Righteousness through Faith in Christ (Romans 3:21–31)
1 UST Finally, my fellow believers, rejoice in who God is, and rejoice about what he has done and is doing. Though I will now write to you about the same things that I mentioned to you before, this is not tiresome for me, and it will protect you from being led astray by those who teach things that are not true. BSB BSB: Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
3 UST But as for us— we ourselves are what it truly means to be circumcised. The Spirit of God enables us to truly worship God, and we glory in the Messiah Jesus rather than trusting in religious acts such as circumcision. BSB BSB: For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
4 UST However, if anyone thinks they could trust in religious acts, I could; and I even more than others.{ I will tell you why.} BSB BSB: though I myself could have such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 UST I was circumcised eight days after I was born. I am from the people of Israel and am a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin. I am a Hebrew who has retained the Hebrew language and way of living. As regards obeying the laws of Moses, I was a Pharisee, and therefore I strictly obeyed all the laws of Moses and teachings of the scribes. BSB BSB: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
6 UST With regard to being passionate about what I believed, I was so extremely passionate about what I believed that I caused those who followed Jesus to suffer. With regard to doing what God required in the law of Moses and doing what the scribes required concerning it, I was without fault. BSB BSB: as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.
7 UST But all the things that I formerly trusted in, these same things I now consider to be worthless because of the Messiah. BSB BSB: But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 UST Instead, even more, I now regard all things as worthless compared to how great it is to know the Messiah, Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have willingly given up all things and I think of them as feces to throw away in order that I might have the Messiah. BSB BSB: More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 UST I have willingly given up the things I formerly trusted in so that I might be fully united with the Messiah by believing in him, and not by obeying the laws that God gave to Moses.{ I do this because I know} that the only way to please God is by believing in the Messiah. BSB BSB: and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
10 UST I want to know the Messiah better and better. I want to continually experience him working powerfully in my life, just like God worked powerfully when he caused the Messiah to become alive after he had died. I also want to be continually willing to suffer in order that I may obey God, just like the Messiah suffered in order that he might obey God. I want to become like him in his death. BSB BSB: I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death,
11 UST { I want all of this because} I somehow want God to cause me to live again after I have died. BSB BSB: and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Pressing on toward the Goal 13 UST My fellow believers, I certainly do not think that I have already become completely like Jesus. Nor have fully known him. Rather, I have determined to forget about the things that are in the past and to work hard for the things that are in front of me. BSB BSB: Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 UST Instead, I concentrate only on continuing to become more and more like Jesus until I die. As a result, because of my relationship with Jesus the Messiah, God will reward me in heaven. BSB BSB: I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.
15 UST So then, all of us who are mature believers should think this same way. But if you think differently about anything I have just written, God also will show this to you. BSB BSB: All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.
16 UST However, regarding the true things that God has already revealed to us, let us all conduct our lives according to these things. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained.
Citizenship in Heaven 17 UST My fellow believers, join together in imitating me, and observe closely those people who live as we do. BSB BSB: Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you.
18 UST There are many people who act in a way that shows that they oppose the message about the Messiah dying on the cross. I have told you about these people many times before, and now I am sad, even crying, as I tell you about them again. BSB BSB: For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 UST God will severely punish these people. These people serve their physical desires rather than God, and they are proud of the very things of which they should be ashamed. These people only think about earthly things instead of heavenly things. BSB BSB: Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.
20 UST As for us, we are citizens of heaven, and it is from heaven that we eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus the Messiah to return and rescue us. BSB BSB: But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 UST God will change the weak and humble bodies that we have now to be bodies like the glorious resurrected body of Jesus. He will do this by his power, by which he is able to control all things. BSB BSB: who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.