1Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision? 2Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the revelations of God. 3For what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God? 4May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written,
“that you might be justified in your words,
and might prevail when you come into judgment.”
5But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say? Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath? I speak like men do. 6May it never be! For then how will God judge the world? 7For if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), “Let’s do evil, that good may come?” Those who say so are justly condemned.
9What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. 10As it is written,
“There is no one righteous;
no, not one.
11There is no one who understands.
There is no one who seeks after God.
12They have all turned away.
They have together become unprofitable.
There is no one who does good,
no, not so much as one.”
13“Their throat is an open tomb.
With their tongues they have used deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is under their lips.”
14“Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15“Their feet are swift to shed blood.
16Destruction and misery are in their ways.
17The way of peace, they haven’t known.”
18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God. 20Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
21But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets; 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction, 23for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; 24being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance; 26to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time, that he might himself be just and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.
27Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! No, we establish the law.
In Romans 1-8 Paul teaches two things. First, no one, whether Gentile (1:18-32) or Jew (2:1-3:8), will be justified—delivered from eternal condemnation in hell—by works of law, i.e., by how well he or she keeps the law commandments of one’s applicable law code. This is because this way of getting to heaven (the law system) requires perfect obedience, which none of us has, since all have sinned. (This is the point of 1:18-3:20.)
Paul’s second and main point is that the only way a sinner can be saved is by the grace system, rather than the law system: “You are not under law but under grace” (6:14). This way of grace is made possible only by the death of Jesus, whereby He turned God’s wrath away from us by taking it upon Himself, a process the Bible calls “ propitiation” (3:21-26). The benefits of His death are applied to any believing sinner by means of sincere belief in its saving power. Thus we are justified by grace through faith apart from how well we respond to the law code that applies to us (3:28), as confirmed by the testimony of both Abraham and David (4:1-25).
The practical result of knowing we are justified through faith in Jesus is assurance of salvation (5:1-11). This assurance is reinforced by knowing that Christ’s cross is much more powerful than even the most universally catastrophic sin (5:12-21). Far from giving us an excuse to keep on sinning, this saving grace of Jesus—especially the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit—empowers us to live a life of sanctified obedience (6:1-8:39), an obedience that springs from faith (1:5). Some instructions on this life of obedience are given in chapters 12-16. To silence any Jews who may object that God’s rejection of them is not fair, Romans 9-11 explains that regarding salvation, God chose the Jews not to guarantee their individual salvation but to serve His purpose of bringing the Savior of all peoples into the world. Jews and Gentiles alike are saved in the same way, i.e., through faith in the one Messiah.