What then is the advantage of the Jew? or what the benefit of circumcision? Great, every way. In the first place, because they were entrusted with the oracles of God. For what? If some were unfaithful, shall their unfaithfulness make God unfaithful? Far be it! yea, let God be true, and every man a liar; as it is written, “That thou mayst be justified in thy words, and mayst overcome when thou art arraigned.” But if our unrighteousness serve to display the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who inflicteth punishment? (I am speaking as men do.) Far be it! For then how shall God judge the world? For if, through my being false, the truth of God hath been more abundantly manifested to his glory, why am I still judged as a sinner? And why do you not say, as some slanderously charge us with saying, Let us do evil, that good may come? The condemnation of such men is just. What then? Are we better than others? By no means! For we have already brought a charge both against Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that hath understanding, there is none that diligently seeketh God; they have all turned aside from the right way, they have become worthless together; there is none that doeth good, not even one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have practised deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Swift are their feet to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they know not. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the Law saith, it saith to those who are under the Law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become subject to condemnation before God. Because by works of the Law no flesh shall be accepted as righteous: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin. But now, apart from the Law, the righteousness which is of God, to which the Law and the Prophets bear testimony, even the righteousness which is of God through faith in Jesus Christ, hath been made manifest to all and for all believers. For there is no distinction. For all have sinned, and fail of obtaining the glory which cometh from God; being accepted as righteous freely, by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom, in his blood, through faith, God hath set forth as a propitiatory sacrifice, in order to manifest his righteousness, on account of his passing by, in his forbearance, the sins committed in former times; in order to manifest his righteousness at the present time, so that he may be righteous, and accept as righteous him who hath faith. Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay; but by the law of faith. We conclude therefore, that a man is accepted as righteous through faith, without the works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews alone? Is he not also the God of gentiles? Yea, of gentiles also. Seeing there is but one God, who will accept the circumcised as righteous by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the Law through faith? Far be it! On the contrary, we establish the Law.
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