Romans 3:4

Romans 3:4

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

a. NLT: Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, “You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.”

b. NIV: Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”

c. Amplified Bible: By no means! Let God be found true though every human being is false and a liar, as it is written, That You may be justified and shown to be upright in what You say, and prevail when You are judged [by sinful men].

d. Worrell Translation: May it not be! But let God be true, and every man a liar; as it has been written, “That Thou mayest be justified in Thy words; and mayest overcome, when Thou judgest.”

1. “God forbid: yea, let God be true and every man a liar;”

a. God forbid [A compound Greek phrase made up of two words #3361 & 1096. The literal translation would be as the Worrell translation has it: “May it not be!] [3361 * me] [Strong: a primary particle of qualified negation (whereas 3756 expresses an absolute denial); (adverb) not, (conjunction) lest; also (as an interrogative implying a negative answer (whereas 3756 expects an affirmative one)) whether:--any but (that), X forbear, + God forbid, + lack, lest, neither, never, no (X wise in), none, nor, (can-)not, nothing, that not, un(-taken), without. Often used in compounds in substantially the same relations.] [1096 * ginomai] [Strong: a prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e. (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.):--arise, be assembled, be(-come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.]

b. yea [1161 * de] [Strong: a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

c. let [1096 * ginomai] [Strong: a prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e. (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.):--arise, be assembled, be(-come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.]

d. God [2316 * theos] [Strong: of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with 3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very:--X exceeding, God, god(-ly, -ward).]

e. be [1096 * ginomai] See “let” above.

f. true [227 * alethes][Vine: Primarily unconcealed, manifest, hence, actual, true to fact.][Zodhiates: true, real, conformed to the nature and reality of things.] [Strong: from 1 (as a negative particle) and 2990; true (as not concealing):--true, truly, truth.]

1). We are to consider God’s word as truth, because God does not and cannot lie.

a). Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

b). Hebrews 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

c). Numbers 23:19 God is not a man,  that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

2). This is the attitude every born again believer is to have concerning God’s word. We believe everything that He speaks on a matter to be true and right.

a). Psalm 119:127, 128 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.

119:128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.

g. but [1161 * de] See “yea” above.

h. every [3956 * pas] [Strong: including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole:--all (manner of, means), alway(-s), any (one), X daily, + ever, every (one, way), as many as, + no(-thing), X thoroughly, whatsoever, whole, whosoever.]

i. man [444 * Anthropos] [Strong: from 435 and ops (the countenance; from 3700); man-faced, i.e. a human being:--certain, man.]

j. liar [5583 * pseustes] [Strong: from 5574; a falsifier:--liar.]

1). We have to let God’s word be true for us and consider every man who says differently to be a liar, even if the individual claims to be a believer.

a). 1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

2. “That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

a. justified (1344 * dikaioo) to deem to be right.

b. sayings (3056 * logos) The word spoken.

c. overcome (3528 * nikao) Vine: “a law term, to be victorious,…”

d. judged (2919 * krino) Zodhiates: To separate, distinguish, discriminate between good and evil, select, choose out the good.

1). When men judge God’s word, and they make a distinction against it, that it is not true. The Scripture says they have no light in them.

a). Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

2). As previously stated this is a Bible believer’s attitude toward God’s word, but it also includes our own thoughts. We are commanded to bring our thought life in line with God’s word also.

a). 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

10:5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

3). Strong holds are thought processes, imaginations that we allow to be higher in our lives than the word of God, i.e., we render obedience to them rather than the Scriptures. Here the Holy Ghost is saying we are to pull them down and destroy them. Force every thought that we think to be in obedience with God’s word.