Grace Presbyterian Church, Montclair, New Jersey

In this thrilling section Paul comes to the first of four concluding levels of discourse as he sets out his total argument (the other three will be Romans 5:12-21, Romans 8:28-39 and Romans 11:25-32. Paul here introduces his full understanding of “the righteousness of God” (first stated in Romans 1:17). This righteousness is God’s act of making humanity righteous through faith in Christ alone. “For there is no distinction” (Romans 3:22). It is not the Jewish law, nor the search for “glory, honor and immortality,” which the best of the Gentiles desired, that bring us to God. God alone has solved the human dilemma. He comes to us through Christ’s death on the cross.

1. The Righteousness of God – Romans 3:21-26
   1. God has revealed his own righteousness “apart from the law.” This was witnessed to “by the law and the prophets” but not fully revealed in them. We are getting here to the heart of the gospel. God does not require us to be righteous since this is now impossible given the reality of our sin (Romans 3:10-18). We cannot seek God’s favor through performing the works of the law. Indeed we cannot do them.
   2. Paul will explain that God’s righteousness is God’s own unique way of making us acceptable in his sight. In order for this to be accomplished God must do several things which we are incapable of doing.
      1. God must forgive our sin without condoning or ignoring it.
      2. God must wipe away our sin so that no trace of it is left.
      3. God then must make us righteous so that we can be acceptable to him. The only way this is possible is that we are given his righteousness “as a gift” (Romans 3:24):
         

         “For our sake he made him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – II Corinthians 5:21

      4. God must destroy “the power of sin” (3:9). Law only increases the power of sin (Romans 3:20, 7:5-6).
   3. This righteousness in Christ comes through faith alone “for all who believe.” Who are these? Are they the faithful Israelites (Mark 10:20), the religious Greeks (Acts 17:22) or even the closest followers of Jesus (Matthew 20:20-21)? The answer is none of these, in fact no one, “not even one” (Romans 3:10). Paul here has seemingly moved beyond his initial breakdown of Jew and Gentile in chapter 2. He defines here what is really going on in the hearts of those who inherit eternal life. It is nothing ultimately that comes from them. Rather it is the righteousness of God which has come to them. The sign of this is belief in Christ.
   4. Paul however expands further. “For there is no distinction:”
      1. All have sinned and fallen short (the same word as in John 2:3, “the wine gave out.”) of the glory of God. Again it is important to remember Paul’s prevailing use of the word, “all.” For Paul “all‘ signifies no exception.
      2. Yet this same “all” are now “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Two further points need to be noted here:
         1. This “now” of necessity includes a “not yet’ since we don’t at present see everyone in Christ. The “now” refers to the present power and efficacy of the work of Jesus Christ. Yet we are also here seeing a reference to the “eschatological universalism” of Paul which will be developed throughout the epistle. This universalism is the saving of all who are lost in Adam (I Corinthians 15:22). For the time being we have to hold this in tension with Paul’s statements of judgment (Romans 2:9-12).
         2. “Redemption” here literally means being set free as in the case of slaves who were given their freedom. “Redeem” includes the idea of buying back something which one had previously lost (Luke 24:21; Galatians 4:5; cf. Luke 15:3-6).
   5. God has “put forward” Christ as “a means of atonement.” The word, “atonement” here refers to the “mercy seat” in the tabernacle where God would meet his people (Exodus 25:17-22). The atonement was the great central event in the life of Israel (“Yom Kippur,” “Day of atonement,” Leviticus 16). Jesus is both offered and received as our atonement. This has three meanings:
      1. The atonement is a “sin offering” (Leviticus 16:11). The offering pays the price for the sin committed. This is propitiation. Christ has become sin for us (II Corinthians 5:21). Our sin has been transferred to him and in turn his righteousness has been transferred to us so that we are now justified in God’s sight (Romans 3:26).
      2. The atonement washes away our sin as though it never existed (I Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:22; Revelation 7:14). This is expiation. The law that condemned us has been erased (Colossians 2:14).
      3. Ultimately, the atonement destroys the power of all the forces that oppose God. For Paul sin, death and even the law are examples of these “powers” (Colossians 2:15; Ephesians 4:8, 6:12; Romans 5:20, 8:38; cf. John 12:31, 14:30; I John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14-15).
   6. All this becomes effective through faith which itself is part of God’s gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus’ death covers all sin past, present and future. Therefore God was able to overlook the “sins previously committed” (Romans 3:25; Acts 17:30-31). Through faith in Jesus we are justified. This applies to everyone, Jew and Gentile, righteous and unrighteous. There are no exceptions and no distinctions.
2. Can we have any pride at all? – Romans 3:27-31
   1. There is no basis for boasting (Romans 3:27). Paul no doubt here is thinking initially of the Jews with the law. However this applies to all of us. We have done nothing for our salvation. God has done everything. We then have no basis for judging (Romans 2:1) or viewing ourselves as in any way superior to any one else (Romans 3:9). This is a difficult lesson but an essential one. We are all one with the tax collector who cries, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13).
   2. When Paul speaks of the “law of faith,” he actually means the “rule or standard of faith” (Romans 3:27). Paul refers here to one of his central themes, “justification by faith.” This justification is “apart from works prescribed by the law” (Romans 3:28). Paul never denies the importance of works (II Corinthians 5:10). Yet our works can never define our position before God. It is important to remember that the act of believing itself is a “work” (in fact belief in God is the first commandment of the law, Exodus 20:3). It is something we do. It is however nothing about which we can ever boast.
   3. Paul reiterates the universal character of God. God is not simply the God of the Jews. He is also the God of the Gentiles (Romans 3:29-30). Everything depends on faith alone.
   4. Paul wants to maintain that he is not overturning the law. Rather he is defining the proper role of the law. The law cannot bring us salvation. Much less can it define our relationship to God. The law’s value is that it prepares us for Christ (Galatians 3:21-26). Paul will develop his views on the law further in chapter 4 when he discusses God’s promises to Abraham.
3. Question for Us –
   1. Why do we have such difficulty accepting the truth that “there is no distinction,” that we are no better than anyone else (“all have sinned”)?
   2. What does it mean for us in the daily struggles of life to realize that God has done everything to make us right with him and we then have done and can do nothing?
   3. How does this great truth of justification by faith inspire us and motivate us in our Christian life?

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