1 WHAT advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

ALL HAVE SINNED
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

1What aduantage then hath the Iew? or what profit is there of Circumcision?

2Much euery way: chiefly, because that vnto them were committed the Oracles of God.

3For what if some did not beleeue? shall their vnbeliefe make the faith of God without effect?

4God forbid: yea, let God be true, but euery man a lier, as it is written, That thou mightest be iustified in thy sayings, and mightest ouercome when thou art iudged.

5But if our vnrighteousnesse commend the righteousnesse of God, what shall we say? is God vnrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speake as a man)

6God forbid: for then how shall God iudge the world?

7For if the trueth of God hath more abounded through my lye vnto his glory; why yet am I also iudged as a sinner?

8And not rather as wee be slanderously reported, and as some affirme that we say, Let vs doe euill, that good may come: whose damnation is iust.

9What then? are wee better then they? No in no wise: for we haue before proued both Iewes, and Gentiles, that they are all vnder sinne,

10As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one:

11There is none that vnderstandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become vnprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no not one.

13Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues they haue vsed deceit, the poyson of Aspes is vnder their lippes:

14Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse:

15Their feet are swift to shed blood.

16Destruction & misery are in their wayes:

17And the way of peace haue they not knowen.

18There is no feare of God before their eyes.

19Now we know that what things soeuer the Law saith, it saith to them who are vnder the Law: that euery mouth may bee stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

20Therefore by the deedes of the Law, there shall no flesh be iustified in his sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sinne.

21But nowe the righteousnesse of God without the Lawe is manifested, being witnessed by the Lawe and the Prophets.

22Euen the righteousnesse of God, which is by faith of Iesus Christ vnto all, and vpon all them that beleeue: for there is no difference:

23For all haue sinned, and come short of the glory of God,

24Being iustified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Iesus Christ:

25Whom God hath set forth to bee a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sinnes, that are past, through the forbearance of God.

26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousnesse: that hee might bee iust, and the iustifier of him which beleeueth in Iesus.

27Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what Law? Of works? Nay: but by the Law of faith.

28Therefore wee conclude, that a man is iustified by faith, without the deeds of the Law.

29Is he the God of the Iewes only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

30Seeing it is one God which shal iustifie the circumcision by faith, and vncircumcision through faith.

31Doe we then make void the lawe through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the Law.

II == Deut 4:7-8 ; Ps 147:19-20

III == Num 23:19 ; Rom 9:6 ; 10:16 ; 11:29

IV ==Job 40:8 ; Ps 51:4 ; 62:9 ; 116:11

V ==Rom 6:19 ; Gal 3:15

VIII ==Rom 5:20 ; 6:1 , 15

IX == Rom 1:28--2:4 ; 3:23

X == Ps 14:1-3 ; 53:1

XIII ==Ps 5:9 ; 140:3 ; Jer 5:16

XIV == Ps 10:7

XV == Prov 1:16 ; Isa 59: 7-8

XVIII == Ps 36:1

XX == Ps 143:2 ; Eph 2:8-9

XXI == Rom 1:2 , 17 ; Heb 11:4-22

XXII == Rom 10:12 ; Gal 3:28 ; Col 3:11

XXIII == Rom 3:9 ; 11:32 ; Gal 3:22

XXIV == Rom 4:16 ; Eph 1:7 ; 2:8 ; Col 1:14 ; 1st Peter 1:18-19

XXV == Lev 16:15 ; Col 1:20 ; Heb 9:15

XXVII == Rom 2:17 , 23 ; 4:2 ; 1st Cor 1:29 , 31 ; Eph 2:9

XXVIII == Acts 13:38-39 ; Rom 3:20-22 ; 8:3 ; Gal 2:16

XXX == Rom 10:12-13 ; Gal 3:8 , 20 , 28

1 What advantage is there then in being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much, in every respect. (For) in the first place, they were entrusted with the utterances of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their infidelity nullify the fidelity of God? 4 Of course not! God must be true, though every human being is a liar, as it is written: "That you may be justified in your words, and conquer when you are judged." 5 But if our wickedness provides proof of God's righteousness, what can we say? Is God unjust, humanly speaking, to inflict his wrath? 6 Of course not! For how else is God to judge the world? 7 But if God's truth redounds to his glory through my falsehood, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not say - as we are accused and as some claim we say - that we should do evil that good may come of it? Their penalty is what they deserve. 9 Well, then, are we better off? Not entirely, for we have already brought the charge against Jews and Greeks alike that they are all under the domination of sin, 10 as it is written: "There is no one just, not one, 11 there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have gone astray; all alike are worthless; there is not one who does good, (there is not) even one. 13 Their throats are open graves; they deceive with their tongues; the venom of asps is on their lips; 14 their mouths are full of bitter cursing. 15 Their feet are quick to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery are in their ways, 17 and the way of peace they know not. 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that what the law says is addressed to those under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world stand accountable to God, 20 since no human being will be justified in his sight by observing the law; for through the law comes consciousness of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets, 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; 23 all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. 24 They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus,

25 whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed, 26 through the forbearance of God - to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out. On what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith. 28 For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too? Yes, also to Gentiles, 30 for God is one and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Are we then annulling the law by this faith? Of course not! On the contrary, we are supporting the law.

V 1-8Paul shows that in spite of special revelation the Jews had no advantage over Gentiles in moral status before God

V 9-20 The entire human race now had been declard guilty before God.

V 21-31 Salvation through God's redemptive work that is revealed in Christ Jesus for all who believe was how Paul was able to dispay to everyone the solution for the total problem.

v1. Occasionally a foreign ambassador to the United States or their children will violate our law and be released for diplomatic immunity. Some of the Jews felt they had a sort of diplomatic immunity before God as children of Abraham. The first question here deals with the issues raised in Rom. 2:17-24 and the second question with verses 25-29.

v2. It was an immense privilege to be entrusted with the Scriptures. Whereas the Gentiles had only nature and conscience to enlighten them, the Jews had the very revelation of God. It has been said the pagan had the witness of creation, the moralist had the witness of conscience, but the Jew had the witness of Scripture. The Jews however failed to use the oracles as they should. Likewise, why have a road map if we don’t use it, or why have the Bible and gospel if we don’t use them.

v3,4. If some Jews did not have faith, (or better translation were unfaithful) did that nullify the faithfulness of God? Absolutely not, even if all men were liars, Ps. 116:11. Paul quotes from Ps. 51:4.

v5-8. In 5a and 7a Paul indicates to what Jews were questioning about his teaching, “if our wickedness advertises and magnifies God’s integrity, why don’t we do evil so that His righteousness will be all the more apparent?  The answer of course is absolutely not, evil only results in more evil. (This could be illustrated by a person stealing money to pay a fine for his wrong doing.)God is right in judging Jews or He could not rightly judge Gentiles or any of the world. It was a false accusation that Paul taught that, and he agreed such teaching would be wrong.

v9. While the Jews had advantages, they are not better off than Gentiles because all are under sin.

v10-18. These verses are a comprehensive indictment of the entire human race. Verse 10 is a vital truth in leading souls to Christ. Years ago I talked with a neighbor who declared, “But I’ve never sinned.” People must know that in spite of their attempts to be good, they are not good enough to merit salvation, and the following verses reveal their true condition. v13, as a doctor looks in the mouth to determine other ailments, our mouths show the condition of our hearts, Matt 15:18. Whether in the home, classroom or street, problems are compounded when people have no reverential fear of God.
There are 14 charges against both Jews and Gentiles in v 10-18.  1 There is none righteous  2 There is none that understands  3 None that seeks after God  4 They are all gone out of the way  5 They are together become unprofitable  6 There is none that does good  7 Their throat is an open sepulcher  8 With their tongues they used deceit  9 The poison of asps is under their lips  10 Mouth is full of cursing and bitterness  11 Their feet are swift to shed blood  12 Destruction and misery are in their way  13 Way of peace they haven't known  14 No fear of God before their eyes.

v19. Verse 10 was a quote from Ps. 14:2; v13 from Ps 5:9 & 140:3; v14 from Ps. 10:7; v17 from Isa. 59:7,8; and v18 from Ps. 36:1.

v20. No one can keep the Law, it just shows us where we sin, a mirror of our lives  or school master to show us we need a Savior, Gal. 3:24. (A schoolmaster was a very strict trusted slave who was the totalitarian guardian and guide of sons of the well to do.  To illustrate how the law gives the knowledge of sin so that we can recognize our guilt, a pastor put a smudge on his daughter’s face, then gave her a mirror at the service. The mirror showed her what she did not know about herself. Another put a mirror in an empty coffin so as people looked in they could see themselves dead in sin.

v21. An important “But now”. What we can’t do for ourselves, God does for us. The  righteousness of God is not something new, but has been preached by the old prophets, Acts 10:43,illustrated in Jer. 23:5,6. Many times throughout the N. T. the term “law and prophets” refers to the entire O. T. see Acts 13:15; 24:12 etc..

v22-26. What is sin? v23
1 Jn. 3:4,5 Sin is the transgression of the law
1 Jn. 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin
James 2:10 Keep the law but offend in one point
Matt. 22:37,38 Must love the Lord with all the heart, soul and mind
Righteousness of God v21, is all that God demands and approves.  God’s requirement is that everyone be completely righteous, which is an impossibility because everyone without exception has sinned. The death of Christ was the answer to the problem “How can God declare sinful men to be righteous and yet remain righteous Himself?” God did not pass over sins but dealt with them by providing Christ to be our substitute. Animal sacrifices of the O. T. looked forward in faith to the death of Christ, just as we look back in faith to His atoning sacrifice. A simple slogan for justified v24, is “Just as if I’d never sinned”, but that is not totally correct. Sin may have left it’s mark in many ways. It is better to understand it as a judicial act whereby God has declared and treats us as just or righteous because of our faith in Christ and His work on the cross. Christ’s righteousness is imputed, (assigned, reckoned or credited) to our account.) Justification is in v20, not by deeds of the flesh;

v24, freely by grace; v26 to those who believe in Jesus; v28, by faith without the deeds of the law.
I have read that “set forth” v25, in Greek were words to describe the exposure of dead bodies or bones. When God “set forth” Christ, He exposed Him on the cross to atone for our sins. Redemption v24, means to deliver by paying a price. As a slave was bought in the market place, men are slaves, sold under sin, and are bought out by the price of the blood of Christ. We are removed from further sale and set free in the finality of our redemption. Propitiation v25, means to appease or atone. This does not mean placating a vengeful God, but satisfying the righteous demands of a Holy God. God was not showing how good and merciful He was but how just He was.

V27,28. No matter how perfect we try to be, we can not boast of our good deeds. We are only justified by faith, which is totally apart from the deeds of the law. We can not even boast of our faith which is the gift of God, Eph. 2:8,9. We simply take God at His word.

v29,30. The Jews Paul was addressing believed there is only one God. So that meant one God would be the God for all the human race. Therefore He would be the God of both Jews and Gentiles. This truth was hard for Jonah to swallow too.

v31. The law was established when a violator paid the penalty for disobedience, for instance he was stoned for picking up sticks on the Sabbath. Faith does not set this aside, because Christ established it when He went to the cross and took the penalty in our place.