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ROMANS 
Universal Bondage to Sin.* 9Well, then, are we better o ? Not entirely, for we have already brought the charge against Jews and Greeks alike that they are all under the domination of sin,f 10as it is written:g
“There is no one just, not one,
11there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
12All have gone astray; all alike are worthless;
there is not one who does good, [there is not] even one. 13Their throats are open graves;
they deceive with their tongues; the venom of asps is on their lips;h
14their mouths are full of bitter cursing.i 15Their feet are quick to shed blood;j
16ruin and misery are in their ways, 17and the way of peace they know not.
18There is no fear of God before their eyes.”k
19Now 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,l 20since no human being will be justi ed in his sight* by observing the law; for through the law comes consciousness of sin.m
III. JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST
Justi cation Apart from the Law.* 21But now* the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testi ed to by the law and the prophets,n 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction;o 23all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.p 24They are justi ed freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus,q 25whom God set forth as an expiation,* through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed,r 26through the forbearance of God—to prove
3:21
What does “righteousness” mean? It means being on good terms with God—being in right relationship with him. “Righteousness” is about the delity to the covenant which God always shows, and which is also required of God’s people. For Paul, righteousness is something that God creates in humans by grace; it is always rst and foremost God’s gift. In Jesus Christ, God has opened for us a new way to righteousness. The sacri cial death of Jesus is our “expiation,” gaining forgiveness of sins for us.
This righteousness does not come through observance of the Law, but is freely given to Jews and Gentiles alike through Christ. From now on, our “justi cation”—our being righteous in God’s eyes—is gained through faith in
Jesus Christ, not through observance of the prescriptions of the
Mosaic Law.
e. [3:8] 6:1.
f. [3:9] 1:18–2:25; 3:23; Sir 8:5.
g. [3:10–11] Ps 14:1–3; 53:2–4; Eccl 7:20.
h. [3:13] Ps 5:10; 140:4.
i. [3:14] Ps 10:7.
j. [3:15–17] Prv 1:16; Is 59:7–8.
k. [3:18] Ps 36:2.
l. [3:19] 7:7.
m. [3:20] Ps 143:2; Gal 2:16 / 7:7.
n. [3:21] Is 51:6–8; Acts 10:43.
o. [3:22] 1:17; Gal 2:16; Phil 3:9.
p. [3:23] 3:9; 5:12.
q. [3:24] Eph 2:8; Ti 3:7 / Rom 5:1–2; Eph 1:7.
r. [3:25] Lv 16:12–15; Acts 17:31; 1 Jn 4:10.
* [3:9–20] Well, then, are we better o ?: this phrase can also be translated “Are we at a disadvantage?” but the latter version does not substantially change the overall meaning of the passage. Having explained that Israel’s privileged status is guaranteed by God’s delity, Paul now demonstrates the in delity of the Jews by a catena of citations from scripture, possibly derived from an existing collection of testimonia. These texts show that all human beings share the common burden of sin. They are linked together by mention of organs of the body: throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, eyes.
* [3:19] The law: Paul here uses the term in its broadest sense to mean all of the scriptures; none of the preceding texts is from the Torah or Pentateuch.
* [3:20] No human being will be justi ed in his sight: these words are freely cited from Ps 143:2. In place of the psalmist’s “no living person,” Paul substitutes “no human being” (literally “no esh,” a Hebraism), and he adds “by observing the law.”
* [3:21–31] These verses provide a clear statement of Paul’s
“gospel,” i.e., the principle of justi cation by faith in Christ. God has found a means of rescuing humanity from its desperate plight: Paul’s general term for this divine initiative is the righteousness of God (Rom 3:21). Divine mercy declares the guilty innocent and makes them so. God does this not as a result of the law but apart from it (Rom 3:21), and not because of any merit in human beings but through forgiveness of their sins (Rom 3:24), in virtue of the redemption wrought in Christ Jesus for all who believe (Rom 3:22, 24–25). God has manifested his righteousness in the coming of Jesus Christ, whose saving activity inaugurates a new era in human history.
* [3:21] But now: Paul adopts a common phrase used by Greek authors to describe movement from disaster to prosperity. The expressions indicate that Rom 3:21–26 are the consolatory answer to Rom 3:9–20.
* [3:25] Expiation: this rendering is preferable to “pro- pitiation,” which suggests hostility on the part of God toward sinners. As Paul will be at pains to point out (Rom 5:8–10), it is humanity that is hostile to God.
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