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LESSON 4
Romans
3:21-31
God’s
Righteousness
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The
Previous Lesson – The Fall of Mankind
The previous lesson closed with the text of9-20 in which Paul
charged that all men are under the power of sin and in need of
justification (forgiveness).
However, he stated clearly that no human being can be
justified in the sight of God (Rom 3:19, 20) for the purpose of the law
(Torah) was not to justify, but to clarify the true nature and consequences
of sin.
You should remember that in the Jew’s mind the Torah took on
a “divine” character and gave instruction on how to live a righteous life
before God.
God’s
Righteousness
The term righteousness of God can be interpreted to mean
God’s “personal” righteousness or the righteousness that he gives to others.
Both find their place in Romans!
God is a righteous God because he treats all men equally in
making them righteous!
There is a double meaning in the term, with the one concept
leading into the other, and Paul often uses the term to imply both meanings!
Righteousness and Justification
First, a brief discussion on the term righteousness and
justification!
Both words or concepts are built off the same Greek root and
are similar in meaning.
Justification is the process by which is declared
righteous.
Righteousness is the result of justification and
refers to ones standing with God.
Righteous does not mean sinless, but carries the meaning of
forgiven!
In Jewish (and Pauline) understanding, righteousness meant
to be in a right relationship with God
(that is forgiven).
In Pauline and Christian theology one is not declared
righteous by one’s ability to keep the law (Torah), either perfectly (which
because of our human nature is impossible) of partially!
The purpose of the law (Torah) was never intended by God to
forgive or make one righteous. The purpose of the law was to clarify sin,
show its consequences, and indict one for sin (Rom 3:19, 20; Rom 7:7(.
We learn from Romans that righteousness with God is on the
basis of faith, and faith only (meaning without keeping the law or working
for one’s salvation).
That is why both Jew and Gentile can be declared righteous
even though the Gentile did not have the law (Torah), since righteousness
is not based on law keeping, but on faith!
Neither is the Jew righteous by law keeping, since they have
not, and do not keep the law perfectly.
For both Jew and Gentile, righteousness is based on faith,
but not any kind of faith!
Righteousness, Paul will explain, is by faith in Jesus Christ
(Rom 3:21-22).
When the Jews rejected Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, they
really did not believe God (although they claimed to do so), since God had
proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah (the miracles of Jesus and his
resurrection indicate this. Note Rom 1:4, “designated Son of God in power
according to the spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead…”).
It was not that the Jew had no faith, they did, but they
refused to let that faith mature, for Paul will later (Rom 10:1-3; 16-19)
explain that the faith and zeal of the Jew needed to be enlightened,
educated, or focused on Jesus.
In Paul’s understanding of Jewish and Christian theology,
righteousness is based on faith in the working of God in Jesus Christ, on
the cross, and in the resurrection, which were stumbling blocks to the Jews
(Rom 10:17-21, see also Peter on this,1 Pet 2:6).
Paul argues that God is righteous because he treats both Jew
and Gentile the same, showing no partiality or favouritism (Rom 2:11).
Since all (both Jew and Gentile) have fallen short of the
glory of God and sinned, all (both Jew and Gentile) will be justified by the
same principle, by God’s grace through faith in Jesus (Rom 3:23, 24).
Paul’s
Theology of Justification (Rom 3:21-26)
In this text we have the heart of Paul’s doctrine of
atonement and justification.
Here he mentions many of the great words that speak of God’s
forgiveness (justification, redemption, expiation, the blood of Jesus,
faith, righteousness).
For the sake of simplicity we will list the
main features of Paul’s theology of Justification mentioned in this text.
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Justification is not by law (Torah) keeping (Rom 3:19-21).
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Both Jew and Gentile (the whole world) are guilty of sin;
God shows no partiality
(Rom 3:9, 19, 22, 23).
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In fact, the “whole world is under the power of sin” and is
held accountable to God (Rom 3:9, 19).
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But
now (in the Christian age, or the age of
the Messiah) God’s righteousness (both his and that which he gives to us)
is made manifest in Jesus Christ and apart form the law (Rom 3:21).
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The Jews should have known this because the prophets
witnessed to this (Rom 1: 2; 3:21).
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The principle of righteousness is that God declares one
righteous (in a right relationship with Him) through faith (trusting) in
Jesus Christ (Rom 3:22). Notice the emphasis on faith in Jesus Christ.
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There is no distinction in this principle of righteousness,
for this principle is for all, both Jew and Gentile on the same grounds
(Rom 3:22).
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Since
all (both Jew and Gentile) have sinned
and are accountable to God for their sin (Rom 3:19),
all
(both Jew and Gentile) will be justified by God’s grace as a gift (Rom
3:23). No exception is made, no distinction by reason of ethnic
background (Rom 2:11, 22).
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Justification (salvation Eph 2:8) is a gift (unearned) of
God’s grace (Rom 3:24; grace from Greek charis = pleasure, or
favour).
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Both Jew and Gentile have access to this grace through
faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 3:24; 5:2).
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By God’s grace all are justified through the redemption (to
redeem = to be purchased back from sin) which is in Jesus Christ (Rom
3:24).
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God has put Jesus forward as an expiation (Greek
hilasterion = forgiveness, or atonement. The word is used in the OT for
the mercy seat of God where atonement took place). Jesus has become the
means of our atonement or forgiveness (Rom 3:23).
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This expiation or atonement is to be received through faith
(trusting) in Jesus Christ because God, who is faithful, will justified
all by the same principle, through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom
3:25, 26).
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This principle of justification by God’s grace to which all
have access through faith in Jesus Christ removes the possibility of all
personal boasting in their ability to keep law or do enough works to
warrant justification (Rom 3::27, 28).
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God justifies the Jew (the circumcised) on the
basis of
their faith which caused them to be circumcised, and the Gentile
through their faith which caused them to turn to god (Rom 3:30).
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However, Paul has already explained that this faith is not
any kind of faith, but a faith focused on, and in accepting Jesus as the
Messiah. This principle holds true for both Jew and Gentile.
Paul’s
Summary on Justification (Rom 3:27-31)
Paul argues that when righteousness and justification are in
law keeping we have might boast, but in order to do so the Jew would have to
keep the law perfectly, which Paul has already demonstrated in Rom 2 is not
what takes place.
Since justification is not in law keeping, but faith in what
God has done in Jesus, all our boasting is excluded (Rom 3:27).
Boasting is excluded by justification being based on the
principle of faith, not the principle of law [the word
nomos which is
used in this text is normally translated law, but can also be
translated principle, as it should be in this text] (Rom 3:26).
If justification was based on law then you would have to have
two God’s, one for the Jew and one for the Gentile, because then two
principles would be necessary, one for the Jew and one for the Gentile, else
God would be unrighteous or not fair. However, since he treats all the
same, he is righteous, and there is no need for a second god!
The
Big Question! (Rom 3:31)
For the serious Jew this doctrine would raise significant
questions, which later would lead to a series of similar questions.
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Does this doctrine mean that God has turned away from, and
rejected the law (Torah).
This would be unthinkable for the Jew, almost heresy, for the Torah was
considered holy!
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Paul’s strident answer to this question was “By no
means!”. This becomes a technical expression in Romans, meaning,
“No, never, never, never, this is unthinkable!”
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To the contrary, Paul argues, justification by faith
actually upholds the law!
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Paul returns to this type of question in Rom 5 and 7
where he will argue that the law is holy, righteous, spiritual, and
good.
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The second major question or objection would be, “Is this
doctrine something new?”
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To this Paul answers, “No! It is as old as Abraham!”
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A third question, and even more troublesome to the Jew
would be “Has God then rejected the Jew, his chosen race, in favour of
the Gentile?”
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This question is so troublesome to Paul that he will
later devote three whole chapters to answering this! (Rom 9 – 11).
Some
Major Issues Today for Members of the Church of Christ
1. There
is the question of “faith only” which in our discussions with Baptists and
others of similar persuasion is a major concern.
a. How
do we explain baptism in the context of “faith only?”
b.
We must keep in mind Paul’s
arguments in Romans in the context of Jewish arguments in favour of
justification by
keeping the law.
Paul will have nothing
of this!
He will answer the Jew,
“We are justified by faith only, not by keeping the law (Torah).
c.
If we see baptism as a matter
of law keeping, then we do have a problem, for Paul will have nothing of
this! But since
Paul has a lot to
say about baptism, how
do we answer this question?
d. The
question we must ask is whether we see baptism as a sacrament (a matter of
law keeping) or simply a work we do
in obedience,
or a faith principle?
e.
Is baptism a work principle or
a faith principle?
f.
We might ask a similar question, “Is faith a
work principle, for we have to believe, it is not something that happens, we
must make a
decision and believe.
Is faith then a work?”
g.
Baptism
for Paul is not a work principle, but a faith principle! It is something
we submit to in faith.
h.
We
are never taught in the New Testament to baptize ourselves! We are taught
to submit to baptism in faith, that is
trusting in God’s
working.
i.
Baptism is always
commanded or taught in the passive voice indicating that it is not something
we do, but something
that is doe to
us! (See Acts 2:38,
22:16, et al).
j.
This implies that we
submit in faith to being baptized.
k.
In
Col 2:12 Paul explains that baptism is not something we do, but it is
trusting (faith) in the working of God.
l.
It
is God and his Holy Spirit who work in Baptism, not us, we merely submit in
baptism, trusting in god, and he does the
work!
2.
For
Paul, one cannot separate faith and obedience, or faith and baptism.
They
form the ends of a continuum. Remove the
one end of the
continuum and you
destroy the continuum, or the other end of the continuum!
a.
Three times in Romans Paul
speaks of faith that is obedient:
i.
Rom 1:5, where Paul speaks about his
apostleship. He defines it as “to bring about the obedience of faith
ii.
Rom 6:17 where he speaks an=bout the Romans who have been “obedient from the
heart” to the standard of teaching
they had heard.
iii.
Rom
16:267 where he again speaks about the “obedience of faith.”
b.
For Paul
faith and obedience are two ends of a continuum
i.
You cannot have faith without obedience! If
you do try this, it is no longer faith (trusting in God or Jesus), but
honouring
your own
opinion!
ii.
You cannot have obedience without faith. If you do you have no root in God
for that obedience, and can then obey
anything that
sounds good, even the
law, and expect justification! Faith and obedience for Paul are always
focused
on Jesus, the source of our
obedience.
ii
Can
a person claim to have faith (trust) in Jesus and refuse to obey him or his
apostles, especially as they speak of
baptism?
iv
Can
a person be obedient to Jesus while refusing to believe in him?
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In the case of the faith-baptism continuum, if you remove
baptism from the continuum and you destroy both faith and baptism.
Remove baptism from faith in God’s working and what do you have? A
wet person!
Remove faith from
baptism and what do you get? Another wet person!
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When one is baptized in
obedience to Jesus and his Apostles one is not working for justification,
but submitting to the working of God in salvation.
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Paul does not
consider the faith baptism continuum a works principle, but a faith
principle.
Consider these Scriptures and points:
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Gal 3:26, 27
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Rom 6:1-6
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Col 1:12
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Faith, or believing, is something we do, it does not
happen to us, nor does God do it for us, we are taught to believe (John
8:24 “unless you believe in me you will die in your sins”). Believing
is not a work, but is a faith principle.
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Repentance is something we do based on our faith in God,
but we have to repent for ourselves. Repentance is not a work, but
faith responding. Repentance is a faith principle.
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Baptism is something we submit to but it is not something
we do as a work to earn something. It is faith responding to God.
Baptism is a faith principle, not a work principle.
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Faith, Repentance, Confessing our faith, and Baptism are
all faith principles on the faith – baptism continuum. They work together
and depend on one another. Remove one and you collapse the faith
continuum!
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Faith, Repentance, Confessing our faith, and Baptism are
not works we engage in to earn credit, salvation, or favour for
justification.
They are the trusting principle of faith in God and Jesus.
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For further discussion on faith, baptism, and Acts 2:38 refer
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