends that everyone stands guilty before God. Paul has dismantled the common excuses of people who refuse to admit they are sinners: (1) "There is no God" or "I follow my own conscience" (1:18-32); (2) "I'm not as bad as other people" (2:1-16); and (3) "I'm a church member" or "I'm a religious person" (2:17-29). No one will be exempt from God's judgment of sin. Every person must accept the fact that he or she has sinned and stands guilty before God. Only then can we understand and receive God's wonderful gift of forgiveness.
3:1-31 What a depressing picture Paul paints! All of us--pagans, humanitarians, and even religious people--are condemned by our own actions. The law, which God gave to show the way to live, exposes our sinful deeds. Do we have any hope? Yes, says Paul. All these arguments for our guilt pave the way to show us how to receive God's mercy. God himself provides the way out. He, in his righteousness and wonderful love, offers us eternal life. We receive our salvation not through the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. We do not--cannot--earn it; we can only accept it as a gift from our loving heavenly Father.
3:2 The Jewish nation had many advantages: (1) They were entrusted with God's laws ("the very words of God") see Exodus 19-20; Deuteronomy 4:8); (2) they were the people through whom the Messiah had come to earth (Isaiah 11:1-10; Matthew 1:1-17); and (3) they were the beneficiaries of covenants with God himself (Genesis 17:1-16; Exodus 19:3-6). But these privileges did not make them better than anyone else (Romans 3:9). In fact, because of these advantages, the Jews were even more responsible for living up to God's requirements.
3:5-8 Some may think they don't have to worry about sin, reasoning that (1) it's God's job to forgive; (2) God is so loving that he won't judge us; (3) sin isn't so bad-it teaches us valuable lessons; or (4) we need to stay in touch with the culture around us. It is far too easy to take God's grace for granted. But God cannot overlook sin. No matter how many excuses we make, we will have to answer to God for our sin.
3:10-18 Paul uses these Old Testament references to show that God cannot excuse humanity in our present sinful condition. Have you ever thought to yourself, Well, I'm not too bad. I'm a pretty good person? Look at these verses and see if any of them apply to you. Have you ever lied? Have you ever hurt someone's feelings by your words or tone of voice? Are you bitter toward anyone? Do you become angry with those who strongly disagree with you? In thought, word, and deed, you, like everyone else in the world, stand guilty before God. We must remember who we are in his sight apart from Christ-alienated sinners. Don't deny that you are a sinner. Instead, admit your desperate need for forgiveness and receive the peace that God offers.
3:10-12 Paul is referring to Psalm 14:1-3. "There is no one righteous"-- no one is·innocent. Because God created us in his image and loves us, every person has value in his eyes. But no one has loved God Of trated his or her neighbour perfectly, so no one can earn right standing with God. Though we are valuable, we have fallen into sin. But God, through his Son, Jesus, has redeemed us and offers to forgive us if we turn to him in faith.
3:19 The last time someone accused you of wrongdoing, what was your reaction? Denial, argument, and defensiveness? The Bible tells us the world stands silent and accountable before the almighty God. No excuses or arguments will remain. Have you reached the point with God where you are ready to hang up your defences and await his decision? If you haven't, stop now and admit your sin to him. If you have, the following verses are truly good news for you!.
3:20, 31 In these two verses we see two functions of God's law: (1) It shows us where we go wrong. Because of the law, we know that we are helpless sinners and that we must come to Jesus Christ for mercy. (2) The moral code revealed in the law can serve to guide our actions by holding up God's moral standards. We do not earn salvation by keeping the law--no one except Christ has ever or could ever keep God's law perfectly--but we do please God when our lives conform to his revealed will for us, which is what the law stood for.
3:21-29 After all this bad news about our sinfulness and God's condemnation, Paul gives the wonderful news. He shows us how to be made right with God: God declares us not guilty when we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. Trusting him means putting our confidence in him to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way he has taught us to. God offers this solution to all people, regardless of background or past behaviour.
3:23 Some sins seem bigger to us than others because their obvious consequences are much more serious. Murder, for example, seems to be worse than hatred, and adultery seems worse than pride or lust. But this does not mean that if we only commit what seem to be lesser sins we deserve eternal life. All sin makes us sinners, and all sin cuts us off from our holy God. All sin, therefore, leads to eternal death (because it disqualifies us from living with God), regardless of how great or small it seems. Don't minimise "little" sins or overrate "big" sins. They all separate us from God, but they all can be forgiven if we repent and turn to Jesus.
3:24 Justified means that we have truly been declared not guilty. When a judge in a court of law declares a defendant not guilty, all the charges are removed from the defendant's record. Legally, it is as if the person was never even accused. When God forgives your sins, he wipes your record clean. He declares you not guilty and restores your relationship with him. From his perspective, it is as though you have never sinned. He can do this because Jesus took all our sins on himself and paid the penalty that we deserve. Jesus paid the full price of our sin so we can be free from its full penalty.
3:25-26 What happened to people who lived before Jesus came and died for sin 7 If God condemned them, was he being unfair? If he saved them, was Jesus' sacrifice unnecessary? Paul shows that God forgave all human sin for all time at the cross of Jesus. Old Testament believers looked forward in faith to Jesus' coming and were saved, even though they did not know Jesus' name or the details of his earthly life. Unlike the Old Testament believers, you know about the God who loved the world so much that he gave his own Son (John 3:16). Have you put your trust in him?
3:25 Jesus died in our place, for our sins. We have rebelled against him and cut ourselves off from his life-giving power. But God declares Jesus' death to be the appropriate, designated sacrifice for our sin. He is our Lamb, sacrificed for us (Exodus 12:21). Jesus stands in our place, having paid the penalty of death for our sin, and he completely satisfies God's demands. His sacrifice brings pardon, deliverance, and freedom.
3:27-28 Most religions prescribe specific duties that must be performed to make a person acceptable to a god. Christianity uniquely teaches that no good deed we do will make us right with him. No amount of human achievement or progress in personal development will close the gap between God's moral perfection and our imperfect daily performance. Doing good is important, but it will not earn us eternal life. We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us (Ephesians 2:8-10).
3:28 Why does God save us by faith alone? (1) Faith eliminates the pride of human effort because faith is not a deed that we do. (2) Faith exalts what God has done, not what we do. (3) Faith admits that we can't keep the law or measure up to God's standards-we need help. (4) Faith ignites and sustains a person's relationship with God.
3:31 Some misunderstandings had arisen between the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. Worried Jewish Christians were asking Paul, "Does faith wipe out everything Judaism stands for? Does it cancel our Scriptures, put an end to our customs, declare that God is no longer working through us?" (This is essentially the question used to open Romans 3.) "Not at all!" says Paul. When we comprehend the way of salvation through faith, we understand the connection between the Old and New Testaments. We know why Abraham was chosen, why the law was given, and why God worked patiently with Israel for centuries. Faith does not wipe out the Old Testament. Rather, it makes God's dealings with the Jewish people understandable. In Romans 4, Paul expands on this theme. (See 5:20-21; 8:3-4; 13:9-10; Galatians 3:24-29; and 1 Timothy 1:8 for more on this concept.)
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)