God is trustworthy
3
1-2 Like that, it seems you say, “Is there any benefit for us being Jews?
Through circumcision is there any benefit for us?”
if you ask that, I will tell that we have much benefit.
Firstly, God gave his messages to the Jews.
3 But some of them did not walk faithfully according to that.
So, because of them, can we say that God is not trustworthy?
4 Truly we cannot say that!
Every man may tell a lie, but God will not tell a lie.
About this, it is written in the Scripture,
“O God!
Your words are true.
Even if some people judge you,
they will have to accept what you are telling is true”+
5 So, if our Jews' walk being unrighteous, God's righteousness appears very clearly.
Then some people may think like an ordinary man, “When God punishes us who are wicked, he is doing wrong.” .
6 But thinking like that is wrong.
Because, without God judging us Jews correctly, how can he judge the people of the world with truth?
Truly he cannot!
7-8 And some people may think, “If, through our wicked deeds, honour and truth is coming to God.
If it is coming like that, it is not necessary to punish us according to our sins.”
If it is right to think like that, then they can even say, “In order for good to happen, come let's sin!”
Some other people are shaming me that I am preaching in this way.
But this is not right.
It is right that punishment will come to sinners who think like that.
All people are sinners
9 The conclusion is like this: we who are Jews are not better than the non-Jews.
As I said before, we are all sinners.
Because we and everyone else have all sinned.
10 About this, in the Scripture it is written,
“There is not even one righteous one!
11 There is not even one who understands about righteous ways!
There is not even one who searches for God!
12 Everyone, having lost their way,
they have become useful for nothing.
There is not even one who does good deeds!”
+
It is written,
13 “Their words are like the smell from opened graves.
*
Speaking lies with their tongues, they deceive”+
Similarly, it is written in another place,
“Their words are like snake's venom”+
And it is written,
14 “Their mouths are full of
mind-hurting words and curses”+
And it is written,
15 “They are always ready
to fight and even to kill.
16 Wherever they go, they keep on destroying
and making trouble.
17 They do not know the way of peace”+
And it is written,
18 “They don't fear God at all”+
God caused all these to be written.
19-20 Because of the religious law having been handed over to us who are Jews, we know that these laws are for us.
But we are not walking according to these laws.
Therefore, when God is judging, no one in the world will escape from his punishment by saying “I did not do any wrong.”
Because, through this law, we know what sin is.
So God doesn't call anyone a righteous one by them doing the deeds of the law.
Christ bore the punishment instead of us
21 But now, apart from the religious law, God opened a new way in order to accept us as righteous ones.
Long ago, God caused to write about this new way through Moses and through the other prophets.
22 Without distinction, God accepts as righteous ones all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.
23 Because everyone of us has sinned, and we are unable to partake in God's glory.*
24 But God accepted us as righteous ones by his grace.
This only happened through Jesus Christ setting us free from sin.
25-26 In order to pay the ransom for our sins, God sent Jesus to be a blood sacrifice.
Whoever puts their faith in the sacrifice he made, God will accept them as righteous ones.
God did like this to show his righteousness.
Because, having patiently borne the sins done earlier, he did not punish anyone.
God did not forget those sins, but he knew that Jesus, having come, would pay for all sins.
But now, in order to show that God is righteous, he accepts all those who put their faith in Jesus as righteous ones.
27 Therefore, we really have no reason to be proud.
Because we are not accepted by God by obeying any law.
But he accepted us only because of our putting faith in him.
28 So we know that we are righteous in God's sight, not by walking according to that law, but through putting our faith in him.
29-30 So, is God just the God of the Jews?
Definitely he is not.
Because of God being one, he is also the God of the non-Jews.
Therefore, through them putting their faith in Jesus, God counts the Jews and also the non-Jews as righteous ones.
31 According to our faith, are we making the religious law valueless?
Definitely we are not doing like that.
Instead of this, we are understanding even more what those laws are for.