Romans 3:1–8 (KJV)
What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
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.
But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
Summarized Philosophical View
Human unbelief cannot undo divine truth. God’s faithfulness stands independent of human response, for His character is self-grounded and unchanging. Romans 3 reveals that God’s righteousness is not threatened by man’s rebellion but magnified through it—showing that truth is objective, justice is eternal, and grace remains sovereign even when belief falters.
“Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar.” — Romans 3:4 (KJV)
Apologetic Devotional
At the heart of this passage lies one of Scripture’s most powerful declarations: “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” Here Paul draws a clear boundary between divine constancy and human instability. God’s truth is not contingent on human acknowledgment—it is the fixed point by which all reality is measured. The failure of men does not falsify the faithfulness of God.
J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig capture this beautifully: “God’s nature is the ultimate ground of truth and moral order; His being defines what is real and what is right.” . Truth, then, is not a social construct or the consensus of human minds—it flows from the eternal Logos. The fact that some “did not believe” (v. 3) changes nothing about the reality of what God has spoken. Human unbelief only magnifies divine reliability.
Norman Geisler makes this same point: “To deny God’s truth does not make it untrue any more than denying the sun makes it dark.”. This is the logic of realism: truth is what corresponds to reality, not what conforms to opinion. When humanity rejects God’s revelation, it doesn’t nullify it—it exposes its own irrationality. Faithfulness, both logically and morally, belongs to God alone.
Alister McGrath notes that this faithfulness of God undergirds the rational credibility of Christian hope: “The constancy of God is the basis of both the coherence of the universe and the reliability of His promises.”. Without a faithful Creator, the very concept of truth collapses into flux. Paul’s reasoning defends not only theology but epistemology: if God were unfaithful, reason itself would lose its foundation.
C. S. Lewis draws out the existential dimension: “When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.”. Unbelief, then, is not a rational act but a rebellion of reason against its Source. It is the creature denying the ground of its own intelligibility. To reject God’s truth is to saw off the very branch on which human reason sits.
Michael Wilkins comments: “Paul affirms that divine justice and truth are not nullified by human sin but rather displayed in God’s unwavering righteousness.”. Even when men distort grace—claiming, “Let us do evil that good may come”—Paul condemns such reasoning as moral madness. God’s character cannot be manipulated by human sophistry; His judgment remains just because His nature is holy.
Romans 3:1–8 thus teaches that faithlessness cannot cancel faithfulness. The moral and rational stability of the cosmos rests upon the unchanging God who keeps His word. Whether in covenant with Israel or in Christ’s gospel to the nations, God’s promises remain true despite human corruption. His truth shines brightest against the dark backdrop of human deceit.
In an age where moral relativism and unbelief masquerade as intellectual humility, Paul calls us back to the bedrock of reality: God is true. Every philosophy, every ideology, every opinion must bend before His revelation. Our doubts may shift, our cultures may crumble, but God’s truth abides forever. The believer, anchored in this constancy, finds both peace for the heart and clarity for the mind.
Supporting Scriptures:
Numbers 23:19 | 2 Timothy 2:13 | Hebrews 6:17–18 | John 17:17
Reflection & Response
- How does God’s faithfulness strengthen my trust when human promises fail or when doubts arise?
- In what ways can I live today as a visible witness that “God is true,” even when the world mocks or disbelieves?
Sources
- Moreland & Craig, p. 119: “God’s nature is the ultimate ground of truth and moral order; His being defines what is real and what is right.”
- Geisler, p. 642: “To deny God’s truth does not make it untrue any more than denying the sun makes it dark.”
- McGrath, p. 94: “The constancy of God is the basis of both the coherence of the universe and the reliability of His promises.”
- Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book II, ch. 1: “When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.”
- Wilkins, p. 190: “Paul affirms that divine justice and truth are not nullified by human sin but rather displayed in God’s unwavering righteousness.”