Job 9:2, Rom 3 | ESV | STEP | Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God ?

1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, ^bthe Jews were entrusted with ^cthe oracles of God. 3 ^dWhat if some were unfaithful? ^eDoes their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! ^fLet God be true though ^gevery one were a liar, as it is written,

^h“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you ⁱare judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict ^jwrath on us? ( ^kI speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could ^lGod judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, ^mwhy am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not ⁿdo evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

No One Is Righteous

9 What then? Are we Jews ^{▼▼Greek Are we} any better off? ^{▼▼Or at any disadvantage?} No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both ^qJews and ^rGreeks, are ^sunder sin, 10 as it is written:

^t“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 ^u“Their throat is ^van open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
^w“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 ^x“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 ^y“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and ^zthe way of peace they have not known.”
18 ^aa“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever ^abthe law says it speaks to those who are under the law, ^acso that every mouth may be stopped, and ^adthe whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For ^aeby works of the law no human being ^{▼▼Greek flesh} will be justified in his sight, since ^agthrough the law comes knowledge of sin.

The Righteousness of God Through Faith

21 But now ^ahthe righteousness of God ^aihas been manifested apart from the law, although ^ajthe Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God ^akthrough faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. ^alFor there is no distinction: 23 for ^amall have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 ^anand are justified ^aoby his grace as a gift, ^apthrough the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God ^aqput forward as ^ara propitiation ^asby his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in ^athis divine forbearance he had passed over ^auformer sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

27 ^avThen what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith ^awapart from works of the law. 29 Or ^axis God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since ^ayGod is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and ^azthe uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.