Bible Commentaries
Romans 3

Verse 1

3:1 Rom 3:1. Advantage means "preeminence or superiority," and not some special favor that would give him any more assurance of salvation. After all that Paul had just written about the equality of the Jews and Gentiles as far as it concerned their spiritual worth, they might feel grieved and think that no other kind of superiority was acknowledged for them, hence the question the apostle asks.

Verse 2

3:2 Rom 3:2. Paul answers the question of the preceding verse, stating that unto the Jews were committed the oracles (words) of God. With the exception of one writer (Job), every writer of the Old Testament was a Jew. That shows the great affection of God for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the founders of the Jewish race.

Verse 3

3:3 Rom 3:3. The Jews were not to be blamed if some refused to believe the oracles. They would be shown to be true and a basis of faith in God in spite of the unbelief of many.

Verse 4

3:4 Rom 3:4. God forbid is the same as saying "by no means." Even if every man in the world should reject the oracles of God, it would not prove them to be untrue, for man cannot be compared with God, who "cannot lie" (Tit 1:2). Instead, the rejection by man of the oracles of God will prove man to be a liar. Unless this principle is recognized, we would have to conclude that God could not justly condemn those who reject His word. As it is written is a citation to Psa 51:4.

Verse 5

3:5 Rom 3:5. Paul does not agree with the complaints of men, but uses some of them to show the greatness of God. For instance, the unrighteousness of man emphasizes the righteousness of God by contrast. I speak as a man means he was using the arguments of men to show that they were wrong.

Verse 6

3:6 Rom 3:6. Men argued that since the unrighteousness of mankind commended or emphasized the righteousness of God, then He should not punish man for his wrongdoing. The apostle is here showing that on that principle God could not rightfully judge the world, although it was admitted (even by these objectors) that a general judgment was necessary.

Verse 7

3:7 Rom 3:7. Paul makes the same point with lie and truth that he makes with unrighteousness and righteousness in the preceding verse.

Verse 8

3:8 Rom 3:8. And not is a contrast with the closing words of the preceding verse. Taken together it means that instead of the liar being judged as a sinner, he should be encouraged to do evil that good might come. Paul had even been accused (slanderously) of teaching such theory. Then in his own direct language, the apostle says that all such slanderers will be justly condemned.

Verse 9

3:9 Rom 3:9. We means the Jews and they the Gentiles. After the exposure that Paul just made against unrighteous men, the Jews were disposed to apply it all to the Gentiles. He is denying that and declaring that both Jews and Gentiles are alike under sin.

Verse 10

-12 Rom 3:10-12. This paragraph describes the character of both Jews and. Gentiles as nations and not as individuals. We know that the word one does not mean an individual, for that would contradict some facts of sacred history. The scripture plainly teaches that Abel and Job were righteous individuals (Heb 11:4; Job 1:8), and they were Gentiles. And the righteousness of Daniel and many other individuals of the Jewish nation is too well known to need references. So the paragraph means that there was not one nation as a whole that was righteous. That is, neither one of the nations was so righteous that God chose it in preference to the other as the Jews pretended.

Verse 13

:13 Rom 3:13. Through several verses Paul is describing the evil conduct of many persons in both Jewish and Gentile nations. When a sepulchre is opened, the corruptions in it are manifest. These characters were so bold in their sinful utterances that Paul compares their throats to the sepulchre. Deceitful language is as dangerous as the poison of asps, a very venomous kind of snake.

Verse 14

:14 Rom 3:14. Cursing and bitterness shows their hateful attitude toward others.

Verse 15

:15 Rom 3:15. Swift to shed blood means they are ever ready and anxious to do so.

Verse 16

:16 Rom 3:16. In their ways denotes that the ways of these characters leave such results behind them. They destroy the lives of others, or otherwise make them miserable.

Verse 17

:17 Rom 3:17. Not known in the sense of having a practical knowledge of it. They seek not the peace of others, but prefer to heap trouble upon them.

Verse 18

:18 Rom 3:18. They have no fear, which would mean that they have no respect for God, nor do they act as if they were afraid of His righteous judgments.

Verse 19

:19 Rom 3:19. The law has jurisdiction over those only who are under it, and that is the Jews. Every mouth may be stopped. The mouth of the Jew was stopped in the sense that he had no excus

Verse 20

:20e to make for his sins. All the world (the people of the Jewish nation) was become guilty (made subject) to the judgment of God.

Verse 21

:21 Rom 3:21. Righteousness of God without the law means that system of God's righteousness explained at chapter 1:17. That system was predicted by the Old Testament writers, the very men whose writings the Jews in Rome professed to respect. Yet these Judaizers were speaking as if the righteousness taught in the Gospel was not sufficient, but that both Jew and Gentile should go to the old law for justification.

Verse 22

:22 Rom 3:22. Righteousness . . . of Jesus Christ means the Gospel, the same as set forth in chapter 1:17. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile before the Gospel.

Verse 23

:23 Rom 3:23. See the comments covering verses 9-12.

Verse 24

:24 Rom 3:24. His grace means the grace of God that was offered the world through Christ. The deeds of man could not save upon their virtue, but the favor made possible by the sacrifice of God's Son brought free justification to all who accepted the terms.

Verse 25

:25 Rom 3:25. Propitiation means something that satisfies a demand made by one person of another, or that was justly due another whether it had been demanded or not. A man might be in debt to another to the amount of one million dollars, which it would be impossible for him to pay. The creditor, having a son who wished to receive the services of a faithful attendant, would agree to consider the debt "settled" if the debtor would become such an attendant. That is what God proposes to man, if he will become a faithful servant of his Son. Sins that are past is represented in the illustration by the million dollars for which the debtor had become indebted but could not pay.

Verse 26

:26 Rom 3:26. Might be just, and the justifier. The word and is the key to this profound proposition. The justice of God demanded payment of the million dollars, which man was unable to meet. But God cannot be anything but just, for that is a part of His eternal personality. The blood of Christ was offered in payment of that great debt on condition that the debtor believe on this divine blood Donor. By that arrangement it was possible for God to show mercy to the debtor (the sinner), and at the same time retain the eternal attribute of justice.

Verse 27

:27 Rom 3:27. The works of the law could not pay that huge debt, neither could the regretful poverty of the debtor satisfy his creditor. But the service to the creditor's son satisfied the creditors just as the blood of Christ atones for those who will do or have done what the great Creditor requires. In view of such a plan, neither the doer of the works of the law nor the servant of Christ has anything of which to boast.

Verse 28

:28 Rom 3:28. Paul now draws his conclusion from the foregoing premises. A man is justified by faith (the Gospel of Christ), and not by virtue of the deeds of the law of Moses.

Verse 29

:29 Rom 3:29. Another conclusion logically following upon the aforesaid truths, is that God is the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews. It also explains how He can accept the services of the Gentiles who did not have any benefit of the law.

Verse 30

:30 Rom 3:30. Circumcision and uncir-cumcision means the Jews and the Gentile. The first faith does not have the definite article before it, and it denotes the simple act of faith shown by the Jew individually when he performed the rites of the law of Moses. Even those services had to be accompanied with faith or the Jew would not receive the favor of God in that age. (Read the entire 11th chapter of Hebrews, especially verse 6.) The second faith is preceded by the, which makes it mean the Gospel which is often termed "the faith." And the benefits thus received by both the Jew under the law, and the Gentile under the Gospel, are bestowed by the one God.

Verse 31

:31 Rom 3:31. In this verse the word faith is also preceded by the article "the" in the original. Paul is saying that the law was not made void nor disrespected by the faith or the Gospel, but rather it is given a high recommendation for being true (is established), because it had predicted the coming in of the Gospel and the new prophet. (See Deu 18:18-20.)