John Calvin Commentary Romans 3:4

"God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment." — Romans 3:4 (ASV)

But let God be true, etc. (Romans 3:4). Whatever others may think, I regard this as an argument drawn from the necessary consequence of its opposite, by which Paul refutes the preceding objection.

For since these two things—that God is true and that man is false—stand together and indeed necessarily agree, it follows that the truth of God is not nullified by human falsehood. If he did not now set these two things in opposition to each other, he would afterwards have labored in vain to refute what was absurd and to show how God is just, even though He manifests His justice through our unrighteousness.

Therefore, the meaning is not at all ambiguous: the faithfulness of God is so far from being nullified by human treachery and apostasy that it thereby becomes even more evident.

God, he says, is true, not only because He is prepared to stand faithfully by His promises, but also because He truly fulfills whatever He declares; for He speaks in such a way that His command becomes reality.

On the other hand, man is false, not only because he often violates his pledged faith, but also because he naturally seeks falsehood and shuns the truth.

The first clause contains the primary axiom of all Christian philosophy; the latter is taken from Psalm 116:11, where David confesses that there is nothing certain from man or in man.

Now, this is a remarkable passage and contains a much-needed consolation. For such is the perversity of people in rejecting and despising God’s word that its truth would often be doubted if this thought did not come to our minds: that God’s truth does not depend on human truth.

But how does this agree with what was said previously—that for the divine promise to be effectual, faith on man's part, which receives it, is necessary? For faith stands opposed to falsehood.

This indeed seems to be a difficult question, but it can be answered without great difficulty. The Lord, notwithstanding human lies, and though these are hindrances to His truth, still finds a way for it through a pathless track, so that He may emerge as a conqueror.

This is achieved by correcting in His elect the innate unbelief of our nature and by subjecting to His service those who seem unconquerable. It must be added that the discussion here concerns the corruption of nature, and not the grace of God, which is the remedy for that corruption.

That You might be justified, etc. (Romans 3:4, quoting Psalm 51:4). The meaning is this: God's truth is so far from being destroyed by our falsehood and unfaithfulness that it thereby shines forth and appears more evident. This is according to the testimony of David, who says that, as he was a sinner, God was a just and righteous Judge in whatever He determined concerning him, and that He would overcome all the slanders of the ungodly who murmured against His righteousness.

By the words of God, David means the judgments He pronounces upon us, for the common application of these to promises is too forced. And so the particle that is not so much conclusive, nor does it refer to a far-fetched consequence, but implies an inference with this meaning: Against You have I sinned; justly then do You punish me.

That Paul quoted this passage according to David's proper and real meaning is clear from the objection immediately added: "How can the righteousness of God remain perfect if our iniquity illustrates it?" For, as I have already observed, Paul would have drawn his readers' attention to this difficulty in vain and unseasonably, unless David meant that God, in His wonderful providence, drew praise for His own righteousness from the sins of men.

The second clause in Hebrew is this: And that You might be pure in Your judgment. This expression means nothing other than that God, in all His judgments, is worthy of praise, however much the ungodly may clamor and strive with their complaints to disgracefully erase His glory.

But Paul followed the Greek version, which suited his purpose here even better. We know indeed that the Apostles, in quoting Scripture, often used freer language than the original, for they considered it sufficient to quote what was suitable to their subject; therefore, they did not place great importance on words.

The application of this passage, then, is as follows: Since all the sins of mortals must serve to illustrate the Lord's glory, and since He is especially glorified by His truth, it follows that even human falsehood serves to confirm rather than undermine His truth. Although the word κρίνεσθαι can be taken actively as well as passively, I have no doubt that the Greek translators rendered it passively, contrary to the Prophet's meaning.