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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Romans 3 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/romans/3.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/romans/3-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Romans 3</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../romans/2.htm" title="Romans 2">◄</a> Romans 3 <a href="../romans/4.htm" title="Romans 4">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><p class="par"><span class="v45_3_1"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.1" class="v45_3_1">1</span>What good is it to be a Jew? What good is it to be circumcised? </span><span class="v45_3_2"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.2" class="v45_3_2">2</span>It is good in a lot of ways! First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. </span><span class="v45_3_3"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.3" class="v45_3_3">3</span>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? </span><span class="v45_3_4"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.4" class="v45_3_4">4</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.4!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The Scriptures say about God,</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_4">“Your words</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_4">will be proven true,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_4">and in court</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_4">you will win your case.”</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="par"><span class="v45_3_5"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.5" class="v45_3_5">5</span>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. </span><span class="v45_3_6"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.6" class="v45_3_6">6</span>But the answer is, “No.” Otherwise, how could God judge the world? </span><span class="v45_3_7"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.7" class="v45_3_7">7</span>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. </span><span class="v45_3_8"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.8" class="v45_3_8">8</span>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.</span></p><h3 class="s1">No One Is Good</h3><p class="par"><span class="v45_3_9"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.9" class="v45_3_9">9</span>What does all this mean? Does it mean that we Jews are better off<a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.9!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> than the Gentiles? No, it doesn't! Jews, as well as Gentiles, are ruled by sin, just as I have said. </span><span class="v45_3_10"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.10" class="v45_3_10">10</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.10!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> The Scriptures tell us,</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_10">“No one is acceptable to God!</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_11"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.11" class="v45_3_11">11</span>Not one of them understands</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_11">or even searches for God.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_12"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.12" class="v45_3_12">12</span>They have all turned away</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_12">and are worthless.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_12">There isn't one person</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_12">who does right.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_13"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.13" class="v45_3_13">13</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.13!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Their words are like</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_13">an open pit,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_13">and their tongues are good</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_13">only for telling lies.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_13">Each word is as deadly</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_13">as the fangs of a snake,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_14"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.14" class="v45_3_14">14</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.14!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> and they say nothing</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_14">but bitter curses.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_15"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.15" class="v45_3_15">15</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.15!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> These people quickly</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_15">become violent.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_16"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.16" class="v45_3_16">16</span>Wherever they go,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_16">they leave ruin</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_16">and destruction.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_17"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.17" class="v45_3_17">17</span>They don't know how</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v45_3_17">to live in peace.</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v45_3_18"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.18" class="v45_3_18">18</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.18!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> They don't even fear God.”</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="par"><span class="v45_3_19"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.19" class="v45_3_19">19</span>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. </span><span class="v45_3_20"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.20" class="v45_3_20">20</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.20!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> God doesn't accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.</span></p><h3 class="s1">God's Way of Accepting People</h3><p class="par"><span class="v45_3_21"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.21" class="v45_3_21">21</span>Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets<a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.21!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses. </span><span class="v45_3_22"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.22" class="v45_3_22">22</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.22!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. </span><span class="v45_3_23"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.23" class="v45_3_23">23</span>All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. </span><span class="v45_3_24"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.24" class="v45_3_24">24</span>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. </span><span class="v45_3_25"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.25-Rom.3.26" class="v45_3_25">25-26</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.25-Rom.3.26!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> 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.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v45_3_27"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.27" class="v45_3_27">27</span>What is left for us to brag about? Not a thing! Is it because we obeyed some law? No! It is because of faith. </span><span class="v45_3_28"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.28" class="v45_3_28">28</span>We see that people are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law. </span><span class="v45_3_29"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.29" class="v45_3_29">29</span>Does God belong only to the Jews? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is! </span><span class="v45_3_30"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.30" class="v45_3_30">30</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Rom.3.30!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> There is only one God, and he accepts Gentiles as well as Jews, simply because of their faith. </span><span class="v45_3_31"><span class="reftext" id="Rom.3.31" class="v45_3_31">31</span>Do we destroy the Law by our faith? Not at all! We make it even more powerful.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">3.9 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">better off: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Or “worse off.”</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">3.21 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">The Law and the Prophets: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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