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For we have before charged both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin; as it is written, That there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God; they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good; no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes.” A refutation. What then do you say, O Paul, first in punishment? Not even moderately, he says; in every way; not entirely doing away with the Jew being first in punishment, although he did this above; but he is sparing, lest he seem to run down the Jews as an enemy, and presents David as their accuser, allowing him to expose their sins. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law.” Since he introduced the Prophet speaking with much condemnation of them, so that the Jew might not object that 95.464 he says such things about the gentiles, he anticipates and refutes this, saying, that the written law nowhere leaves aside the Jews and speaks to others; and Scripture calls the prophets also the law. “That every mouth may be stopped.” He alludes again to the arrogance of the Jews, shutting them out from boldness of speech; not for this reason, he says, [that for this reason] they sinned, that their mouths might be stopped; but for this reason they were convicted, that they might not be ignorant of sin. “And all the world may become guilty before God. Because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified in His sight.” Guilty is he who is not able to help himself, but needs the assistance of another. “For by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law, he says, can justify no one; but it was rather powerful for this, to teach sin; yet he does not say this as if the divine law were a teacher of evils; but as convicting each person of the sin he commits. And this came from the indolence of the Jews. For the law was given so that they might guard against evil; but since they have fallen away, it is a conviction of their sin. “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested.” The Greeks, he says, transgressing the natural law, and the Jews the written one, and since it was too weak to justify, what was left, but for the righteousness of God to be manifested? And this is the grace through faith. “Being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness through faith of Jesus Christ.” Since he spoke of justification without the law, and saw the Jew being troubled, he added that what was being said is not an innovation. For the law itself and the prophets, he says, proclaimed this same righteousness beforehand. “Upon all them that believe. For there is no difference.” Again he shows that they have nothing more than the gentiles in being justified; for one grace is extended to all from God, and with Him there is no respect of persons. And this is what is meant by, There is no difference. “For all have sinned.” If all have sinned alike, and the Jew differs in nothing from the Greek concerning sin; why does the transgressor seek more in salvation? “And come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Those who transgress the law, he says, are always liable to punishment; and he who is liable for punishment is expected to be crowned; therefore he falls short of being glorified by God. But these, he says, who come short are justified 95.465 freely; and from where, but through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus? “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.” See how he reminds of the things in the Old [Testament]; this is, he says, that of which the mercy seat was the type, and that blood which sanctified the people was a symbol of His blood. “To declare his righteousness.” A declaration of righteousness, that God is shown not only to be just, but also to justify those who believe in Christ. Just as, of course, a declaration of wealth is also to be able to make others wealthy

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Προαιτιασάμεθα γὰρ Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας πάντας ὑφ' ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι· καθὼς γέγραπται, Ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι δίκαιος οὐδείς. Οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνιὼν, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν Θεόν· πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἐχρειώθησαν· οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα· οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός. Τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν, ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν, ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν. Ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέμει. Ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα· σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν· οὐκ ἔστι φόβος Θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.» Ἀνθυποφορά. Τί οὖν λέγεις, ὦ Παῦλε, πρότερον μὲν τῇ τιμωρίᾳ; Οὐδὲ μέσως, φησίν· πάντως· οὐ καθόλου ἀναιρῶν τὸ πρῶτον εἶναι ἐν τῇ τιμωρίᾳ τὸν Ἰουδαῖον, καίτοι γε ἀνωτέρω τοῦτο ποιήσας· ἀλλὰ φείδεται, μὴ δόξῃ ὡς ἐχθρὸς κατατρέχειν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ κατήγορον αὐτῶν παρίστησι τὸν ∆αβὶδ, τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῶν ἐκεῖνον ἐκκαλύπτειν ἐῶν. «Οἴδαμεν δὲ, ὅτι ὅσα ὁ νόμος λέγει, τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ.» Ἐπειδὴ πολλὴν αὐτῶν κατάῤῥησιν εἰσήγαγεν τὸν Προφήτην λέγοντα, ἵνα μὴ ἀντιλέγῃ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, ὅτι 95.464 περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγει, προλαβὼν αὐτὸ ἀναιρεῖ, φάσκων, ὅτι οὐδήπου ὁ γραπτὸς νόμος Ἰουδαίους ἀφεὶς, ἑτέροις διαλέγεται· νόμον δὲ ἡ Γραφὴ καὶ τοὺς προφήτας φησίν. «Ἵνα πᾶν στόμα φραγῇ.» Αἰνίττεται πάλιν τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸ φρύαγμα, ἀποκλείων αὐτοῖς τὴν παῤῥησίαν· οὐ διὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, [ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο] ἥμαρτον, ἵνα φραγῇ αὐτῶν τὸ στόμα· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἠλέγχοντο, ἵνα μὴ ἀγνοῶσιν ἁμαρτίαν. «Καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τῷ Θεῷ. ∆ιότι ἐξ ἔργων τοῦ νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Ὑπόδικός ἐστιν, ὁ ἑαυτῷ μὲν μὴ δυνάμενος βοηθεῖν, τῆς ἑτέρου δὲ χρῄζων ἐπικουρίας. «∆ιὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας.» ∆ικαιῶσαι μὲν οὐδένα, φησὶν, ὁ νόμος δύναται· τοῦτο δὲ μᾶλλον ἴσχυεν, τὸ διδάξαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· οὐ τοῦτο δὲ λέγει ὡς τοῦ θείου νόμου διδασκάλου ὄντος τῶν κακῶν· ἀλλ' ὡς ἐλέγχοντος ἑκάστου, ἣν ἁμαρτάνει ἁμαρτίαν. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ γέγονεν ἐκ τῆς Ἰουδαίων ῥᾳθυμίας. Ὁ γὰρ νόμος, ἵνα φυλάττωνται τὸ κακὸν, δέδοται· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀναπεπτώκασιν, ἔλεγχος τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ἐστι. «Νῦν δὲ χωρὶς νόμου δικαιοσύνη Θεοῦ πεφανέρωται.» Ἑλλήνων, φησὶν, τὸν φυσικὸν παραβαινόντων νόμον, Ἰουδαίων δὲ, τὸν γραπτὸν, καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ ἀσθενοῦντος δικαιῶσαι, τί ἔδει λοιπὸν, ἢ φανερωθῆναι τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην; Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ διὰ πίστεως χάρις. «Μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν· δικαιοσύνη δὲ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.» Ἐπειδὴ χωρὶς τοῦ νόμου εἶπεν τὴν δικαίωσιν, καὶ εἶδεν τὸν Ἰουδαῖον θορυβούμενον, ἐπήγαγεν, ὡς οὐ καινοτομία τὸ λεγόμενον. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται, φησὶν, τὴν αὐτὴν δικαιοσύνην προανεκήρυττον. «Ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι διαστολή.» Πάλιν δείκνυσιν μηδὲν πλέον ἔχοντας τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐν τῷ δικαιοῦσθαι· μία γὰρ χάρις τοῖς πᾶσιν ἡπλοῦται παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι προσωπόληψις παρ' αὐτῷ. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ, Οὐκ ἔστι διαστολή. «Πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον.» Εἰ πάντες ὁμοίως ἥμαρτον, καὶ οὐδὲν διαφέρει τοῦ Ἕλληνος ὁ Ἰουδαῖος κατὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· τί ὁ παραβάτης τὴν σωτηρίαν τὸ πλέον ζητεῖ; «Ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ· δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.» Οἱ παραβαίνοντες τὸν νόμον, φησὶν, τιμωρίας ἀεὶ ὑπεύθυνοι· ὁ δὲ τιμωρίας ὑπεύθυνος, στεφανοῦσθαι ὀφείλει, ὥστε ὑστερεῖται τοῦ δοξασθῆναι παρὰ Θεοῦ. Ἀλλ' οὗτοι, φησὶν, οἱ ὑστερούμενοι δικαιοῦν 95.465 ται δωρεάν· καὶ πόθεν, ἢ διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ; «Ὃν προέθετο ὁ Θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ πίστεως ἐν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ αἵματι.» Ὅρα πῶς ἀναμιμνήσκει τῶν ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ· οὗτός ἐστι, φησὶν, ὁ τύπος ἦν, ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἱλαστήριον, καὶ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ σύμβουλον ἐκεῖνο τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἁγιάζον τὸν λαόν. «Εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ.» Ἔνδειξιν δικαιοσύνης, τὸ μὴ μόνον δειχθῆναι τὸν Θεὸν δίκαιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαιοῦντα τοὺς πιστεύοντας εἰς Χριστόν. Ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ ἔνδειξις πλούτου, τὸ καὶ ἑτέρους δύνασθαι πλουτίζειν