3:9 What then? Are we
better than they? No, in no way.
For we previously charged both Jews and Greeks, that they are all
under sin.
3:10 As it is
written, "There is no one righteous. No, not one.
3:11 There is no one who understands.
There is no one who seeks after God.
3:12 They have all turned aside.
They have together become unprofitable.
There is no one who does good,
No, not, so much as one."
(Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:20)
3:13 "Their throat is an open tomb. (Psalm 5:9)
With their tongues they have used deceit."
"The poison of vipers is under their lips;" (Psalm 140:3)
3:14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." (Psalm 10:7)
3:15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood.
3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways.
3:17 The way of peace, they haven't known." (Isaiah 59:7,8)
3:18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Psalm 36:1)
3:19 Now we know that
whatever things the law says,
it speaks to those who are under the law,
that every mouth may be closed,
and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.
3:20 Because
by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his
sight.
For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
3:21 But now apart from the law,
a righteousness of God has been revealed,
being testified by the law and the prophets;
3:22 even the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
to all and on all those who believe.
For there is
no distinction,
3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
3:24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus;
3:25 whom God set forth
to be an atoning sacrifice{or, a propitiation},
through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his
righteousness
through the passing over of prior sins, in God's forbearance;
{sacrifice
of atonement: "as the one who would turn aside his wrath,
taking away sin"}
3:26 to demonstrate his
righteousness at this present time;
that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has
faith in Jesus.
3:27 Where then is the
boasting? It is excluded.
By what manner of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
3:28 We
maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from
the works of the law.
3:29 Or is God the God
of Jews only?
Isn't he the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
3:30 since indeed there is one God who will justify the
circumcised by faith,
and the uncircumcised through faith.
3:31 Do we then
nullify the law through faith?
May it never be! No, we establish the law.
Discussion
Questions
Are there any good
people in the world? (Compare with Mark 10:18)
How might the word "good" be understood differently?
How can God hold accountable those who are not under the law?
What is the benefit or purpose of the law?
How does it make us conscious of sin and why is this essential?
What is different about the righteousness which is from God
and the righteousness which is from the law?
What does it mean that "a man is justified by faith apart from
observing the law"?
Comments
There is No One
Righteous
Rom 3:9-12 What shall we conclude then? Are
we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that
Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one, there is no one
who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away,
they have together become worthless; there is no one who does
good, not even one."
An important point to note here, which cannot be emphasized
enough, is that he is saying that all are under sin in that all
have actually sinned. Verse 10 and following are filled with
evidence that all are under sin based upon their behavior. I say
this because there those who reckon that God reckons sin
prejudicially, reckoning guilt upon those who haven't actually
sinned. Such is not only not the case, but in fact would be
contrary to God's judicial nature.
The Psalmist writes, "Everyone
has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no
one who does good, not even one." Ps 53:3 And likewise, "There is no one who does good"Ps 14:1
And yet there those the Bible refers to as righteous. For example, "Now there was a man in
Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout." Lk 2:25a and the Psalms and
Proverbs says a great deal about the righteous in contrast with
the wicked. So also with regards to seeking God. Yet not so with
regards to a perfect standard.
"A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to
inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus
answered. "No one is good— except God alone."Luke 18:18,19 We speak of some
people being "good" and yet by God's standard no one is good. And
likewise with regards to doing which is right and seeking God.
However the fact that bad behavior universally characterizes the
human condition begs the question as to why that is.
Bad Mouthing the
Human Condition
Rom 3:13,14 "Their throats are open
graves; their tongues practice deceit." (Ps 5:9) "The poison of vipers is on
their lips." (Ps 140:3) "Their mouths are full of
cursing and bitterness." (Ps 10:7)
While by "their" the Psalmist is referring to particular people,
Paul is using these verses as indicators of what is typical of the
human condition. Jesus said, "the
things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these
make a man ‘unclean.’"Mat 15:18
Such is characteristic of the human condition.
Violence and
Arrogance, it's only Human
Rom 3:15-18 "Their feet are swift to shed
blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do
not know." (Is 59:7,8) "There is no fear of God
before their eyes." (Ps
36:1)
Violence is also characteristic of the human condition. In fact
history books are mostly about war. Now much as God loves
everyone, he doesn't like everyone. One category of people he
doesn't like are those who love violence. "The LORD examines the righteous, but the
wicked and those who love violence his soul hates."Ps 11:5 Such sin separates us from having a
relationship with God. The quote from Isaiah 59 starts, "Surely the arm of the LORD is
not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your
iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have
hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your
hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt." Is 59:1-3a Such is the human
condition.
But despite the consequences, people characteristically have no
fear of God. The quote from Psalm 36 goes, "An oracle is within my heart concerning the
sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his
eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect
or hate his sin." Ps
36:1,2 And again while the Psalmist is referring to a
certain category of people, these attributes are characteristic of
society in general, and true of each individual from time to time.
And as Paul said earlier,
"Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do
such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these
very things but also approve of those who practice them."Rom 1:32 People become desensitized to their own
sinfulness due the influences of society, the sinful nature we all
have, and the devil. Whether at times, or in general, we all
flatter ourselves too much to detect or hate our sin.
The Law Exposes Sin
Rom 3:19,20Now we know that whatever the law
says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every
mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to
God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by
observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious
of sin.
Paul previously concluded that everyone is in some sense under the
law. (Indeed, when Gentiles,
who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the
law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have
the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are
written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness,
and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)Rom 2:14,15 So while the
Law of Moses is rather explicit as to what constitutes sin, even
those ignorant of the law of Moses are aware of a law by which the
reckon what is right and wrong, of which all also fail to live up
to, and consequently are accountable.
Law, whether it be the law of Moses, or the law of the conscience,
invokes an awareness of ones sinfulness, because no one lives up
to it. Also, to state the obvious, here he's associating sin with
misbehavior. For how could law invoke a sense of guilt if not with
regards to behavior. I say this again for those who have the
misconception that God reckons guilt to those who haven't actually
done anything wrong. For the standard by which people are held
accountable is with regards to their behavior in comparison to
law.
The reason why Paul has spent so much time on the subject of law
and sin is because the gospel is not relevant to those who have
not been convicted of sin. Thus, particularly to those who reckon
themselves "good", Jesus especially brings up the law, so as to
convict them of sin.
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.
"Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
He answered. Luke
10:25,26 But one can only be saved by law if one keeps
the law. Problem is no one keeps the law, so there has to be
another way to be saved apart from law.
Another Way to
Righteousness
Rom 3:21-24 But now a righteousness from
God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and
the Prophets testify.
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ
to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
These verses I would characterize as the key to understanding
Romans. Under the law, a righteous standing with God is a function
of one's behavior. But under the gospel, one's righteous standing
with God is not a function of one's behavior. There is no actual
salvation under the law in that all have fallen short of God's
standards of righteousness with regards to their behavior. It is
not that all are sinners in some positional sense, but rather all
have actually committed sin and consequently are guilty due to
misbehavior. And consequently all are disqualified from having a
righteous standing with God according to law, not having lived up
to it.
But there is a different way to obtain a righteous standing with
God. In contrast to the performance based salvation, this
righteousness is given as a gift. It is something given freely, of
which one does not work for, of which Paul will elaborate upon in
the rest of Romans chapter 3 and chapter 4. "Grace" is the idea of
God magnanimously forgiving our sins, not requiring any payment
from us, but rather absorbing the cost of our sins Himself.
However, though unconditional with regards to our behavior, this
righteousness is condtioned upon faith in Jesus Christ, a fact of
which will also be the subject of the rest of Romans, and of which
Paul wrote in Galatians, "the
Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so
that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus
Christ, might be given to those who believe."Gal 3:22
But much as this way of righteousness is different than that
obtained by obedience to the law, the Law of Moses as well as the
prophets allude to this second way of righteousness. For example,
Jeremiah prophecied, "Behold,
the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of
Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead
them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke,
though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and
write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor,
and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all
shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,
says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin
I will remember no more."Jeremiah 31:31-34
God's Sacrifice of
Atonement
Rom 3:25,26God presented him as a sacrifice
of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to
demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left
the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to
demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just
and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
The atoning work of Christ on the cross was all about satisfying
the demands of justice. The way the atonement works is that "God is just"2Th 1:6
and what follows that verse indicates that there are two arms of
justice. One punishes the wicked and the other compensates victims
of unjustified suffering. Jesus, dying as a victim of unjustified
suffering, was awarded compensation with which he used to pay off
the debt of others regarding their sin, one arm of justice
canceling out the other, so that the grace of forgiveness may be
applied, justice having been satisfied. ("Be
shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own
blood."Acts 20:28)
Jesus was uniquely
qualified to do so. For it is written, “No
man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom
for him— the ransom for a life is costly”Ps
49:7,9 No mere mortal can atone for the sins of others.
But Jesus was not a mere mortal. He is LORD and Creator. For “Through him all things were made; without
him nothing was made that has been made.” John
1:3 And thus the value of his unjustified suffering was
so much more than that of a mere mortal that it could pay for
the sins of the world.
"In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s
grace" Eph 1:7
And with regards to the extent of his atonement, "He is the atoning sacrifice for
our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the
whole world."1John 2:2
But to be qualified to be saved one must put faith in Christ, one
essential element of which is putting faith in his atoning work on
the cross as being sufficient for the payment for one's sins.
However prior to justice being satisfied God did forgive sin, such
as David's sin, ""Blessed are they whose
transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is
the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
Rom 4:7,8 By doing so it may appear that God was unjust.
He forbore with such a thing in anticipation of justice being
satisfied on the cross at which time he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present
time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have
faith in Jesus.
Thus God demonstrates that he is just in that forgiveness is not
granted apart from the payment of the penalty of sin, and he is
the justifier in that he paid for sin on our behalf. Paul speaks
to overseers of the church saying, "Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with
his own blood." Acts
20:28b
Justified by Faith
apart from Performance
Rom 3:27,28Where, then, is boasting? It is
excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No,
but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by
faith apart from observing the law.
Here Paul begins to segue into the implications that this
righteousness is not obtain by human effort. It is not obtained by
obedience to commands, nor by ritual, ceremony, nor by living up
to a certain standard. One is qualified to receive this righteous
standing with God simply by faith - by believing in Christ. Much
of what will follow with show that faith is distinct from works.
In fact faith is an attitude. It is not a work.
Paul reminds Peter, "We know
that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith
in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus
that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing
the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified."
Gal 2:16
But remember again what the Law is. The Law is the 10
commandments. "On one
occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher,"
he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is
written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He
answered: "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your strength and with all your
mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" "You have
answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." Luke 10:25-28 That is
justification by observing the Law. It is a performance based
salvation. Such a person is saved by perfectly and consistently
loving God and loving others. But that is not how New Covenant
justification works. Under the New Covenant a person is not saved
by loving God and loving others. Rather a person is saved by
believing in Jesus.
The former could boast of saving themselves. The former could
boast of their own goodness. But those who have put their faith in
Christ cannot boast of having worked for their salvation, which is
by faith and not works.
Faith - the Same
Requirement for Jew and Gentile
Rom 3:29-31 Is God the God of Jews only? Is
he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since
there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith
and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then,
nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the
law.
With regards to salvation through faith in Christ, there is no
difference between Jew and Gentile. Peter said, "We believe it is through the grace of our
Lord Jesus that we (Jews)
are saved, just as they (Gentiles)
are."Acts 15:11
and "He made no distinction
between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith." Acts 15:9 Likewise Paul said,
"Here there is no Greek or
Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or
free, but Christ is all, and is in all." Col 3:11
But those who believe salvation can be obtained by works
characteristically bring down God's standards of behavior to their
own. Jews today who boast in the Law don't themselves actually
follow the Law. But likewise there are whole Christian
denominations who replace salvation through faith in Christ with a
system of legalism whereby one is only saved by conforming to the
standards set by their denominational dogma.
By making a way of salvation by faith apart from law, the holiness
of God is preserved in the Law. Which is to say that God's
standard of holiness is perfection. And as such rather than bring
down his standards to accommodate sinners, he made a completely
different way for sinners to be saved, which is by faith and not
by human effort. This does not nullify the law in that if anyone
never sins, they are justified under the law. Yet no such person
actually exists except the Lord Jesus himself.