Biblion Bible Commentary
Read the introduction to Romans · About this commentary
What Advantage Has the Jew?
Romans 3:1-8
1 Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision? · WEB
The argument pauses to answer its own objections, and the first answer defends God's faithfulness against human faithlessness.
Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision?
Chapter 2 seemed to level everything, so the objection is obvious and Paul asks it for his opponent — the diatribe method the letter uses throughout, questions scheduled rather than evaded. And the answer refuses the leveling: much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the revelations of God Romans 3:2.
Entrusted is the load-bearing word. Israel's advantage was custody — the oracles of God deposited with one people for the world's sake. A trust is a real privilege and a real liability at once, which is exactly the double edge chapter 2 traded on. The full inventory waits for chapter 9 Romans 9:4–5; here one item stands for all.
Then the harder objection: what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God? If the trustees failed, does the trust collapse — is God's covenant word voided by its custodians' performance? The answer is the letter's first May it never be! — and its ground is a doxology with a courtroom in it: let God be found true, but every man a liar, sealed with David's own confession, that you might be justified in your words, and might prevail when you come into judgment Romans 3:4.
The quotation is from the psalm of David's guilt — the sinner conceding that God's verdict against him is right. Even human failure ends up vindicating God's truthfulness: his warnings proved accurate. Which spawns the perverse objection Paul voices next: if my unrighteousness commends God's righteousness — if my lie makes his truth shine — is God unrighteous to punish me? Why not do evil, that good may come?
Paul flags the question as borrowed slander — as we are slanderously reported — the caricature of grace his gospel already attracted, and will attract again at 6:1. Here he does not refute it; he dismisses it: those who say so are justly condemned Romans 3:8. Some objections are arguments; this one is an appetite wearing logic. The full answer waits until grace has actually been stated Romans 6:2 — but the slander is put on record now, because a gospel that never tempts anyone to this misreading is not the gospel this letter preaches.
settled What this mark means