An exposition of Paul's Letter to Romans

An exposition of Paul’s Letter to Romans

Chapter 10 of 29 • Chapter 3 • George Booker

Comment on Rom 3:1

WHAT ADVANTAGE, THEN, IS THERE IN BEING A JEW, OR WHAT VALUE IS THERE IN CIRCUMCISION?: That is, in light of Romans 2:28,29.

Comment on Rom 3:2

MUCH IN EVERY WAY! FIRST OF ALL…: A manifold advantage, made explicit by "first of all". This suggests that there should follow an enumeration of all the ways in which the Jews have the advantage, but Paul proceeds no further than this first point. Eventually a fuller list is provided, but it must wait until Romans 9 (Rom 9:4,5).

THEY HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE VERY WORDS OF GOD: The "logion" has been taken to refer to:

God's general promises to the Jews;
the Abrahamic and Messianic promises especially; but most commonly to:
the entire Old Testament generally.

The Jews have been made the custodians of the Word of God (Deut 4:5-8; Psa 147:19,20). And so salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22); they should have been a "light" to the Gentiles (Rom 2:17-20).

Paul is surely implying here that, while the Jews had a wonderful advantage over the Gentiles when they were given God's Law, it was at the same time a serious responsibility, and their failure to live by all of God's Law would bring their judgment all the more quickly. With greater advantages come greater responsibilities, and possibly greater judgments!

Comment on Rom 3:3

WHAT IF SOME DID NOT HAVE FAITH?: To be "entrusted" (v 2) with the divine oracles obviously means more than to be the recipient of them. Actually it means more even than to be the custodian and transmitter of them. What is called for is faith and obedience. And it is just at this point that the Jew failed. Paul has already dealt sufficiently with Jewish failure in terms of the Law of Moses, but here he deals with it in terms of God's revealed purpose.

He is generous in saying only that "SOME did not have faith." In 1 Corinthians 10:1 he says that some became idolaters, some murmured, etc. Actually, only two men of the Exodus generation pleased God and were permitted to enter the promised land. Paul is recognizing the concept of the faithful remnant in Israel.

DID NOT HAVE FAITH: Is the rendering "did not have faith" ("did not believe": KJV) acceptable here, or should one regard the RSV translation, "were unfaithful", as preferable? The problem is to determine which fits better with the contrasting term, "God's faithfulness" (in the next phrase). The revelation of God summons man both to faith (i.e., to believe in His promises) and to faithfulness (i.e., exhorting man to live in a manner worthy of God's children).

WILL THEIR LACK OF FAITH NULLIFY GOD'S FAITHFULNESS?: Because some in Israel failed (actually, only a few did NOT fail!), shall God withdraw His promises and be proved "unfaithful" because of them? Of course not (v 4)!

Comment on Rom 3:4

NOT AT ALL!: "God forbid" (KJV). "Let it not be so." The word for "God" is not in the original. See the Appendix, "God forbid!"

LET GOD BE TRUE, AND EVERY MAN A LIAR: That is, 'Even IF every man were shown to be a liar, still God would be proved true.' Compare Psalm 116:11.

EVERY MAN: As we might expect, this phrase is most often used generically, to mean "every person".

AS IT IS WRITTEN: "SO THAT YOU MAY BE PROVED RIGHT WHEN YOU SPEAK AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU JUDGE": Paul now quotes from Psalm 51:4 to draw into the argument a notable experience of David: The psalm is written as a memorial to his penitent acknowledgment of his sin in the matter of Bathsheba and Uriah. After being chastened for his sin and refusal to confess it for a long period, David was ready to admit that God was in the right and he was in the wrong.

PROVED RIGHT: This is the simpler translation of the word "dikaioo" that the KJV usually renders "justified".

Comment on Rom 3:5

BUT IF OUR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS BRINGS OUT GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS MORE CLEARLY: The sharp contrast between God's righteousness and man's unrighteousness is shown all the more clearly when man fails.

WHAT SHALL WE SAY? THAT GOD IS UNJUST IN BRINGING HIS WRATH ON US?: Is it not possible (so the question might go) that, since human failure can bring out more sharply the righteousness of God, the Almighty ought to be grateful for this service and soften the judgment that would otherwise be due the offender? The question is one a Jew might well resort to in line with his thought that God would go easy on His covenant people. The mention of wrath ties in with Romans 2:8,9.

I AM USING A HUMAN ARGUMENT: Literally, "I speak as a man." The same expression occurs in Galatians 3:15, and similar phrases in Romans 6:19 and 1 Corinthians 9:8.

This phrase "constitutes an apology for a statement which, but for the apology, would be too bold, almost blasphemous" (Daube, cited in EBC). Paul's explanatory statement is due to his having permitted himself to use the word "unjust" about God, even though it is not his own assertion. If that were so, that is, if God were unjust, He would not be qualified to judge the world. There is no attempt to establish His qualifications, since the readers, at least, are not in doubt on a point of this sort about which Scripture is so clear.

Comment on Rom 3:6

CERTAINLY NOT!: The same word as in verse 4 (see note there).

IF IT WERE SO, HOW COULD GOD JUDGE THE WORLD?: This would be the natural conclusion to the argument (v 5). But of course, it was a self-evident truth, that "God is judge", and no one else! He is the only Judge of Jew AND Gentile (Gen 18:25; Deut 32:36; Psa 50:1-6; 149:5-9; 1 Pet 3:17,18).

Comment on Rom 3:7

SOMEONE MIGHT ARGUE, "IF MY FALSEHOOD ENHANCES GOD'S TRUTHFULNESS AND SO INCREASES HIS GLORY, WHY AM I STILL CONDEMNED AS A SINNER?": The KJV treats this as simply words from Paul, but the NIV repunctuates it as a quote from others. As if to say, 'Then surely God must be more responsible for my "lie" than I am! So why should He condemn me? I am mere clay in His hands.'

Comment on Rom 3:8

WHY NOT SAY — AS WE ARE BEING SLANDEROUSLY REPORTED AS SAYING AND AS SOME CLAIM THAT WE SAY — "LET US DO EVIL THAT GOOD MAY RESULT"?: The same basic argument as in Romans 6:1: "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?"

THEIR CONDEMNATION IS DESERVED: As if to say, 'This is so obviously ludicrous that it merits no other response!' Paul will not deal with slanderers who refuse to reason on logical principles in the word of God. He simply dismisses them.

Comment on Rom 3:9-19

In proving that both Jews and Gentiles are "under sin" (v 9), Paul calls the witness of Old Testament Scriptures. He gathers together a number of passages from the Psalms and Isaiah. None are righteous; all are departed from the way:

Verses 10-12 are from Psalm 14:1-3 (= Psalm 53:1-3);
Verse 13 from Psalm 5:9; 140:3;
Verse 14 from Psalm 10:7;
Verses 15-17 from Isaiah 59:7,8; and
Verse 18 from Psalm 36:1.

The verses are clearly selected from those that apply to Jews, under the covenant, so that their significance cannot be tossed aside and laid upon the really "wicked" Gentiles only!

Throat (v 13), tongue (v 13), lips (v 13), and mouth (v 14) trace the stages of speech. Finally the feet (v 15) and the eyes (v 18) get into the act also. In short, those who believe in Christ ought to be "circumcised" in their words, their daily lives (i.e., their 'feet'), and their desires or thoughts (the 'eyes').

But serpent-like speech (Gen 3:1) is clearly the foundation and source of all wickedness. From the speech of that subtle creature of Eden has sprung, indirectly, all sin. His throat was an "open sepulcher" (Rom 3:13). His tongue, the "little member" full of boasting, brought on the defilement of the whole bodies of both Adam and Eve (James 3:5,6). The great fire of corruption was kindled by his words, and human nature was changed for the worse. Now it can rightly be said of all mankind that they are, naturally, the seed of the serpent (Gen 3:15): "the poison of asps is under their lips" (Rom 3:13)!

These passages demonstrate that those who were "circumcised" in the flesh, i.e., male Jews, were not necessarily "circumcised" in their minds and hearts and actions. They had undergone a ritual circumcision, but it meant nothing if they did not live their lives differently as a consequence.

Comment on Rom 3:9

WHAT SHALL WE CONCLUDE THEN? ARE WE ANY BETTER?: 'Do we, the Jews, have a higher moral excellence than the Gentiles?'

NOT AT ALL! WE HAVE ALREADY MADE THE CHARGE THAT JEWS AND GENTILES ALIKE ARE ALL UNDER SIN: That is, "under (judgment for) sin". To be under sin is to be under its dominion and condemnation. Thus Paul summarizes his argument in Romans 2.

It is noteworthy that in his discussion of sin up to this point Paul does not charge the Jew with the death of Christ as he does in 1 Thessalonians 2:15. He could have included the Gentile also (cf Acts 4:27,28) and made this a clinching factor in the case against mankind, but he did not. Perhaps this is because few Jews and still fewer Gentiles were involved in the actual death of the Lord Jesus. Paul is basing his case on a much wider sampling of human character and conduct. The specific episode of Golgotha is not needed to make the verdict certain.

Comment on Rom 3:10-18

Writing to those who are for the most part Gentiles, Paul does not set down Scripture first and then work from that as a base for exposition (which is the method used in Hebrews), but he uses only a minimum of reference to the Old Testament to substantiate what he has established. Leaving Scripture to the conclusion of the argument is calculated to increase the respect of the Gentile for it as being able to depict man's condition accurately and faithfully.

Both Jews and early Christians were in the habit of drawing up collections of Scripture passages relating to various topics in order to use them as proof texts for instruction or argumentation. It is not known whether the present collection, taken mostly from the Psalms, is the work of Paul or whether he is utilizing something previously formulated.

Verses 10-12 cite Psalm 14:1-3, which describes the "fool" who denies God "in his heart".

AS IT IS WRITTEN: "THERE IS NO ONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE": "Our guilt is great because our sins are exceedingly numerous. It is not merely outward acts of unkindness and dishonesty with which we are chargeable. Our habitual and characteristic state of mind is evil in the sight of God.

"Our pride and indifference to His will and to the welfare of others and our loving the creature more than the Creator are continuous violations of His holy law. We have never been or done what that law requires us to be and to do. We have never had delight in that fixed purpose to do the will and promote the glory of God. We are always sinners; we are at all times and under all circumstances in opposition to God.

"If we have never loved Him supremely, if we have never made it our purpose to do His will, if we have never made His glory the end of our actions, then our lives have been an unbroken series of transgressions. Our sins are not to be numbered by the conscious violations of duty; they are as numerous as the moments of our existence" (Charles Hodge).

Comment on Rom 3:11

"THERE IS NO ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, NO ONE WHO SEEKS GOD": Parallel to Proverbs 2:9,10; Psalm 69:32; Isaiah 8:19; Matthew 13:14,15.

Comment on Rom 3:12

"ALL HAVE TURNED AWAY, THEY HAVE TOGETHER BECOME WORTHLESS; THERE IS NO ONE WHO DOES GOOD, NOT EVEN ONE": They had turned away like a stray sheep that had forgotten its master's voice (Psa 119:176; Isa 53:6). Israel had left the Shepherd's path of righteousness (Psa 23:3).

Comment on Rom 3:13

Verses 10-12 (Psa 14:1-3) deal with man's inner thoughts, which are wicked altogether. Now Paul begins to work outward: throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, etc. Man's entire being is adversely affected by sin. His whole nature is permeated with it.

"THEIR THROATS ARE OPEN GRAVES": Citing Psalm 5:9: men speaking falsehoods (Psa 5:6), thus discharging the stench of flesh through their corrupt mouths. They are "whited sepulchers, full of dead men's bones" (Matt 23:27).

"THEIR TONGUES PRACTICE DECEIT": Compare James 3:5,6; Isaiah 59:3.

"THE POISON OF VIPERS IS ON THEIR LIPS": Citing Psalm 140:3: the metaphor of a serpent's forked tongue under which is a deadly poison. All sin started from the serpent's lie in Eden: that which comes out of a man's heart defiles him (Matt 15:10-20). The tongue is full of deadly poison (James 3:8).

Comment on Rom 3:14

"THEIR MOUTHS ARE FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS": Citing Psalm 10:7. The bitterness of deceit, lying and hypocrisy (Matt 23:27; Psa 59:12; James 3:10).

Comment on Rom 3:15

"THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD": This passage (vv. 15-17) cites Isaiah 59:7,8, which describes the wicked nation of Israel. Isaiah seems to be quoting Proverbs 1:11, 16 in turn (cp also Prov 6:17,18).

This is not just about shedding blood, for the next phrase in Isaiah 59:7, not quoted here, is: "Their thoughts are evil thoughts." We can kill with thoughts as well.

Comment on Rom 3:16

"RUIN AND MISERY MARK THEIR WAYS": In their wake they leave ruined lives, the abominable manifestation of the evil heart within. In this world of wickedness, human relations suffer, because society can be no better than those who constitute it.

Comment on Rom 3:17

"AND THE WAY OF PEACE THEY DO NOT KNOW": In the context of Isaiah 59:8 is Isaiah 57:19-21: " 'Peace, peace, to those far and near,' says the Lord. 'And I will heal them.' But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. 'There is no peace,' says my God, 'for the wicked.' "

Comment on Rom 3:18

"THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES": Citing Psalm 36:1. These men have no regard or reverence for the character, authority and honor of the Lord.

Comment on Rom 3:19

NOW WE KNOW THAT WHATEVER THE LAW SAYS, IT SAYS TO THOSE WHO ARE UNDER THE LAW, SO THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE SILENCED: Building on the thought of Psalm 63:11: "The mouths of liars will be silenced" (cp also Ezek 16:60-63; Job 5:15; Psa 107:42).

When human achievement is measured against what God requires, there is no place for pride or boasting, but only for silence that gives consent to the verdict of guilty. In the various Bible scenes of judgment, the silence of those who are being judged is a notable feature (e.g., Rev 20:11-14). Questions may be raised for the sake of clarification of the reason for the verdict (Matt 25:41-46), but when the explanation is given, no appeal is attempted. The Judge of all the earth does right (Gen 18:25).

AND THE WHOLE WORLD HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD: Paul says all the world has been "charged" (v 9) in the court of divine justice. First charged, and now convicted. "Through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful" (Rom 7:13).

How will the condemnation of Israel, as a single people, show the whole world to be accountable to Divine judgment? "Two possibilities come to mind:

One is that the Jewish nation is being regarded as a test case for all peoples. If given the same privileges enjoyed by Israel, the rest would likewise have failed. Their human nature is no different from that of the sons of Abraham.
Another possibility, which is the more likely explanation, is that the failure of the non-Jews is so patent that it is not a debatable subject; it can be taken for granted as already established (Rom 1:18-32).

Once it has been determined that the record of the Jew is no better, then judgment is seen as universally warranted" (Harrison).

Comment on Rom 3:20

THEREFORE NO ONE WILL BE DECLARED RIGHTEOUS IN HIS SIGHT BY OBSERVING THE LAW: "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight" (KJV). Citing Psalm 143:2: "Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you."

BY OBSERVING THE LAW: "The deeds of the law" (v 20). For the first time in Romans we encounter the expression "by works of law" (cf v 28) which has such prominence in Galatians (Gal 2:16; 3:2, 5, 10).

According to NET Notes, some recent scholars have understood the phrase "works of the law" to refer not to obedience to the Mosaic law generally, but specifically to portions of the law that pertain to things like circumcision and dietary laws which set the Jewish people apart from the other nations (e.g., J.D.G. Dunn, Word Biblical Commentary).

Other interpreters reject this narrow interpretation for a number of reasons, among which the most important are:

The second half of verse 20, "for through the law comes the knowledge of sin", is hard to explain if the phrase 'works of the law' is understood in a restricted sense.
The plural phrase "works of the law" would have to be understood in a different sense from the singular phrase "the work of the law" in Romans 2:15.
Similar phrases involving the law in Romans (Rom 2:13,14; 2:25-27; 7:25; 8:4; 13:8) which are naturally related to the phrase "works of the law" cannot be taken to refer to circumcision. In fact, in Romans 2:25 circumcision is explicitly contrasted with keeping the law.

Those interpreters who reject the 'narrow' interpretation of 'works of the law' understand the phrase to refer to obedience to the Mosaic law in general.

RATHER, THROUGH THE LAW WE BECOME CONSCIOUS OF SIN: "The law was added so that the trespass might increase" (Rom 5:20). Compare also Galatians 3:19-25. The practical result of working seriously with the law is to "become conscious of sin" (cf also Rom 7:7-11). How startling it is to contemplate the fact that the best revelation we have from God only deepens our awareness of inevitable failure — unless we also have Christ! The law of Moses itself loudly proclaims man's need for the gospel.

Comment on Rom 3:21-31

Paul has shown that all men, on account of their possession of the weakness of flesh, stand condemned on a basis of law before God. The logical follow-up questions: How can man ever be justified? On what basis is salvation made possible? Only at the "mercy seat", where a "sacrifice for atonement" can be found, in Christ Jesus. Salvation is dependent upon a clear understanding and a dedicated application of the principles contained in these verses.

These verses mark the notable transition in Paul's Letter to the Romans. In Romans 1:16,17 Paul first wrote of the "gospel", i.e., "the good news": it was, and is, the power of God for the salvation of all men. But it has taken him another two chapters, during which he carefully outlines the "bad news", before he is ready to explain how God has used His Son Jesus Christ to reveal the way in which that "good news power" is made available to all men.

Many a humorous story contains a line like this: 'Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?' Usually, in the telling of the story, the bad news, being told last, supersedes and negates the good news. But here, in Romans, it is the reverse. Paul seems to say, you must hear the 'bad news', and you must understand how exceedingly bad it really is. You are condemned under sin, with no hope at all; left to your own devices, you will surely perish without any remedy. Do you understand that? No matter how many more-or-less good deeds you do along the way, at the end of your life you will die without remedy. The 'bad news' must sink in first, before the 'good news' — the "gospel" — can have its proper effect.

So, if you are ever asked again, 'Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?', you should answer, 'Give me the bad news first — don't spare a thing. After that, I want to hear the good news!' Bad news, then good news: that's the Biblical order.

Comment on Rom 3:21

BUT NOW: Paul is stressing a very significant point in time, a turning point in his thesis: What went before (Rom 1:18 — 3:20) was the "bad news"; what follows is the "good news"!

He does something similar in Romans 8:1,2, using "now" to the same effect, when he says: "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." 'Before this time,' he seems to say, 'everything around us tended to sin and death, and we were under the power of the great King of the world, Sin! But now everything is different, in Christ!'

Again, in 2 Timothy 1:10, he makes the same point: "But it [i.e., grace in Christ Jesus] has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel".

A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD… HAS BEEN MADE KNOWN: Only God possesses inherent righteousness. If man is to possess righteousness (that is, to be declared justified, or righteous), it can only be by the special means made known (or "manifested": Greek "phaneroo") by God. There are only two ways this might be achieved:

by vindication, as being completely righteous in oneself — a method which could only be for Christ himself (John 8:46; 16:10; 1 Pet 2:22; Rom 1:4); and
by forgiveness of sins, acquittal, and reconciliation — which is the path open to everyone else: through the covering name of Christ (Isa 53:11; 1 Cor 1:30). This comes through faith: the acknowledging of sinfulness and the plea for forgiveness.

The following verses amplify this statement.

Robert Roberts, in "The Blood of Christ", paraphrases this verse: "God says now: 'If you will recognize your position, repent, and come under that man's wing, I will receive you back to favor and forgive you. My righteousness has been declared in him; I have crowned him with everlasting days. Because he loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and was obedient unto death, I have crowned him with life eternal. It is in him for you if you will submit, and believe in him, and put on his name, which is a confession that you have no name of your own that will stand. Obey his commandments, and I will receive you and forgive you for his sake, and you shall be my sons and daughters.' "

APART FROM LAW: Parenthetically, Paul says that the Law of Moses can do nothing to save any man. It cannot produce righteousness; it can only highlight sin (v 20).

TO WHICH THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS TESTIFY: In addition to its other possible meanings, "the law", when combined with "the prophets", may be a way of referring to the whole of the Old Testament Scriptures (cp Matt 5:17; 7:12; 22:40; Luke 16:16; 24:27, 44; Acts 13:15).

Referring to "the prophets" especially, Peter writes: "Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow" (1 Pet 1:10,11). See also Acts 26:22,23; Micah 6:5-8; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:46; and Hebrews 10:15-17.

This observation, about "the law and the prophets", as pertaining to the whole of the Old Testament, prepares the reader for the recital of God's dealings with the two most prominent Old Testament recipients of the Messianic promises, Abraham and David, as outlined in Romans 4.

Comment on Rom 3:22

THIS RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD COMES THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST TO ALL WHO BELIEVE: This "righteousness" is not "of God", but "from God". In other words, it is not just His righteousness, but it is the righteousness which He provides to others, through Jesus Christ His Son.

Faith in Jesus Christ, as the context makes plain, is nothing less than an explicit understanding of and faith in the principles of sacrifice exhibited in God's Anointed Son. It cannot refer to some simplistic acknowledgment that 'Jesus was a good man'. Given what is at stake, that is just not good enough!

"Faith in Christ", here and elsewhere, may sometimes mean "the faith of Christ", and so the KJV translates this phrase: "by faith of Jesus Christ". The NET Notes explains this:

A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated 'faith in Jesus Christ', an increasing number of New Testament scholars are arguing that 'pistis Cristou' and similar phrases in Paul (Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean "Christ's faith" or "Christ's faithfulness" [i.e., "the faith of Christ", not "faith in Christ"]… Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when "pistis" takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive.

In other words, it is not 'faith toward, or directed at, Christ', but rather 'the faith belonging (first of all, at least) to Christ'.

The NET commentary then cites a long string of New Testament verses that follow the same rule, i.e., that the subjective genitive predominates in this Greek usage: Matthew 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Romans 1:8, 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Corinthians 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Corinthians 10:15; Philippians 2:17; Colossians 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Titus 1:1; Philemon 1:6; 1 Peter 1:9, 21; and 2 Peter 1:5.

While the NET commentary states that "most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view [i.e., 'faith in Christ']", it nevertheless adds that "the faith/faithfulness of Christ is not a denial of faith in Christ as a Pauline concept (for the idea is expressed in many of the same contexts, only with the verb 'pisteo' rather than the noun)."

Thus there is no doubt that Paul elsewhere teaches justification through the faith of the individual believer. But when he so teaches, we may assume that the object of such a faith (that is, Jesus Christ himself) is a reliable and worthy object, one who himself is absolutely faithful, one who will not disappoint our trust.

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE: This little phrase explains that "all who believe" (v 22) are on equal footing before God. It continues into verse 23, explaining how this can be true.

Comment on Rom 3:23

FOR ALL HAVE SINNED: "All" being, of course, a means of including both

Jews and Gentiles under a collective condemnation.

AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD: All mankind has failed to achieve the standard of God's righteousness (and hence has been separated from His glory). Our lives may be like arrows aimed at the target of God's "glory", but even with the best efforts of the 'archer' every person falls dismally short.

"In Jesus we are presented with the consummate fulfillment, the true man in God's image, purposed from creation (Gen 1:27) the ideal standard of life and light. But as Paul states in Romans 3:23, 'All have sinned and come short of the glory of God' (KJV). This is the exact translation of the Greek word for 'sin' which is 'hamartia' and means to miss the mark, to fall short. It is a common Greek word for an arrow failing to reach the target and is very similar in meaning to the Hebrew word for sin" (Sheila Harris, "The Joy of Salvation").

"Sin" here is not an inherited disposition but a failure to fulfill the potential for good that God has given us, by yielding to the allurements of our basically physical needs and instincts. We can compare the response of Adam and Eve who yielded to temptation to that of Jesus in the wilderness. He did not yield to the lure of that power, life and ministry that would bypass the cross but rather followed a life that would embrace the cross and lead to a much greater power, life and ministry.

But why has man been separated from God's "glory"? This ongoing separation is depicted in the restriction of the divine glory to the holy of holies in the tabernacle, and the denial of the right of access to the people except through the high priest once a year. God's glory is the majesty of His holy person, and involves His name and character and purpose. To be cut off from this fellowship is the great loss occasioned by sin.

Comment on Rom 3:24

AND ARE JUSTIFIED: "Declared righteous".

FREELY BY HIS GRACE: The Greek word for "freely" ("dorean") is translated "without a cause" in John 15:25. It also appears in Romans 3:24: "being justified freely by his grace". God's love toward man is as freely given, gratuitous, and unrelated to merit as was their hatred for His Son Jesus Christ.

God finds no reason, no basis, in the sinner for declaring him righteous. He must find the cause in Himself. This truth goes naturally with the observation that justification, or a declaration of the subject's "righteousness", is offered by God's grace.

THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT CAME BY CHRIST JESUS: "Redemption" is "apolutrosis" = to be bought away from. See Study, Redemption.

Comment on Rom 3:25

GOD PRESENTED HIM: "Some would object to the rendering 'presented' on the ground that a public exhibition of the person of Jesus has something almost theatrical about it, and that for this reason the alternative rendering 'purposed' (literally, 'set before himself') might be preferred. However, there are words in the passage that express manifestation: 'made known' (v 21) and 'demonstrate' (vv. 25,26); so the objection is unwarranted. Also it should be pointed out that the emphasis on faith (v 25) suggests that the real force in 'presented' is not so much the actual exhibition of Christ on the cross as in the proclamation of the gospel that makes his saving work central" (Harrison).

AS A SACRIFICE FOR ATONEMENT: The KJV uses "propitiation" to translate "hilasterion" in Romans 3:25, but "mercyseat" in Hebrews 9:5, where the same Greek word occurs. "Propitiation" is a word which is scarcely understood by most readers today. The NET uses "mercy seat" also (which was incidentally William Tyndale's translation also).

The NIV uses "a sacrifice of atonement", and explains further in the NIV footnote: "as the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away sin". Taken together with the NIV text itself, this footnote gives that version one of the most complete, clear and accurate presentations of the Biblical concept of propitiation available in any translation.

The single Greek word "hilasterion" describes, generally, a place or thing whereby someone greater may be satisfied by someone lesser. More specifically, the word as used here seems to refer to the "mercy seat", i.e., the covering (Hebrew "kaphar") of the ark where the blood was sprinkled in the Old Testament ritual on the Day of Atonement. This term is used only one other time in the New Testament: In Hebrews 9:5, it is rendered "mercy seat" (KJV, NET) and "atonement cover" (NIV). There it describes the altar in the most holy place (the holy of holies). Paul is saying that God displayed Jesus as the "mercy seat", the 'place' where propitiation was accomplished.

The Septuagint uses this word "hilasterion" for the mercy seat in Leviticus 16:14 and Exodus 25:27. God has marked out His as-yet-unborn Son, centuries ahead of time, to be a "mercy seat", and He set the principle in operation in the tabernacle in Israel. There was found His "meeting place" with man (Exod 25:22), "above the mercy seat, between the cherubim". At the very heart of the tabernacle, the mercy seat represented the fusion of God and man, the "crossing point" between the two. In the real fulfillment of this typical "mercy seat", "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ" (2 Cor 5:19).

" 'The mercy-seat is no longer kept in the sacred seclusion of the most holy place: it is brought out into the midst of the rough and tumble of the world and set up before the eyes of hostile, contemptuous, or indifferent crowds' (Manson). Indeed, Christ has become the meeting place of God and man where the mercy of God is available because of the sacrifice of the Son" (Everett F. Harrison, Expositor's Bible Commentary: Romans).

"[Christ] is the atoning sacrifice ['hilasmos': 'propitiation': KJV] for our sins, and not for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" ( 1 John 2:2).

"This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice ['hilasmos': 'propitiation': KJV] for our sins" ( 1 John 4:10).

"Hilasmos" is the root word for "hilasterion"; it means to satisfy someone greater and more powerful, that is, to appease, reconcile or propitiate him. "Hilasterion" is the place or situation where this reconciliation can take place (Rom 3:25; Heb 9:5). At that place, also called the "mercy seat", we find the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our "Parakletos" ( 1 John 2:1; cf John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), the one who speaks on our behalf, as a legal representative but also as a friend, to make things right with his Father, and to turn away His potential wrath. In the NIV he is called the "Counselor"; in the RSV he is called the "Advocate", and in the KJV he is called either the "Advocate" and the "Comforter". In the Book of Hebrews he is generally called the High Priest and mediator (Greek "mesites": the man in the middle, the arbitrator).

Sheila Harris well summarizes this: "We know that at times we fail and God has provided for this as well, for we have a propitiator, 'hilasmos', one to plead our cause ( 1 John 2:2; 4:10), who graciously listens to our prayers at the 'hilasterion' [Rom 3:25; Heb 9:5], the 'mercy seat' (as Tyndale so brilliantly translated) where our Lord, alive and acceptant, receives us kindly. The whole of this wonderful progression into the very presence of God is made possible for us only by the offering of Jesus' life as a sacrifice which really means 'a making holy', lifted up to God, willingly and freely to be raised as a spiritual body, unlimited and unrestricted to give himself in spirit power to dwell within his people to make them truly a people consecrated, alive, responsive, and aware of his living presence" (The Joy of Salvation).

THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD: The NIV translation, like the KJV, suggests that the believer's faith is to be centered in the blood of Christ, and the sequence of terms favors this.

Here is the order of the first sentence in verse 25, with the corresponding Greek (not the precise Greek words, but the root words):

"God presented him ['theos protithemi hos']
as an atonement [one word: 'hilasterion'],
through faith ['dia pistis']
in his blood ['en autos haima']."

However, it has been pointed out that there is no example of Paul calling for faith to be focused upon a thing rather than a person.

Perhaps by putting a comma between "faith" and "in", we might understand that "in his blood" need not modify "faith", but instead could modify "the sacrifice" itself! Thus the new arrangement (which, we are told, is also allowable grammatically) could yield the following order:

"God presented him ['theos protithemi hos']
as an atonement ['hilasterion'],
in his blood ['en autos haima'],
through faith ['dia pistis']."

Thus, to paraphrase: 'God set forth Christ as an atonement, by his own shed blood, so that we might have faith in him (i.e., Christ, or even — through Christ — in God Himself).'

At this point, expositors may ask the question: 'Does "in (or by) his blood" refer to Jesus' actual sacrifice (shedding his blood) or to the place where his blood was shed (i.e., the cross, or the mercy seat)? In other words, does the phrase here describe Jesus as the sacrifice — or the altar?' The first possibility, as paraphrased just above, seems the more natural reading, but the immediate context (i.e., the "hilasterion", or mercy seat: see above) suggests the second possibility, which might be paraphrased this way: 'God set forth Christ as the mercy seat, the PLACE where redeeming blood was shed, so that we might have faith in him.'

Perhaps these are no more than minor variations upon the same theme, but all the same we can scarcely make a mistake when we seek to find the deeper meaning of God's Word — if we also allow for the possibility that we cannot be absolutely sure as to the best alternative.

HE DID THIS TO DEMONSTRATE HIS JUSTICE: To exhibit, or display publicly, His righteous character, for all mankind to see.

BECAUSE IN HIS FORBEARANCE HE HAD LEFT THE SINS COMMITTED BEFOREHAND UNPUNISHED: Literally, he had "passed over" those sins committed in earlier times: a reference to the Passover in Egypt. "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant" (Heb 9:15).

Comment on Rom 3:26

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: Christ's obedient death declared that God was righteous in requiring the condemning of sin and the putting to death of the body of sin. God was seen to be righteous or just in taking Christ to the cross, and to be the justifier of those who are of the faith of Jesus and are united with him in his death to sin.

By willingly going to the cross, Jesus in effect said, 'My Father is right to require this from me.' Only an innocent, sinless man could declare God righteous in condemning sin in the flesh. None of us could have done it, for we deserve death and die for our own sins. But he didn't, so the issue was crystal clear: God is righteous in requiring that our "old man" be put to death!

AT THE PRESENT TIME: Not just for the past, i.e., for "sins committed beforehand" (v 25), but for sins now and from this point forward.

Comment on Rom 3:27

WHERE, THEN, IS BOASTING?: The conclusion to the implied question to the Jew in Romans 2:23, who boasts "in the Law". Compare 1 Corinthians 1:29-31 and Jeremiah 9:23,24: man cannot boast in his wisdom, his power, or his riches.

IT IS EXCLUDED. ON WHAT PRINCIPLE? ON THAT OF OBSERVING THE LAW? NO, BUT ON THAT OF FAITH: 'If salvation is not achieved by any works of the Law (v 20, notes), then there can be no pride, or boasting, in keeping that Law. And if salvation may be achieved only through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, then how can anyone boast who receives it solely as an undeserved gift?'

Comment on Rom 3:28

FOR WE MAINTAIN THAT A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH: Whether Jew or Gentile (Rom 4:5, 16; 5:1,2; Gal 3:8-11).

APART FROM OBSERVING THE LAW: "The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, 'The man who does these things will live by them' " (Gal 3:12; citing Lev 18:5).

Comment on Rom 3:29

IS GOD THE GOD OF JEWS ONLY? IS HE NOT THE GOD OF GENTILES TOO? YES, OF GENTILES TOO: Thus Paul is qualifying the use of "man" in verse 28, by saying that "man" includes both Jews and Gentiles. Any man, whether Jew or Gentile, can only be saved by faith, apart from observing the Law.

Comment on Rom 3:30

SINCE THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD: The Greek is: 'But if indeed God is one…' If God is one, then He must have a single, unified principle by which He allows man to approach Him, and by which He may save man (cp Deut 6:4).

WHO WILL JUSTIFY THE CIRCUMCISED BY FAITH: The Jew would be justified "out of" (Greek "ek") faith, the faith that was already evident in the Old Testament (in lives of men of faith, like Abraham and David, among others).

AND THE UNCIRCUMCISED THROUGH THAT SAME FAITH: And the Gentile would be justified "through" (Greek "dia": by means of). Starting from outside the Law and the Prophets, and outside the faith which it taught, the Gentile needed to pass THROUGH that law/faith continuum on his way to righteousness. Compare Galatians 3:7-9.

Comment on Rom 3:31

DO WE, THEN, NULLIFY THE LAW BY THIS FAITH?: Paul now corrects the false accusation made against him in verse 8. "Nullify" = Greek "katargeo", to render inoperative.

ABSOLUTELY NOT!: Compare verses 4, 6, and note there.

INSTEAD WE UPHOLD THE LAW: The Law was holy, just and good (Rom 7:12), but it was introduced so that sin might become exceedingly sinful (Rom 7:13), and so that all the world might appear guilty before God (Rom 3:19,20). Christ was sent to "fulfill the law" (Matt 5:17), and to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matt 3:15). Thus the Law stood as a memorial to God's righteousness — to which man, by his own strength, could never attain. So it was only by the principle of justification by faith (Rom 1:17) that man could attain the righteousness of God.

The Law of Moses served its purpose, not in saving, but in leading sinful man to the source of salvation: God's all-embracing love, set forth in His Son.