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1So is there any advantage in being a Jew? Is there any value in being circumcised?
2There is great value in every way! First of all, the Jews have been given the very words of God.
3What if some Jews weren’t faithful? Will that keep God from being faithful?
4Not at all! Let God be true, even if every human being is a liar. As it is written,
“So that you may be proved right when you speak
and the courts may decide in your favor.”
5But some people might be thinking about this in a human way and ask, “Doesn’t the fact that we’re wrong prove more clearly that God is right? So how is it fair for God to punish us?”
6God is fair! If he weren’t, how could he judge the world?
7Someone else might argue, “My dishonesty makes it clearer that God is truthful. It makes his glory shine more brightly. So why does he want to punish me for doing wrong?”
8If we’re going to think like that, we might as well say, “Let’s do evil things so that good things will happen!” Some people lie about us and claim that this is what we teach. They’re the ones who will be found guilty, and they’ll deserve it.
9What should we say then? Do we Jews have any advantage? Not at all! We have already claimed that both Jews and Gentiles are under the power of sin.
10It is written,
“No one is right with God, no one at all.
11No one understands,
no one trusts in God.
12All of them have turned away,
they have all become worthless.
No one does anything good,
no one at all.”
13“Their throats are like open graves,
and with their tongues they tell lies.”
“The words from their lips are like the poison of a snake.”
14“Their mouths are full of curses and bitterness.”
15“Their feet run quickly to commit murder,
16they leave a trail of ruin and misery behind them,
17and they don’t know how to live in peace.”
18“They don’t have any respect for God.”
19We know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are governed by the law. Its purpose is to silence every excuse and hold the whole world accountable to God.
20So no one can obey the law well enough to be considered right with God. Instead, the law makes us more aware of our sin.
21But now we know we can be made right with God apart from the law, even though the Law and the Prophets are actually witnesses about this.
22All who believe are made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not any different for Jews than for Gentiles.
23Everyone has sinned, and no one measures up to God’s glory,
24but the free gift of God’s grace makes us right with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free.
25God provided him as a sacrifice to purify us through the shedding of his blood, and we receive the benefits of his sacrifice by faith. God did all this to show that what he does is right. He was merciful and overlooked sins from before. But now, in our own time,
26God did all this to prove that he does what is right and that he makes those who believe in Jesus right with himself.
27So who can brag? Nobody! Is that because of the law that they can’t obey? No, they can’t brag because of the law that requires faith.
28We firmly believe that a person is shown to be right with God through faith, not by doing the things the law requires.
29Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of Gentiles? Yes, he’s their God too.
30There’s only one God. He’ll make those who are circumcised right with himself by faith, and he’ll make those who aren’t circumcised right with himself by that same faith.
31So then, are we setting the law aside through faith? Not at all! We’re upholding the law.