God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
Parallel translations
- WEB May it never be! For then how will God judge the world?
- BSB Certainly not! In that case, how could God judge the world?
- NKJV Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?
- NASB Far from it! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?
- NLT Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Certainly not — if that objection held, God could not judge the world at all. God's role as righteous judge of all is bedrock truth.
Overview
Paul dismisses the objection with 'May it never be!' If God were unjust to punish sin that serves His glory, He could never judge anyone, since all sin ultimately occasions His glory. But that God will judge the world is an unshakable assumption of Scripture. Therefore the objection collapses, and God remains the just judge.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Gen 18:25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
- Acts 17:31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
- Job 8:3Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
- Ps 98:9Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
- Ps 9:8And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
- Rom 2:16In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
- Ps 50:6And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.
- Job 34:17–19Shall even he that hateth right govern? and wilt thou condemn him that is most just?
- Ps 96:13Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
- Ps 11:5–7The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 3:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.