1 What good is it to be a Jew? What good is it to be circumcised? 2 It is good in a lot of ways! First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. 3 It is true that some of them did not believe the message. But does this mean that God cannot be trusted, just because they did not have faith? 4 No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The Scriptures say about God,
“Your words
will be proven true,
and in court
you will win your case.”
5 If our evil deeds show how right God is, then what can we say? Is it wrong for God to become angry and punish us? What a foolish thing to ask. 6 But the answer is, “No.” Otherwise, how could God judge the world? 7 Since your lies bring great honor to God by showing how truthful he is, you may ask why God still says you are a sinner. 8 You might as well say, “Let's do something evil, so that something good will come of it!” Some people even claim that we are saying this. But God is fair and will judge them as well.
No One Is Good
9 What does all this mean? Does it mean that we Jews are better off than the Gentiles? No, it doesn't! Jews, as well as Gentiles, are ruled by sin, just as I have said. 10 The Scriptures tell us,
“No one is acceptable to God!
11 Not one of them understands
or even searches for God.
12 They have all turned away
and are worthless.
There isn't one person
who does right.
13 Their words are like
an open pit,
and their tongues are good
only for telling lies.
Each word is as deadly
as the fangs of a snake,
14 and they say nothing
but bitter curses.
15 These people quickly
become violent.
16 Wherever they go,
they leave ruin
and destruction.
17 They don't know how
to live in peace.
18 They don't even fear God.”
19 We know that everything in the Law was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty. 20 God doesn't accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.
God's Way of Accepting People
21 Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses. 22 God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. 23 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. 24 But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. 25-26 God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus.
27 What is left for us to brag about? Not a thing! Is it because we obeyed some law? No! It is because of faith. 28 We see that people are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law. 29 Does God belong only to the Jews? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is! 30 There is only one God, and he accepts Gentiles as well as Jews, simply because of their faith. 31 Do we destroy the Law by our faith? Not at all! We make it even more powerful.
Dieva uzticība
1 Kāda tad ir priekšrocība būt jūdam un kāds labums no apgraizīšanas? 2 Visādā ziņā liels, vispirms jau tas, ka viņiem uzticēti Dieva pravietiskie vārdi. 3 Kas tad, ja daži nav ticējuši, – vai tad viņu neticība iznīcina Dieva uzticību? 4 Nē, taču! Tas ir tā – ka Dievs ir patiess, pat ja katrs cilvēks – melis, kā ir rakstīts:
lai tu topi attaisnots
savos vārdos un uzvari,
kad tu tiec tiesāts.
5 Bet, ja mūsu netaisnība apstiprina Dieva taisnību, ko tad lai sakām? Vai tad Dievs, kas izlej savas dusmas, ir netaisns? – Es runāju pēc cilvēku saprašanas. 6 Nē, taču! Kā tad citādi lai Dievs tiesā šo pasauli? 7 Bet, ja Dieva patiesība manas netaisnības dēļ viņam par godu pieaug, kādēļ es kā grēcinieks vēl tieku tiesāts? 8 Tad jau darīsim ļaunu, lai nāk labais, kā daži zaimodami runā, ka mēs tā mācot? – Tie ir pelnījuši saņemt sodu.
Nav neviena taisnā
9 Kā tad ir? Vai mēs esam pārāki? It nemaz! Jo mēs jau agrāk spriedām par jūdiem un grieķiem, ka tie visi ir zem grēka. 10 Kā ir rakstīts:
nav neviena taisna, neviena paša.
11 Nav neviena, kas saprot, nav neviena, kas meklē Dievu,
12 visi ir aizgājuši no Dieva, visi kļuvuši vienlīdz nederīgi;
nav neviena, kas dara labu, pat viena nav.
13 Viņu rīkle ir atvērts kaps,
ar savām mēlēm tie vienmēr ir krāpuši,
čūsku inde ir zem viņu lūpām;
14 viņu mute ir pilna lāstu un rūgtuma,
15 viņu kājas ir žiglas, kad tie steidz izliet asinis.
16 Posts un ciešanas visos viņu ceļos,
17 miera ceļu viņi nepazīst.
18 Dieva bijības nav viņu acu priekšā.
19 Bet mēs zinām, ka viss bauslībā teiktais ir sacīts tiem, kas ir zem bauslības, tā ka visiem mute ir aizdarīta un visa pasaule ir pakļauta Dieva tiesai. 20 Tādēļ viņa priekšā neviens cilvēks ar bauslības darbiem attaisnots netiks, jo caur bauslību nāk apziņa par grēku.
Taisnība caur ticību
21 Bet tagad neatkarīgi no bauslības ir atklājusies Dieva taisnība, par ko liecina bauslība un pravieši, – 22 ka Dieva taisnība ticībā uz Jēzu Kristu ir visiem, kas tic; tur nav nekādas atšķirības, 23 jo visi ir grēkojuši un visiem trūkst dievišķās godības. 24 Dieva žēlastībā visi tiek attaisnoti bez nopelna, jo viņš tos atpircis Kristū Jēzū, 25 viņā, ko Dievs licis par izlīgumu viņa asinīs, ko saņemam ticībā, lai Dievs parādītu savu taisnību. 26 Un Dievs piedod grēkus, kas darīti iepriekš dievišķās pacietības laikā, lai parādītu savu taisnību tagadējos laikos – ka viņš pats ir taisns un attaisno to, kas tic Jēzum. 27 Kur nu ir mūsu dižošanās? Tā ir zudusi. Ar kādu bauslību? Ar darbu bauslību? Nē, ar ticības bauslību! 28 Jo nu esam pārliecināti, ka cilvēks tiek attaisnots ticībā, neatkarīgi no bauslības darbiem. 29 Vai Dievs ir vienīgi jūdu Dievs? Vai tad ne arī pagānu? Jā, arī pagānu. 30 Tik tiešām ir viens Dievs, kas attaisno apgraizītos viņu ticības dēļ un ticībā attaisno arī neapgraizītos. 31 Vai tā mēs caur ticību iznīcinām bauslību? Nē, taču! Mēs bauslību apstiprinām.
