Romans 3

Then 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 God1. 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 may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.” 2

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! 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 us 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 charged 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 aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, No, not, so much as one.” 3

13“Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongue they speak lies.” 4

“The poison of vipers is under their lips;” 5

14“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” 6

15“Their feet are swift to shed blood. 16Ruin and misery are in their ways. 17The way of peace they do not know.” 7

18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 8

19Now we know that whatever things the Taurat9 says, it says to those who are under the Taurat, that every mouth may be shut, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God. 20No flesh will be justified in the sight of God by the legalistic observance of the Taurat. For through the Taurat comes the knowledge of sin. 21But now apart from the Taurat, a righteousness from God has been revealed, being testified by the Taurat and the Prophets; 22even the righteousness from God through faith in ‘ISA10 AL-MASIH11 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 AL-MASIH ‘ISA; 25whom God set forth to be an atoning sacrifice12, through faith in his blood, as 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 whoever who has faith in ‘ISA.

27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what manner of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the Taurat‘s requirements. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he the God of the other nations also? Yes, of the nations also, 30since indeed there is only one God. He will justify the circumcised by faith, and the uncircumcised by faith. 31Do we then abrogate the Taurat through this faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Taurat.

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  1. 3:2 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
  2. 3:4 Quoting the Zabur 51:4 which says: “Against you, and you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight; that you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.” ↩︎
  3. 3:10-12 Appealing to the Zabur 14:1-3 which says: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is no one who does good. YAHWEH looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who did understand, who did seek after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one.  
    Also seen in the Zabur 53:1-3 which says: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable works. There is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. Every one of them has gone back. They have become filthy together. There is no one who does good, no, not one. ↩︎
  4. 3:13 Quoting the Zabur 5:9 which says: For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their heart is destruction. Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongue they speak lies. ↩︎
  5. 3:13 Quoting the Zabur 140:4 which says: They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. The poison of vipers is under their lips. ↩︎
  6. 3:14 Adapted from the Zabur 10:7 which says: His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression. Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity. ↩︎
  7. 3:15-17 Quoting the Taurat, Shaya 59:7-8 which says: Their feet run to evil, and are swift to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; ruin and destruction are in their ways. The way of peace they do not know; and there is no justice in their goings: they have made them crooked paths; whoever goes therein does not know peace. ↩︎
  8. 3:18 Quoting the Zabur 36:1 which says: A revelation is within my heart about the disobedience of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. ↩︎
  9. 3:19 Taurat, this Arabic word is derived from Torah (Hebrew) which literally means “instruction” or “teaching.” In the Injil, the Greek text says nomos (meaning, “law”). Depending on context, Taurat can refer to, 
    1. The whole Hebrew Bible contained here under the title Taurat, equivalent to what Jews today call Tanakh, and what Christians call the Old Testament. 
    2. The book of Prophet Musa with its rules and regulations, which is also called the Law (of Moses), or the Pentateuch. Pentateuch is a Greek word meaning “five books” and includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
    3. Taurat can refer to divine instruction and teaching in general without reference to a particular book. ↩︎
  10. 3:22 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
  11. 3:22 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH.  Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
  12. 3:25 or, a propitiation. ↩︎