Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Bigotry » Paul's argument against
What special privilege, then, has a Jew? Or, what benefit does circumcision confer? They are great from every point of view. In the first place, the Jews are entrusted with the utterances of God. What then, if some of them have proved unfaithful? Can their unfaithfulness make null and void God's faithfulness? read more.
Not at all. Let God prove true, though every man be false! As the Scripture says, "That you may prove yourself upright in words you speak, and win your case when you go into court." But if our wrongdoing brings to light the uprightness of God, what shall we infer? Is it wrong (I am using everyday human terms) for God to inflict punishment? Not at all! If that were so, how could He judge the world? But, as you say, if the truthfulness of God has redounded to His glory because of my falsehood, why am I still condemned as a sinner? Why should we not say, as people abusively say of us, and charge us with actually saying, "Let us do evil that good may come from it"? Their condemnation is just. What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin, as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright, No one understands, no one is searching for God; They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one! Their throats are just like open graves, with their tongues they have spoken treachery; the poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouths are full of bitter cursing. Their feet are swift for shedding blood, Ruin and wretchedness are on their paths, They do not know the way of peace. There is no reverence for God before their eyes." Now we know that everything the law says is spoken to those who are under its authority, that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be held responsible to God. Because no human creature can be brought into right standing with God by observing the law. For all the law can do is to make men conscious of sin. But now God's way of giving men right standing with Himself has come to light; a way without connection with the law, and yet a way to which the law and the prophets testify. God's own way of giving men right standing with Himself is through faith in Jesus Christ. It is for everybody who has faith, for no distinction at all is made. For everybody has sinned and everybody continues to come short of God's glory,
Not at all. Let God prove true, though every man be false! As the Scripture says, "That you may prove yourself upright in words you speak, and win your case when you go into court." But if our wrongdoing brings to light the uprightness of God, what shall we infer? Is it wrong (I am using everyday human terms) for God to inflict punishment? Not at all! If that were so, how could He judge the world? But, as you say, if the truthfulness of God has redounded to His glory because of my falsehood, why am I still condemned as a sinner? Why should we not say, as people abusively say of us, and charge us with actually saying, "Let us do evil that good may come from it"? Their condemnation is just. What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin, as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright, No one understands, no one is searching for God; They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one! Their throats are just like open graves, with their tongues they have spoken treachery; the poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouths are full of bitter cursing. Their feet are swift for shedding blood, Ruin and wretchedness are on their paths, They do not know the way of peace. There is no reverence for God before their eyes." Now we know that everything the law says is spoken to those who are under its authority, that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be held responsible to God. Because no human creature can be brought into right standing with God by observing the law. For all the law can do is to make men conscious of sin. But now God's way of giving men right standing with Himself has come to light; a way without connection with the law, and yet a way to which the law and the prophets testify. God's own way of giving men right standing with Himself is through faith in Jesus Christ. It is for everybody who has faith, for no distinction at all is made. For everybody has sinned and everybody continues to come short of God's glory,
Then what are we to say about our forefather Abraham? For if he was considered in right standing with God on the condition of what he did, he has something to boast of, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham put his faith in God, and it was credited to him as right standing with God." read more.
Now when a workman gets his pay, it is not considered from the point of view of a favor but of an obligation; but the man who does no work, but simply puts his faith in Him who brings the ungodly into right standing with Himself, has his faith credited to him as right standing. So David, too, describes the happiness of the man to whom God credits right standing with Himself, without the things he does having anything to do with it: "Happy are they whose transgressions have been forgiven, whose sins were covered up; Happy the man whose sin the Lord does not charge against him!" Now does this happiness come to the Jews alone, or to the heathen peoples too? For we say, "Abraham's faith was credited to him as right standing." Under what circumstances was it credited to him as right standing? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? Not after but before he was circumcised. Afterward he received the mark of circumcision as God's seal of his right standing with Him on condition of faith which he had before he was circumcised, that he might be the forefather of all who have faith while still uncircumcised, that they might have their faith credited to them as right standing with God; and the forefather of those Jews who not only belong to the circumcision but also follow in the footsteps of our forefather Abraham in the faith he had before he was circumcised. For the promise made to Abraham and his descendants, that he should own the world, was not conditioned on the law, but on the right standing he had with God through faith. For if the law party is to possess the world, then faith has been nullified and the promise has been made null and void. For the law results in wrath alone, but where there is no law, there can be no violation of it. So it is conditioned on faith, that it might be in accordance with God's unmerited favor, so that the promise might be in force for all the descendants of Abraham, not only for those who belong to the law party but also for those who belong to the faith group of Abraham. He is the father of us all,
Now when a workman gets his pay, it is not considered from the point of view of a favor but of an obligation; but the man who does no work, but simply puts his faith in Him who brings the ungodly into right standing with Himself, has his faith credited to him as right standing. So David, too, describes the happiness of the man to whom God credits right standing with Himself, without the things he does having anything to do with it: "Happy are they whose transgressions have been forgiven, whose sins were covered up; Happy the man whose sin the Lord does not charge against him!" Now does this happiness come to the Jews alone, or to the heathen peoples too? For we say, "Abraham's faith was credited to him as right standing." Under what circumstances was it credited to him as right standing? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? Not after but before he was circumcised. Afterward he received the mark of circumcision as God's seal of his right standing with Him on condition of faith which he had before he was circumcised, that he might be the forefather of all who have faith while still uncircumcised, that they might have their faith credited to them as right standing with God; and the forefather of those Jews who not only belong to the circumcision but also follow in the footsteps of our forefather Abraham in the faith he had before he was circumcised. For the promise made to Abraham and his descendants, that he should own the world, was not conditioned on the law, but on the right standing he had with God through faith. For if the law party is to possess the world, then faith has been nullified and the promise has been made null and void. For the law results in wrath alone, but where there is no law, there can be no violation of it. So it is conditioned on faith, that it might be in accordance with God's unmerited favor, so that the promise might be in force for all the descendants of Abraham, not only for those who belong to the law party but also for those who belong to the faith group of Abraham. He is the father of us all,
It was not for his sake alone that it was written, "It was credited to him"; it was for our sakes too, for it is going to be credited to us who put our faith in God who raised from the dead our Lord Jesus, who was given up to death because of our shortcomings and was raised again to give us right standing with God.
Fall of man » Man in consequence of » Unrighteous
as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright,
Verse Concepts
Gentiles/heathen » Gentiles being under sin
What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin, as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright, No one understands, no one is searching for God; read more.
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
Israel/jews » Jews being under sin
What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin, as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright, No one understands, no one is searching for God; read more.
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
The law of God » Man cannot render perfect obedience to
as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright,
Verse Concepts
Eternal life » Cannot be inherited by works
eternal life to those who patiently continue doing good and striving for glory, honor, and immortality,
Verse Concepts
as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright, No one understands, no one is searching for God; They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one! read more.
Their throats are just like open graves, with their tongues they have spoken treachery; the poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouths are full of bitter cursing. Their feet are swift for shedding blood, Ruin and wretchedness are on their paths, They do not know the way of peace. There is no reverence for God before their eyes." Now we know that everything the law says is spoken to those who are under its authority, that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be held responsible to God.
Their throats are just like open graves, with their tongues they have spoken treachery; the poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouths are full of bitter cursing. Their feet are swift for shedding blood, Ruin and wretchedness are on their paths, They do not know the way of peace. There is no reverence for God before their eyes." Now we know that everything the law says is spoken to those who are under its authority, that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be held responsible to God.
Righteousness » None, by nature have
as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright,
Verse Concepts
Sin » There not being a single person who does not sin
So here is the comparison: As through one man sin came into the world, and death as the consequence of sin, and death spread to all men; because all men sinned.
Verse Concepts
What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin, as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright, No one understands, no one is searching for God; read more.
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
And a man came up to Him and asked, "What is there good that I can do to possess eternal life?" And He answered him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is perfectly good. But if you want to get into that life, you must practice keeping the commandments."
Sin » Who is a sinner
Whoever practices sin belongs to the devil, because the devil has practiced sin from the beginning. This is why the Son of God appeared, to undo the devil's works.
Verse Concepts
What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin, as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright, No one understands, no one is searching for God; read more.
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
but if you show partiality, you are committing sin, because you are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
Verse Concepts
The fruit of righteousness » Those that do not do righteousness
This is the way to distinguish God's children from the devil's children. No one who fails to do right is God's child, and no one who fails to love his brother.
Verse Concepts
What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin, as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright, No one understands, no one is searching for God; read more.
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
The goodness of the lord » There being none that do good
What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin, as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright, No one understands, no one is searching for God; read more.
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one!
And a man came up to Him and asked, "What is there good that I can do to possess eternal life?" And He answered him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is perfectly good. But if you want to get into that life, you must practice keeping the commandments."