3
{You Jews might say,} {“If what you have said is true,} then surely being a Jew is not advantageous! Surely being circumcised is not beneficial at all!” 2 {Then I would say, “Being a Jew benefits a person} in many ways!” {This is} certainly {true} because, first of all, God trusted the Jews with preserving what he had said {in the Scriptures}. 3 {So you might say,} “Some of these {Jews} were certainly unfaithful {to God}! How unfaithful those people are certainly cannot invalidate how faithful God is!” 4 {Then I would say,} “Of course not!” On the contrary, God {is always} truthful, but everyone else is not. This is what {David meant when} he wrote {in the Scriptures}, ”The result {of my sin} is that people will acknowledge that you{, God,} are right when you speak and victorious when people {try to} judge you.”5 But {you might say,} “Suppose {this is true and} how unrighteous we {Jews} are {actually} confirms how righteous God is. {That} could not {possibly mean} that God is unrighteous because he punishes {us}!” (When I talk like this, I am expressing how human beings think.) 6 {Then I would say,} “Of course not! If God were unrighteous when he punishes us, then he could not {possibly} judge {anyone in} the world!” 7 But {then you might say,} ”Suppose {this is true and} my lying further glorifies God {and} how truthful he is. {If that is so,} then {surely} God should not still judge me as if I were sinning! 8 And {if this is true, then} you should {just} tell us to act wickedly in order that good things can happen!” (This is exactly what some people say falsely about me and claim that I say. It is right {for God} to condemn people {who speak and act} this way!)
9 {You Jews might then say,} {“If what you have said is true,} then we are surely not superior {to non-Jews}!” {And I would say that} indeed we are not. {I say this} because I have previously charged that all Jews and non-Jews cannot stop being sinful. 10 This is what {the prophets meant when} they wrote {in the Scriptures}, ”No one is righteous, no one at all!”
11 “No one thinks wisely. No one is even trying to know God!
12 Everyone has refused to obey {God}. As a whole, they are worthless {for doing what God wants}. No one is kind, no one at all!”
13 “What people say is morally corrupt {like the smell of rotten corpses in} a grave! They constantly deceive {people} by what they say!” “What they say hurts people, like the venom of venomous snakes!” 14 “They constantly curse {others} and speak harshly {against them}.”
15 “They rush eagerly to murder people.
16 Wherever they go, they destroy lives and make people suffer.
17 They do not understand how to live peacefully {with others}.”
18 “They do not fear God {at all}!”
19 Certainly, we Jews know that whatever God says in his laws applies to {the Jews} to whom God gave his laws. This is in order that no one can excuse themselves {from being judged by God.} {This is} also in order that God could justly punish everyone in the world as guilty. 20 {This is true} because God will not make anyone righteous with himself {simply} because they obey the laws {he gave through Moses}. {This is so} because those laws {only} make people aware of how sinful they are.
21 But now God has revealed how he makes people righteous. {Becoming righteous} is not related to obeying the laws {God gave through Moses}. {Yet} Moses and the prophets testify {about how God makes people righteous} in what they wrote {in the Scriptures}. 22 In other words, how God makes people righteous is by trusting in Jesus the Messiah. {God will make} all {types of} people {righteous} if they trust in {Jesus}. {This is} because God does not distinguish {between different types of people}. 23 {This is} because all {types of} people sin and fail to acquire the glorious status from God. 24 God makes {these sinful people} righteous as a gift because he is so kind. {People receive this gift from God} when God unites them to Jesus the Messiah, who rescued them {from being punished for being sinful}. 25 God offered Jesus as the one who atones {for everyone’s sins}. {People are rescued from being punished for being sinful} by trusting in his {sacrificial} death. {God did this} in order to show how God makes people righteous. {This happened} because God disregarded people’s sinful acts that they had previously done. 26 {God did this} because he is so tolerant. {God also did this} in order to show how he makes people righteous during our time. {This is} for the purpose of showing that God is righteous and that he makes people righteous {if} they trust in Jesus.
27 {You Jews might say,} {“If what you have said is true,} then surely no one can boast!” {Then I would say,} “Indeed, no one can!” {Then you might say,} “Surely {we can become righteous} by obeying the laws {God gave through Moses}! Surely doing {those things} {will make us righteous}!” {Then I would say,} “Absolutely not! On the contrary, {people become righteous} by trusting {in Jesus the Messiah}. 28 Indeed, we {Jewish Christians} consider people to become righteous by trusting {in Jesus the Messiah}. {Being righteous} is not related to doing those things {that God commanded} in the laws {he gave through Moses}. 29 {Or you might say,} “Surely God is not only the God of the Jews. Surely he is the God of {all} the nations too!” {So I would say,} “Absolutely! He is the God of {all} the nations too. 30 {This is true} because there is certainly {only} one God {for all people}. He will make righteous {both} the Jews who trust {in Jesus} and the non-Jews who trust in {Jesus}. 31 {You Jews might say,} “Then surely we make the laws {God gave through Moses} invalid by trusting in {Jesus}!” {So I would say,} “Of course not! On the contrary, we confirm that {what God said in} those laws is valid.”