Romans

God Remains Faithful

1What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?

2Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very wordsof God.

3What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?

4Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speakand victorious when You judge.”

5But if our unrighteousness highlights the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict His wrath on us? I am speaking in human terms.

6Certainly not! In that case, how could God judge the world?

7However, if my falsehood accentuates God’s truthfulness, to the increase of His glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?

8Why not say, as some slanderously claim that we say, “Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is deserved!

There Is No One Righteous

9What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin.

10As it is written: “There is no one righteous,not even one.

11There is no one who understands,no one who seeks God.

12All have turned away,they have together become worthless;there is no one who does good,not even one.”

13“Their throats are open graves;their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”

14“Their mouths are fullof cursing and bitterness.”

15“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16ruin and misery lie in their wake,

17and the way of peace they have not known.”

18“There is no fear of Godbefore their eyes.”

19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

20Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.

Righteousness through Faith in Christ

21But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.

22And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction,

23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

25God presented Him as an atoning sacrificein His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

26He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith.

28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

29Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,

30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.

31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.

1這樣說來，猶太人有甚麼長處？割禮有甚麼益處呢？

2凡事大有好處：第一是上帝的聖言交託他們。

3即便有不信的，這有何妨呢？難道他們的不信就廢掉上帝的信嗎？

4斷乎不能！不如說，上帝是真實的，人都是虛謊的。如經上所記：你責備人的時候，顯為公義； 被人議論的時候，可以得勝。

5我且照着人的常話說，我們的不義若顯出上帝的義來，我們可以怎麼說呢？上帝降怒，是他不義嗎？

6斷乎不是！若是這樣，上帝怎能審判世界呢？

7若上帝的真實，因我的虛謊越發顯出他的榮耀，為甚麼我還受審判，好像罪人呢？

8為甚麼不說，我們可以作惡以成善呢？這是毀謗我們的人說我們有這話。這等人定罪是該當的。

沒有義人

9這卻怎麼樣呢？我們比他們強嗎？決不是的！因我們已經證明：猶太人和希臘人都在罪惡之下。

10就如經上所記：沒有義人，連一個也沒有。

11沒有明白的； 沒有尋求上帝的；

12都是偏離正路， 一同變為無用。 沒有行善的，連一個也沒有。

13他們的喉嚨是敞開的墳墓； 他們用舌頭弄詭詐， 嘴唇裏有虺蛇的毒氣，

14滿口是咒罵苦毒。

15殺人流血， 他們的腳飛跑，

16所經過的路便行殘害暴虐的事。

17平安的路，他們未曾知道；

18他們眼中不怕上帝。

19我們曉得律法上的話都是對律法以下之人說的，好塞住各人的口，叫普世的人都伏在上帝審判之下。

20所以凡有血氣的，沒有一個因行律法能在上帝面前稱義，因為律法本是叫人知罪。

因信稱義

21但如今，上帝的義在律法以外已經顯明出來，有律法和先知為證：

22就是上帝的義，因信耶穌基督加給一切相信的人，並沒有分別。

23因為世人都犯了罪，虧缺了上帝的榮耀；

24如今卻蒙上帝的恩典，因基督耶穌的救贖，就白白地稱義。

25上帝設立耶穌作挽回祭，是憑着耶穌的血，藉着人的信，要顯明上帝的義；因為他用忍耐的心寬容人先時所犯的罪，

26好在今時顯明他的義，使人知道他自己為義，也稱信耶穌的人為義。

27既是這樣，哪裏能誇口呢？沒有可誇的了。用何法沒有的呢？是用立功之法嗎？不是，乃用信主之法。

28所以我們看定了：人稱義是因着信，不在乎遵行律法。

29難道上帝只作猶太人的上帝嗎？不也是作外邦人的上帝嗎？是的，也作外邦人的上帝。

30上帝既是一位，他就要因信稱那受割禮的為義，也要因信稱那未受割禮的為義。

31這樣，我們因信廢了律法嗎？斷乎不是！更是堅固律法。