Romans 3:1-31
God's Faithfulness
1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 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.”
5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!
No One Is Righteous
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now 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. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
The laws of God are a fascinating and essential subject for study...Since God is the Creator of all things and our reality—and as confirmed in Scripture that "all things are made through Jesus" (John 1:3)—it is a profound Truth that every single rule, whether physical or ethical, originates from Him...This means God is the Ultimate Legislator, and by examining His laws, we find the clear distinction between the non-negotiable order of the cosmos and the high ethical standard He desires for humanity...C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, beautifully set up this distinction between the natural universe and the moral one, arguing that our innate sense of right and wrong points directly to a Divine Creator...To fully understand this topic, we can categorize God's rules based on their function, scope, and duration, moving from the laws governing the cosmos to the ultimate law of the New Covenant...
These verses from Romans Chapter 3 serve as the powerful theological pivot point for understanding the ultimate purpose and function of God's different and diverse laws...Paul talks about how the Law of Moses was not meant to justify us...After establishing the universal reality that all humanity—both Jew, who received the Covenantal Law, and Gentile, who possesses the innate Moral Law written on the heart—is condemned as being "under the power of sin," the Apostle Paul lays out the conclusion: the Law was never intended to justify us, but rather to act as a perfect, unflinching mirror, making us consciously aware of our failure to meet God's ethical standard (v. 20)...However, the chapter does not end in condemnation; instead, it immediately introduces "righteousness through faith" (v. 21), demonstrating that the Moral and Covenantal Laws, while unkeepable by humans, successfully pointed all people toward the Divine Solution—Jesus Christ—whose sacrifice fulfills the Law's demands and freely justifies all who believe in Him (v. 24–28)...This establishes that the Law's highest purpose is to prepare the world for the new Law of Christ, ensuring that God is simultaneously just and the justifier of those who have faith...
As we read what Paul has written we can believe that in Paul's theology he wants us to be saved...In the context of salvation and our standing before God, "to justify us" effectively means to save us from the condemnation brought by the Law of Moses...The theological meaning of "justification" is to be declared "not guilty" or "righteous" in God's sight, as if you had perfectly kept the Law of Moses...Since the Law exposed everyone as guilty (sinners), and the penalty for that guilt is spiritual death, being declared "justified" is precisely how we achieve salvation and eternal life...Therefore, when the passage states that the Law could not "declare righteous" (justify) us, and that Jesus stepped in to "justify those who have faith" (Romans 3:28), it is speaking of the act of salvation where Christ's righteousness is credited to us, freeing us from the Law's condemnation and thus, saving us...So Jesus takes us from justification from our faith, who acts as our Savior for our salvation...In Paul’s teaching, justification is the judicial act of God that is the beginning of salvation and secures the believer's standing before Him...It's not a step before being saved, but rather the Divine declaration that makes one saved and delivers one from eternal condemnation...Therefore, it is accurate to say that Jesus justifies us by faith, and this justification is the definitive act that secures and defines our salvation as the Savior of the world...
The Apostle Paul teaches that Jesus provides the definitive solution through His sacrifice, resulting in the act of justification by faith...This justification is God's judicial declaration that the believer is "not guilty" or "righteous" in His sight, effectively saving them from the condemnation brought by the Law...This act is precisely what secures our salvation and deliverance from eternal condemnation, clarifying that justification is not a precursor, but the very Divine Act that makes one saved...It is, therefore, by our faith that we are saved and stand in the constant need of our Savior, Christ our LORD...Since this entire system operates through God’s Grace—received solely by the principle of faith—it stands as the most vital Truth and most important of God's Laws concerning our eternal future and the gift of Eternal Life.
While theological interpretations vary in explaining God's Laws from the Great Theist St. Paul to Thomas Aquinas’s four-part hierarchy to simpler three-part divisions...Let us look at God's Law and reflect on them...We will primarily divide His Laws into four major categories: the Physical, the Moral, the Covenantal, and the Law of Christ...
Paul wrote about God and Jesus long before many theists...And like he does in both Romans 2 and Romans 3, he is discussing God's Laws in both...Paul was one of the first to discuss the theology of God's Laws...Paul did not use terminology like "Natural Laws" or "Prescriptive Laws," he powerfully discusses this precise three-part concept—the innate, objective standard that applies to everyone and the undeniable evidence for a Divine Creator—in his letter to the Romans, particularly in Romans Chapter 2...Paul argues that even those without the Mosaic Law, such as the Gentiles, inherently possess a Moral Law because "what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness" (Romans 2:14-15)...So Paul believed like Lewis that Moral Law is written on the heart...This establishes that the Law is Universal and Objective, and it is Prescriptive, meaning we know what we ought to do, but our failure to obey is confirmed by our own conscience (which either accuses or excuses us)...Crucially, Paul uses this universal brokenness to establish the Evidence for God's Law...The Law's primary function is not to justify us, but to act as a mirror, making us aware of our sin and proving that we are all, Jew and Gentile alike, "under the power of sin" (Romans 3:9)...This shared failure to live up to the innate moral standard—the very Law Lewis observed—serves as the necessary starting point for Christianity, demonstrating that a righteous Creator exists, has a perfect standard, and requires a Divine Solution (Jesus Christ) for our inability to obey...
In C. S. Lewis' book Mere Christianity is the framework he uses to explain the necessity of God's existence...Every single rule—from gravity to ethics—originates from God as the Creator and Sustainer of our reality is the perfect starting point for discussing the full scope of His Law...God is indeed the Ultimate Legislator, and by examining His laws, we find the distinction between the non-negotiable order of the cosmos and the high ethical standard He desires for humanity...To fully understand this topic, we can categorize God's rules based on their function, scope, and duration, moving from the laws governing the cosmos to the ultimate law of the New Covenant...
Some divide and discuss different laws of God, but we will primarily divide His Laws into four major categories: the Physical, the Moral, the Covenantal, and the Law of Christ...
The first category is The Physical (or Natural) Laws...As Lewis noted, these are the descriptive laws that govern the non-moral operation of the cosmos...These laws describe what is—gravity, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, chemistry, biology, and the constant movement of celestial bodies...God speaks these into existence, and they are obeyed universally without choice or consequence, as a stone cannot choose to defy gravity...These laws establish the perfect order, reliability, and predictability of the physical universe, confirming that God is a God of Supreme Order and designed the universe into an organized set of what we might call God Laws...The second category is the Moral Law (Lewis’s Law of Human Nature)...This is the prescriptive law, establishing what humans ought to do, and is often considered the Universal & Objective Law—a non-material standard of right and wrong that applies to everyone, not just personal preference...This Moral Law is universal and innate, written on the human heart and conscience, confirming that humans possess the capacity for moral choice...Paul affirmed this idea long before Lewis in Romans Chapter 2, arguing that even those without the written Mosaic Law inherently possess a Moral Law because "what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness" (Romans 2:14-15)...This Moral Law is Prescriptive, meaning we know what we ought to do (like following the ethical principles of the Ten Commandments, which are the clearest codification of this eternal law), but we choose to disobey it...This failure to live up to the innate moral standard serves as the Great Evidence for God's Law: our awareness of this standard, and our inability to keep it, puts us "wrong with our Creator" proving our need for a Savior...
The third category is The Covenantal Laws (The Mosaic Covenant), which are the contextual laws specific to the covenant God made with the nation of Israel...These laws are often broken down into two distinct sub-categories...The Ceremonial Law consisted of rules concerning worship, priesthood, clean and unclean foods, sacrifices, and rituals (e.g., the Passover, the annual Day of Atonement)...These laws were never eternal; they were typological, meaning they pointed forward to the Ultimate Sacrifice and fulfillment found in Jesus Christ...With Christ's Perfect Sacrifice, these laws were fulfilled and are no longer binding on believers (Hebrews 10:1)...So Jesus replaced the Law of Moses...The second sub-category is the Judicial (or Civil) Law...These were laws for the civil governance and administration of the nation of Israel as a theocracy (e.g., rules for property boundaries, restitution for damages, punishments for specific crimes)...These laws are not binding on modern nations, as they were specific to the historical, cultural, and political existence of ancient Israel, although their underlying principles of justice and equity remain instructive...
Finally, there is The Law of Christ (The Law of LOVE/Agape). This is the fulfilling law, which Jesus summarized and intensified, moving the focus from external compliance (the letter of the Law) to internal motive (the spirit of the Law)...Christ summarized all the Moral Law into two great commands: to love the LORD your God with all your heart... and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40)...This Agape LOVE of Jesus and His Father is the ultimate expression of God’s nature and the New Covenant standard...It is the very law that makes the Moral Law so "hard as nails," demanding we love our enemies and choose self-sacrifice over comfort...By perfectly obeying this law on our behalf, Jesus satisfied the demands of the Moral Law and made it possible for us to live by this New Law through the power of the Holy Spirit, transforming our natural inclination to serve ourselves into a spiritual capacity to serve and value others, just as He did...