What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.

这样，我们可说什么呢？那本来不追求义的外邦人反得了义，就是因信而得的义。

这样，我们要怎么说呢？那不追求义的外邦人却获得了义，就是因信而获得的义。

这样，我们要怎么说呢？那不追求义的外邦人却获得了义，就是因信而获得的义。

这样看来，我们该说什么呢？本来不追求义的外族人却因信而得到了义。

既是这样，我们还有什么可说的呢？那不追求义的外族人却得了义，就是因信而得的义。

那么，我们要怎么说呢？那原来没有追求义的外邦人，却得到了义，就是因信而得的义；

這樣，我們可說甚麼呢？那本來不追求義的外邦人反得了義，就是因信而得的義。

這樣，我們要怎麼說呢？那不追求義的外邦人卻獲得了義，就是因信而獲得的義。

這樣，我們要怎麼說呢？那不追求義的外邦人卻獲得了義，就是因信而獲得的義。

這樣看來，我們該說什麼呢？本來不追求義的外族人卻因信而得到了義。

既是這樣，我們還有甚麼可說的呢？那不追求義的外族人卻得了義，就是因信而得的義。

這樣，我們可怎麼說呢？那不追求義的外國人倒追着了義、那本着信的義；

那麼，我們要怎麼說呢？那原來沒有追求義的外邦人，卻得到了義，就是因信而得的義；

然則將何言耶、異邦人未趨義而得義、即由信之義也、

是何以言之、異邦人不求稱義、而得稱義者、乃以信主而稱義、

是則何言、異邦人不尋義而得義、即由信之義、

於此吾人尚有何說？異邦之人、未曾求義、竟因信而得義矣。

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;

What should we say then? Gentiles did not look for a way to be right with God. But they found it by having faith.

What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith;

What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness— namely the righteousness that comes from faith.

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but the righteousness that is by faith;

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith:

What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness— namely the righteousness that comes from faith.

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

What shall we say then?– that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith,

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith;

and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous— even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.

Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not!

Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying,“ I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”

But faith’s way of getting right with God says,“ Don’t say in your heart,‘ Who will go up to heaven?’( to bring Christ down to earth).

What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said,“ All nations will be blessed through you.”

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people— none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.

You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy— their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.

Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.

But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us.

Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.

The Lord says,“ I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said,‘ Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name.All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.

This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say,“ It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities— his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue godliness.

Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

“ But,” some might say,“ our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?”( This is merely a human point of view.)

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.

But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.

“ Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance— all who seek the Lord! Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined.

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.