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The Blue Letter Bible

Romans 3 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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God Remains Faithful
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:1 - Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision?
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:2 - Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:3 - True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful?
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:4 - Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him,
“You will be proved right in what you say,
and you will win your case in court.”[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:5 - “But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.)
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:6 - Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world?
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:7 - “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?”
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:8 - And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.
All People Are Sinners
(Psa 14:1–3; 53:1–4 )
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:9 - Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles,[fn] are under the power of sin.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:10 - As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:11 - No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:12 - All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:13 - “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with lies.”
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:14 - “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:15 - “They rush to commit murder.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:16 - Destruction and misery always follow them.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:17 - They don’t know where to find peace.”[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:18 - “They have no fear of God at all.”[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:19 - Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:20 - For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
Christ Took Our Punishment
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:21 - But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses[fn] and the prophets long ago.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:22 - We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:23 - For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:24 - Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:25 - For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:26 - for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:27 - Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:28 - So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:29 - After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is.
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:30 - There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxRom 3:31 - Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
NLT Footnotes
Greek the oracles of God.
Ps 51:4 (Greek version).
Greek or Greeks.
Pss 14:1-3; 53:1-3 (Greek version).
Pss 14:1-3; 53:1-3 (Greek version).
Pss 14:1-3; 53:1-3 (Greek version).
Pss 5:9 (Greek version); 140:3.
Ps 10:7 (Greek version).
Isa 59:7-8.
Isa 59:7-8.
Isa 59:7-8.
Ps 36:1.
Greek in the law.
Greek whether they are circumcised or uncircumcised.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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Romans Chapter 3 — Additional Translations: