Romans 3 6

Romans 3:6 kjv

God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

Romans 3:6 nkjv

Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?

Romans 3:6 niv

Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?

Romans 3:6 esv

By no means! For then how could God judge the world?

Romans 3:6 nlt

Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world?

Romans 3 verses

Romans 3 6 Meaning

Rom 3:6 is an emphatic declaration against a proposed idea from an imagined interlocutor that if human unrighteousness demonstrates God's righteousness, then God would be unjust to inflict His wrath. Paul vehemently refutes this by asserting that such a notion would utterly disqualify God from His essential role as the righteous Judge of the entire world. It affirms God's inherent moral authority and sovereign right to judge sin, uncompromised by human actions.

Romans 3 6 Context

h2Romans 3:6 is a pivotal verse within Paul's sustained argument concerning universal human sinfulness and the absolute necessity of God's righteousness for salvation. In Romans 1:18-3:20, Paul systematically demonstrates that both Gentiles and Jews are under the power of sin. In Rom 3:1-8, Paul anticipates and addresses potential Jewish objections to his assertions about the inability of the Law or Jewish privilege to save. Specifically, Rom 3:5 posits a hypothetical objection: "If our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us?" (Paul then adds, "I speak in a human way"). Rom 3:6 is Paul's forceful, emphatic rejection of this flawed logic. He counters that if God's righteousness somehow depended on human sin, or if God's wrath upon sin was therefore "unrighteous," then God could not fulfill His divine, inherent role as the impartial and sovereign Judge of the world. This defense of God's character sets the stage for Paul's climactic exposition of justification by faith in Christ, which is God's just way of saving sinful humanity (Rom 3:21-26).

Romans 3 6 Word analysis

h2

• By no means! (Μὴ γένοιτο! - Mē genoito!)
  • This is one of Paul's strongest and most characteristic expressions of absolute denial. It translates to "May it never be!", "God forbid!", or "Certainly not!".
  • Significance: Its repeated use throughout Romans (3:4, 3:31, 6:2, 6:15, 7:7, 7:13, 9:14, 11:1, 11:11) highlights Paul's utter rejection of conclusions he deems unthinkable, blasphemous, or illogical consequences of his teaching. Here, it categorically dismisses the idea that God's justice could be questioned due to human sin highlighting His righteousness.
• How then (Πῶς οὖν - Pōs oun)
  • Pōs means "how," and oun is a connective particle often translated "then" or "therefore," indicating a logical consequence.
  • Significance: It introduces a rhetorical question designed to show the absurdity or impossibility of the previous suggestion. If the previous premise (God is unrighteous to judge because human sin shows His righteousness) were true, it would create an unsolvable logical dilemma for God's fundamental nature.
• could God (ὁ θεὸς - ho Theos)
  • Ho is the definite article "the," emphasizing the unique and singular divine Being. Theos means "God."
  • Significance: Paul is not speaking of a hypothetical deity, but of the one true God, Yahweh, whose character and attributes are fixed and undeniable. God's ability to judge is tied to His very essence and being.
• judge (κρινεῖ - krinei)
  • This is the future tense of the verb krinō, meaning "to judge," "to discern," "to decide," or "to pass sentence."
  • Significance: It refers to God's inherent function and prerogative to execute righteous judgment. This includes both His moral discrimination against sin and His eschatological act of bringing justice to the world. If God's right or capacity to judge were compromised, the entire moral order He established would collapse.
• the world (τὸν κόσμον - ton kosmon)
  • Ton kosmon means "the world," referring here specifically to humanity in its entirety, or the ordered system of human society that is estranged from God.
  • Significance: This emphasizes the universal scope of God's judgment. No person, nation, or segment of creation is outside of God's purview and His ultimate authority to hold them accountable. This prepares for the coming declaration of God's righteousness for "all" who believe (Rom 3:22).

• Words-group analysis:
  • "By no means! How then could God judge the world?" (Mē genoito! Pōs oun krinei ho Theos ton kosmon?)
    • This rhetorical thrust immediately debunks the premise that God's righteousness could somehow be dependent on human unrighteousness in a way that would negate His right to punish. The argument implied is that if God benefits from sin to display His righteousness, then His judgment of that sin becomes compromised, like a judge who profits from a crime he is supposed to condemn. Such a situation would render God unqualified to sit in judgment over all humanity. The verse therefore protects God's absolute sovereignty, integrity, and independence as the supreme moral arbiter.

Romans 3 6 Bonus section

h2Paul's skillful use of the rhetorical device known as diatribe is very evident in Rom 3:6. This involves an imagined questioner raising an objection, followed by the author's strong, immediate counter-argument. "By no means!" is a hallmark of this technique, ensuring that no misunderstanding of Paul's complex theological arguments could lead to morally problematic conclusions (e.g., that sin is good because it shows God's righteousness, or that God is unfair). The theological necessity of God's uncompromised judicial authority is paramount to Paul's gospel. If God could not righteously judge sin, then His entire plan of salvation through Christ's atonement, which addresses the very problem of sin and judgment, would lose its logical and moral basis. The divine attribute of righteous judgment is foundational for understanding the need for justification by grace through faith.

Romans 3 6 Commentary

h2Romans 3:6 firmly establishes God's unwavering right and capacity to judge the world, serving as a critical foundation for Paul's unfolding theology of salvation. The verse vigorously refutes any suggestion that God's justice might be compromised by human sinfulness. Paul addresses a hypothetical objection that might arise from his preceding argument: if human unrighteousness actually serves to display or commend God's righteousness (as in Rom 3:5, "If our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God..."), then how could God justly inflict wrath or judgment upon us?

Paul's emphatic "By no means!" (Μὴ γένοιτο!) utterly dismisses this logical leap as absurd and blasphemous. He quickly turns the objection back on itself: if the proposed idea were true – that God’s justice is questionable or undermined because sin somehow enhances His glory – then God would lose His very credentials to be the righteous judge of the universe. A judge whose authority or moral standing is in any way entangled with or indebted to the wrong he judges cannot deliver true justice. God's capacity to judge implies His absolute independence, impartiality, and inherent righteousness. He does not need human sin to be righteous; He is righteous, and therefore He must judge sin. The fact that His character as "the Judge of all the earth" (Gen 18:25) is indisputable underscores the absurdity of the hypothetical objection. This verse powerfully reaffirms divine justice as an unchanging attribute of God, laying the groundwork for how He, being perfectly just, can then justify the ungodly through Christ.