Romans 3

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 31 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: • Papyrus 40 (~AD 250; extant verses 21–31) • Codex Vaticanus (325–350) • Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) • Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) • Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 22–31) Old Testament references • Romans 3:4 references Psalm 51:4 • Romans 3:10–12 references Psalm 14:1–3, Psalm 53:1–3 and Ecclesiastes 7:20 • Romans 3:13 references Psalm 5:9 and Psalm 140:3 • Romans 3:14 references Psalm 10:7 • Romans 3:17 references Isaiah 59:7–8 • Romans 3:18 references Psalm 36:1 • Romans 3:20 references Psalm 143:2b ==God's righteousness upheld (verses 1–7)==

In verse 2, the chief advantage, or benefit, or responsibility, or superiority of the Jewish people is their possession of the Hebrew Bible ( New International Version). Traditional translations (the Geneva Bible, King James Version, American Standard Version and Revised Standard Version) refer to the "oracles of God". Verse 1 The first of a Jew's objections is stated here. "A Jew would naturally ask, if the view which the apostle had given were correct, what special benefit could the Jew derive from his religion?" The objection follows from Romans 2:26: if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the requirements of the Law, his uncircumcision will be regarded as circumcision. Verse 2 The Jewish "advantage" () is really an act of entrustment. Nonconformist theologian Matthew Poole stated that "to the Jews were credited, or given in custody, the Holy Scriptures". Stephen, whose martyrdom Paul had witnessed before his conversion, called the scriptures the 'living oracles' (). Handley Moule, in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, notes that this verse anticipates a more complete summary of the Jewish "advantage" in Romans 9:4, where "the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises" are listed as the inheritance of the Jewish people. ==Slanderous criticisms==

In verse 8, Paul refers to slanderous accusations made by "some people", that believers say "Let's do evil that good may result". Bishop Charles Ellicott suggests that these accusers might have been the Jews or "the Judaizing party"; Barnes says it is "doubtless" that they were Jews; ==No one is righteous (verses 9–20)==

Paul's statement that "both Jews and Greeks are under the power of sin" (verse 9) exposes the impossibility of either Gentile or Jew, unaided by God, being able to become righteous (contra Romans 2:7,13, etc.; consistent with Romans 7:7–24), as supported by a compilation of citations from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament texts) in verses 10–18 describing humanity's utter depravity or incapability of not sinning (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Psalm 5:10; 10:7; 14:1—3; 53:2—4; 36:2; 140:4; Isaiah 59:7—8; Proverbs 1:16). Only Christ can break sin's power for Jews as well as for Gentiles. ==The revelation of God's righteousness (verses 21–26)==

This section (extending to verse 31) revisits 'the grand theme', "the righteousness of God", which is introduced in the Thanksgiving part of chapter 1. Comprising one paragraph, verses 21–26 is called by Stuhlmacher as "the heart of the letter to the Romans", stating that "the divine character—faithful, gracious, forgiving, and merciful—has been revealed in Jesus Christ, specifically in his death as "a sacrifice for sin effective through faith"." With that actions, "altogether apart from human initiative", God has fulfilled "what God always intended to do" ("attested by the law and the prophets") "and so is proved righteous". Verse 23 • "Come short" (RSV, NKJV: "fall short) is translated from , also rendered as 'to be in want/impoverished' (Luke 15:14); 'to suffer need" (Philippians 4:12); 'to be destitute' (Hebrews 11:37), and here in the sense of 'to suffer from defect, to fail to attain'. Verse 25 "Propitiation" (RSV, NAB: "expiation") is translated from the Greek word , which specifically means the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The only other occurrence of in the New Testament is in Hebrews 9:5, where the KJV, NKJV, RSV, and NASB all translate it as 'mercy seat'. ==Justification by faith – a conclusion (verses 27–31)==

Verse 28 • "We conclude" is translated from . The verb is plural: "we conclude" in the King James Version and New King James Version, "we hold" in the Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version, "we consider" in the New American Bible, "as we see it" in the Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, "we maintain" in the New American Standard Version, "we reason" or "we maintain" in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, in the Vulgate. Anglican bishop Charles Ellicott considers that we conclude "conveys too much the idea of an inference; the statement is rather made in the form of an assertion, we consider or we hold", whereas the 18th-century English Baptist theologian John Gill treats the phrase as a "conclusion from the premises". Verse 29 Romans 3:29 has been interpreted as Paul saying that "God's perfect, ultimate, righteous judgment would carry the same standards for all people". ==See also==