World English Bible · Under Rome
Romans 3
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Then what advantage does the have? Or what is the profit of ? Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the revelations of . For what if some were without ? Will their lack of nullify the of ? May it never be! Yes, let be found true, but every man a liar. As , "that you might be in your words, and might prevail when you come into ." But if our unrighteousness commends the of , what will we say? Is unrighteous who inflicts ? I speak like men do. May it never be! For then how will judge the world? For if the truth of through my lie abounded to his , why am I also still judged as a ? Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), "Let's do evil, that good may come?" Those who say so are justly condemned. What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both and that they are all under . As , "There is no one ; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after . They have all turned away. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one." "Their throat is an open . With their they have used deceit." "The poison of vipers is under their ." "Their is full of and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed . 16 and misery are in their ways. of peace, they haven't known." "There is no fear of before their eyes." Now we know that whatever things says, it speaks to those who are , that every may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the of . Because by the , no will be in his sight; for through comes the knowledge of . But now apart from , a of has been , being testified by and ; even the of through in to all and on all those who . For there is no distinction, for all have , and fall short of the of ; being freely by his through the that is in Christ , whom sent to be an atoning through in his , for a demonstration of his through the passing over of prior , in forbearance; to demonstrate his at this present time, that he might himself be and the justifier of him who has in . Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of . We maintain therefore that a man is by apart from the . Or is the of only? Isn't he the of also? Yes, of also, since indeed there is one who will the by and the through . Do we then nullify through ? May it never be! No, we establish .
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Christians read this chapter differently
- How does the death of Jesus save? · Romans 3:21-26
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.