Romans · 31 verses

Romans 3

Every verse links to the people and places named in it, and to the passages readers connect it with.

The chapter

What happens here

Atlas's own reading, written from this chapter and nothing else, and published only once a person has approved it. Each scene names the verses it covers; the names inside it link to the people and places they name.

A human throat is an open grave, the lips carry viper venom, the feet hurry towards bloodshed, and the eyes have misplaced the fear of God.

The awkward defencevv. 1–8

The argument begins with the advantage of being a Jew and the value of circumcision, then swiftly reaches a rather dangerous thought: if human unrighteousness makes God’s righteousness shine more brightly, perhaps the sinner ought to receive applause. That notion is allowed a brief airing before being bundled into the disgraceful slogan, “Let us do evil that good may result.” Its condemnation, the text says, is deserved.

The body brought as evidencevv. 9–20

Jews and Greeks alike are placed under sin, and the indictment proceeds by body part. No one is righteous, no one understands, and no one seeks God; then throats, tongues, lips, mouths, feet, and eyes are called into the case. It is a wonderfully grim anatomy lesson, ending with every mouth silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. The law does not provide a ladder out of this scene; it brings awareness of sin.

Faith leaves boasting outsidevv. 21–31

Then the argument turns. The righteousness of God is revealed apart from the law, though the Law and the Prophets are said to bear witness to it, and it comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. All have sinned and fall short, yet are justified freely by grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus. Boasting is excluded—not by a grander performance, but by faith. The same God justifies the circumcised and the uncircumcised, and faith does not nullify the law; it upholds it.

The text

Read it

Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.

Rom 3:1What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
Rom 3:2Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
Rom 3:3What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?
Rom 3:4Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
Rom 3:5But 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.
Rom 3:6Certainly not! In that case, how could God judge the world?
Rom 3:7However, if my falsehood accentuates God’s truthfulness, to the increase of His glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?
Rom 3:8Why not say, as some slanderously claim that we say, “Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is deserved!
Rom 3:9What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin.
Rom 3:10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.
Rom 3:11There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
Rom 3:12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Rom 3:13“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
Rom 3:14“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
Rom 3:15“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Rom 3:16ruin and misery lie in their wake,
Rom 3:17and the way of peace they have not known.”
Rom 3:18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Rom 3:19Now 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.
Rom 3:20Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
Rom 3:21But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.
Rom 3:22And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction,
Rom 3:23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 3:24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Rom 3:25God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
Rom 3:26He 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.
Rom 3:27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith.
Rom 3:28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Rom 3:29Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
Rom 3:30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
Rom 3:31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.

01 — Also here

Who else the chapter reaches

Names written in the English are linked in the text above. These are the ones that are not: an entity the Hebrew or Greek names under a spelling the translation does not use, or one reached only by an assertion about a verse of this chapter.

Named in the Hebrew or Greek somewhere in this chapter, under a form the English renders differently — the registry's Ludim against the translation's Ludites — so there is no word in the sentence to hang the link on.

Reached by an assertion Atlas extracted from a verse of this chapter rather than by a name written in it — a pronoun, a title, or a participant the sentence carries without naming. This layer is model-read and measured at 88.6–90.3% precision, and it is kept separate from the names above for that reason.

02 — Read alongside

Where this is echoed

Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 542 passages were voted onto 30 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.

23 Ecclesiastes 7:20Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
23 1 John 1:8–10If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
4 Psalms 51:4Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
23 Romans 3:9What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin.
23 Galatians 3:22But the Scripture pronounces all things confined by sin, so that by faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe.
10 Psalms 53:1–3For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their ways are vile. There is no one who does good.
10 Psalms 14:1–3For the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good.
23 Romans 11:32For God has consigned everyone to disobedience so that He may have mercy on everyone.
24 1 Peter 1:18–19For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,
10 Romans 3:23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
11 Psalms 14:2–4The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.
20 Galatians 2:16know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
4 Psalms 116:11In my alarm I said, “All men are liars!”
23 Romans 3:19Now 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.
3 2 Timothy 2:13if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
13 Psalms 5:9For not a word they speak can be trusted; destruction lies within them. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.

Onward

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