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Selected Verse: Romans 3:3 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Ro 3:3 |
King James |
For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
For what if some did not believe?--It is the unbelief of the great body of the nation which the apostle points at; but as it sufficed for his argument to put the supposition thus gently, he uses this word "some" to soften prejudice.
shall their unbelief make the faith of God--or, "faithfulness of God."
of none effect?--"nullify," "invalidate" it. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
For what if some did not believe? - This is to be regarded as another objection of a Jew. "What then? or what follows? if it be admitted that some of the nation did not believe, does it not follow that the faithfulness of God in his promises will fail?" The points of the objection are these:
(1) The apostle had maintained that the nation was sinful Rom. 2; that is, that they had not obeyed or believed God.
(2) This, the objector for the time admits or supposes in relation to some of them. But,
(3) he asks whether this does not involve a consequence which is not admissible, that God is unfaithful.
Did not the fact that God chose them as his people, and entered into covenant with them, imply that the Jews should be kept from perdition? It was evidently their belief that all Jews would be saved, and this belief they grounded on his covenant with their fathers. The doctrine of the apostle Rom. 2 would seem to imply that in certain respects they were on a level with the Gentile nations; that if they sinned, they would be treated just like the pagan; and hence, they asked of what value was the promise of God? Had it not become vain and nugatory?
Make the faith - The word "faith" here evidently means the "faithfulness" or "fidelity of God to his promises." Compare Mat 13:23; Ti2 3:10; Hos 2:20.
Of none effect - Destroy it; or prevent him from fulfilling his promises. The meaning of the objection is, that the fact supposed, that the Jews would become unfaithful and be lost, would imply that God had failed to keep his promises to the nation; or that he had made promises which the result showed he was not able to perform. |
| Vincent's Word Studies, by Marvin R. Vincent [1886] |
Did not believe (ἠπίστησαν)
Rev., were without faith. Not, as some, were unfaithful, which is contrary to New Testament usage. See Mar 16:11, Mar 16:16; Luk 24:11, Luk 24:41; Act 28:24; Rom 4:20, etc. The Rev. rendering is preferable, as bringing out the paronomasia between the Greek words: were without faith; their want of faith; the faithfulness of God.
Faith of God
Better, as Rev., faithfulness; the good faith of God; His fidelity to His promises. For this sense see on Mat 23:23. Compare Tit 2:10, and see on faithful, Jo1 1:9; see on Rev 1:5; see on Rev 3:14. Compare Co1 1:9; Co1 10:13; Co2 1:18.
Make without effect (καταργήσει)
See on Luk 13:7. The word occurs twenty-five times in Paul, and is variously rendered in A.V. make void, destroy, loose, bring to nought, fail, vanish away, put away, put down, abolish, cease. The radical meaning is to make inert or idle. Dr. Morison acutely observes that it negatives the idea of agency or operation, rather than of result or effect. It is rather to make inefficient than to make without effect. So in Luk 13:7, why should the tree be allowed to make the ground idle? Co1 13:8, prophecies shall fail, or have no more work to do. Ti2 1:10 Christ abolished death. There is no more work for it. Rom 6:6, the body of sin is rendered inactive. Rom 3:31, Do we deprive the law of its work - render it a dead letter? |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| Shall their unbelief disannul the faithfulness of God - Will he not still make good his promises to them that do believe? |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
| Jew. For what - τι γαρ, What then, if some did not believe, etc. If some of the Jewish nation have abused their privileges, and acted contrary to their obligations, shall their wickedness annul the Promise which God made to Abraham, that he would, by an everlasting covenant, be a God to him and to his seed after him? Gen 17:7. Shall God, therefore, by stripping the Jews of their peculiar honor, as you intimate he will, falsify his promise to the nation, because some of the Jews are bad men? |
20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.
10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
18 But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.