But now the righteousness of without the law--that is, a righteousness to which our obedience to the law contributes nothing whatever ( Romans 3:28 , Galatians 2:16 ). Whose mouth, &c.--( Psalms 10:7 ): that is, "That mouth which should be 'most sweet' ( Solomon 5:16 ), being 'set on fire of hell' ( James 3:6 ), is filled with burning wrath against those whom it should only bless. “You say the Jew has advantage. But "faith in Christ" is used in Galatians 3:26 and Ephesians 1:15 ; and "faith in His blood" is the natural and appropriate meaning here. II. Will He fail in His purpose?” Romans 3:4. Romans 3:9-20 . Is he the God of the Jews only? Nay - Not by the law of works; glorying is not cut off or shut out by that; it stands in full force as the rule of life; but you have sinned and need pardon. This law also was established by the doctrine of salvation by faith; because this faith works by love, and love is the principle of obedience: and whosoever receives salvation through faith in Christ, receives power to live in holy obedience to every moral precept; for such are God's workmanship, created anew in Christ Jesus, unto good works; in which they find it their duty and their interest incessantly to live. Christians used to gather in their home (Romans 16:3-5). How is God glorified in us, and we in him? We must ever maintain that God is true, and that if, in any case, his promise appear to fail, it is because the condition on which it was given has not been complied with; which is the sense of what is written, Psalm 51:4; : I acknowledge my sin, and condemn myself that the truth of thy promise ( 2 Samuel 7:15, 2 Samuel 7:16;) to establish my house and throne for ever, may be vindicated when thou shalt execute that dreadful threatening, ( 2 Samuel 12:10;), that the sword shall never depart from my house, which I own I have brought upon myself by my own iniquity. 31. that every mouth--opened in self-justification. Thus the law is properly considered as the rule of right; and, unless God had given some such means of discovering what Sin is, the darkened heart of man could never have formed an adequate conception of it. Their throat is an open sepulchre - This and all the following verses to the end of the 18th are found in the Septuagint, but not in the Hebrew text; and it is most evident that it was from this version that the apostle quoted, as the verses cannot be found in any other place with so near an approximation to the apostle's meaning and words. The best need to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ; and the worst only need that. Or what profit is there of circumcision? - They never speak but in profane oaths, blasphemies, and malice. The simple meaning seems to be this: that all have sinned, and none can enjoy God's glory but they that are holy; consequently both Jews and Gentiles have failed in their endeavors to attain it, as, by the works of any law, no human being can be justified. But now that God can "set forth" Christ as a "propitiation for sin through faith in His blood," the righteousness of His procedure in passing by the sins of believers before, and in now remitting them, is "manifested," declared, brought fully out to the view of the whole world. Commentary for Romans 3 . On considering this glorious scheme of salvation, there is great danger, lest, while we stand amazed at what was done For us, we neglect what must be done In us. Dr. Taylor observes: - "In the preceding chapter the apostle has carried his argument to the utmost length: what remains is to keep the Jew in temper, to fix his convictions, and to draw the grand conclusion. (21-31)1-8 The law could not save in or from sins, yet it gave the Jews advantages for obtaining salvation. Paul poses questions, much like those one would expect from someone taking issue with what Paul wrote in Romans chapter 2. Though the Epistle to the Romans has played an important role in Christian history, it has also unfortunately been “the source of more doctrinal misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and mischief than any other Biblical book,” according to Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. ", 14. What need of the mercy of God to save from such a state of degeneracy! INFERENCES FROM THE FOREGOING DOCTRINES AND AN OBJECTION ANSWERED. - God the Father. What then? the law--that is, the Scriptures, considered as a law of duty. Have we nothing in which we can trust for our acceptance with God? But away with such a thought, for it does just the reverse." Should any man say that the promise of God had failed toward him, let him examine his heart and his ways, and he will find that he has departed out of that way in which alone God could, consistently with his holiness and truth, fulfill the promise. Who, among men or angels, can estimate the greatness of this calamity! 10-12. Their throat is an open sepulchre - By their malicious and wicked words they bury, as it were, the reputation of all men. Let God be true, and every human being a liar. See the note on Luke 18:13. What widows, what orphans, are left to deplore their sacrificed husbands and parents, and their own consequent wretchedness! ", 15. To declare . God forbid--literally, "Let it not be," that is, "Away with such a thought"--a favorite expression of our apostle, when he would not only repudiate a supposed consequence of his doctrine, but express his abhorrence of it. As we come to Romans 3:21, there is a dramatic shift as he proceeds from condemnation to justification. (4) This chapter, and particularly the latter part of it, "is the proper seat of the Pauline doctrine of Justification, and the grand proof-passage of the Protestant doctrine of the Imputation of Christ's righteousness and of Justification not on account of, but through faith alone" [PHILIPPI]. While we boast in Christ Jesus, let us see that our rejoicing. Biblical Commentary (Bible study) Romans 3:19-28. Romans 3 Commentary, this commentary ranks among the most important on the Greek text of the New Testament from the 19th century God forbid; for then how shall God judge the world?--that is, "Far from us be such a thought; for that would strike down all future judgment. Thus this justifying righteousness, though new, as only now fully disclosed, is an old righteousness, predicted and foreshadowed in the Old Testament. Both views are grammatical, but the usual one is preferable. After the dialogue is finished, he resumes his argument, and proves, by their own Scriptures, that the Jews were guilty as well as other men; and that no part of mankind could have any right to the blessings of God's kingdom by any works which they had performed, but merely through the propitiatory sacrifice offered by Christ; and that this, far from destroying the law, was just the thing that the law required, and by which its claims were established. Romans 3:23. by Grant | Apr 14, 2011 | Romans | 4 comments. He had already proved the guilt both of Gentiles and Jews. (3.) 4. This at once stripped him of all his peculiar honors and privileges; and the apostle, who had often argued with his countrymen on these points, knew what they would be ready to say on this subject; and, therefore, introduces a dialogue between himself and a Jew, in which he gives him leave to answer and defend himself. . For, as an acknowledged straight edge is the only way in which the straightness or crookedness of a line can be determined, so the moral obliquity of human actions can only be determined by the law of God; that rule of right which proceeds from his own immaculate holiness. Romans 3:3. 2. All mankind are sinners. "The sum and force of the apostle's argument is this: All sorts of men, Jews as well as Gentiles, have sinned; therefore, none of them can lay claim to the blessings of his kingdom on the ground of obedience. Romans 3 Commentary, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is actually 30-minute audio files that takes listeners through the entire Bible in 5 years That the word also means any deliverance, even where no price is paid down, nobody will dispute; but that it means redemption by a price laid down, and the redemption of the soul by the price of the death of Christ, the above scriptures sufficiently prove. A pious writer calls these the Catechism of Christian Righteousness. Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar, etc. - Do not begin to suppose that because you cannot be justified by the works of the law and God has in his mercy found out a new method of saving you, that therefore this mercy shall apply to the Jews exclusively. Romans 3:3. Romans 3 Commentary - It is owing to the free grace of God, through faith in the righteousness of Christ, yet the law is not done away. Romans 3. 9. are we better than they?--"do we excel them?" (2) The fitness of the Gospel to be a universal religion, beneath which the guilty of every name and degree are invited and warranted to take shelter and repose, is a glorious evidence of its truth ( Romans 3:29 Romans 3:30 ). Pardon in the conscience and Christ in the heart save the soul. Whom God hath set forth - Appointed and published to be a propitiation, ιλαστηριον, the mercy-seat, or place of atonement; because the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on and before that, in order to obtain remission of sin, punishment, etc. Nay; but by the law of faith. God Is Good! (I am speaking in human terms.) Apostle. Commentaries for Romans Chapter 3 Objections answered. There is no fear of God before their eyes - This completes their bad character; they are downright atheists, at least practically such. Their feet are swift to shed blood - They make use of every means in their power to destroy the reputation and lives of the innocent. 2. an amplification of 1:16-17. With very little variation, these are the evils in which the vast mass of mankind delight and live. this butchery of souls! Apostle. - To all who repent, turn from their sin, and believe on the Lord Jesus. PREVIOUS NEXT. And not rather, etc. Guilt in the conscience and sin in the heart ruin the man. We are not here to compare Romans 2:7 or Romans 2:15 (Reiche, de Wette). There is none that doeth good - In Romans 3:10; it is said, There is none righteous; here, There is none that doeth good: the first may refer to the want of a righteous principle; the second, to the necessary consequence of the absence of such a principle. But if, &c.--Another objection: "It would appear, then, that the more faithless we are, so much the more illustrious will the fidelity of God appear; and in that case, for Him to take vengeance on us for our unfaithfulness would be (to speak as men profanely do) unrighteousness in God.". He exposes our evil (vs. 9-20, 23). 26. There is not one article of what is charged against the Jews and Gentiles here that may not be found justified by the histories of both, in the most ample manner. Paul reserves strong language for those who follow this train of reasoning. "Commentary on Romans 3:4". The Jew, finding his boasted privileges all at stake, interrupts him, and asks: -. He judges people with perfect justice (vs. 3-8). This opponent asks what advantage there is to being a Jew, if the law can't keep individual Jewish people from facing God's judgment for their sin. This is a most impious sentiment, but it follows from your reasoning; it has, indeed, been most injuriously laid to the charge of us apostles, who preach the doctrine of free pardon, through faith, without the merit of works; but this is so manifest a perversion of the truth that a just punishment may be expected to fall on the propagators of such a slander. 3 What if some were unfaithful? (3) It is on the atoning blood of Christ, as the one propitiatory sacrifice which God hath set forth to the eye of the guilty, that the faith of the convinced and trembling sinner fastens for deliverance from wrath. That this is the sense of the word "redemption," when applied to Christ's death, will appear clear to any impartial student of the passages where it occurs. We are not to think for one minute that even though our sin demonstrates the infinite righteousness of our perfect God that we are therefore excused in some way from judgment or have thus been given license to sin. Why did not God make known this grand method of salvation sooner? Nor can I see any reason why such great stress should be laid on faith, but as that lays hold on and takes up the sacrifice of Christ as a ransom price for the redemption of the soul from the thraldom and misery of sin and Satan. The law could not save in or from sins, yet it gave the Jews advantages for obtaining salvation... View the entire commentary . . Inference first: Boasting is excluded by this, and no other way of justification. 3. an introduction to chapters 4-8 (esp. Therefore, by the deeds of the law - On the score of obedience to this moral law, there shall no flesh, ου πασα σαρξ, no human being, be justified; none can be accepted in the sight of God. Romans 3:10-18. If you want to share the gospel, you must understand the Book of Romans and chapter 3 is a huge part of the Romans Road to salvation, especially Romans 3:10-12, 23. Hitherto, from the ninth verse, the apostle had gone on without interruption, proving that Jew and Gentile were in a state of guilt and condemnation, and that they could be saved only by the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. through faith in his blood--Some of the best interpreters, observing that "faith upon" is the usual phrase in Greek, not "faith in" Christ, would place a "comma" after "faith," and understand the words as if written thus: "to be a propitiation, in His blood, through faith." - As if he had said: You lately allowed, ( Romans 2:25;), that circumcision verily profited; but if circumcision, or our being in covenant with God, raises us no higher in the Divine favor than the Gentiles; if the virtuous among them are as acceptable as any of us; nay, and condemn our nation too, as no longer deserving the Divine regards; pray tell me, wherein lies the superior honor of the Jew; and what benefit can arise to him from his circumcision, and being vested in the privileges of God's peculiar people? that they refer to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, as the atonement made, and the price paid down, for the redemption of the souls of men. How graphic is this picture of human depravity, finding its way through each several organ of the body into the life ( Romans 3:13-17 ):but how small a part of the "desperate wickedness" that is within ( Jeremiah 17:9 ) "proceedeth out of the heart of man!" - By Faith. Copyright StatementThese files are public domain. 2 Much in every way! 3. (9-18) Both Jews and Gentiles cannot be justified by their own deeds. What does his blood effect? his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus--Glorious paradox! … Article Images Copyright © 2020 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. - Seeing these things cannot be denied, viz., that all have sinned: that all are guilty, that all are helpless: that none can deliver his own soul, and that God, in his endless mercy, has opened a new and living way to the holiest by the blood of Jesus, Hebrews 10:19, Hebrews 10:20, etc: therefore we, apostles and Christian teachers, conclude, λογιζομεθα, prove by fair, rational consequence, that a man - any man, is justified - has his sins blotted out, and is received into the Divine favor, by faith in Christ's blood, without the deeds of the law, which never could afford, either to Jew or Gentile, a ground for justification, because both have sinned against the law which God has given them, and, consequently, forfeited all right and title to the blessings which the obedient might claim. 4. Whose mouth is full of cursing, etc. These Scriptures show that those writers also agreed that nobody, not one person, deserves to be called righteous. Here we learn that God designed to give the most evident displays both of his justice and mercy. Apostle. And come short of the glory of God - και υστερουνται της δοξης του θεου These words have been variously translated. in his sight--at His bar ( Psalms 143:2 ). (NASB: Lockman) Greek: ei de e adikia hemon theou dikaiosunen sunisthesin (3SPAI) ti … The original is compounded of απο, from, and λυτροω, I redeem, and properly means the price laid down for the redemption of a captive. of works? GOD'S JUSTIFYING RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, ALIKE ADAPTED TO OUR NECESSITIES AND WORTHY OF HIMSELF. EXEGESIS: ROMANS 1-3. Therefore by the deeds of--obedience to the law there shall no flesh be justified--that is, be held and treated as righteous; as is plain from the whole scope and strain of the argument. Upon what motive? that are past--not the sins committed by the believer before he embraces Christ, but the sins committed under the old economy, before Christ came to "put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Nothing accruing to us from our circumcision and being in covenant with God. Even the righteousness of God - That method of saving sinners which is not of works, but by faith in Christ Jesus; and it is not restrained to any particular people, as the law and its privileges were, but is unto all mankind in its intention and offer, and becomes effectual to them that believe; for God hath now made no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles. 57 *A.D.. Paul probably wrote this letter about 57 *A.D.. . manifestly and entirely excludes "boasting"; and this is the best evidence of its truth. And, when all are in the same circumstances, it is perfectly absurd for any to pretend to engross it to themselves, exclusively of others, who are only as bad as they. Others divide the verse: ‘For what? Romans 3 begins with a question-and-answer scheme. CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS TO ROMANS 3:21-31. 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 23 for . "The Scriptures do not authorize such a use of God's name as must have been common among the English translators of the Bible" [HODGE]. 29. - By Jesus Christ. And what was true of them in those primitive times is true of them still. of Yet believers are not left to be lawless; faith is a law, it is a working grace, … If there be no righteousness within, there will be no acts of goodness without. This climactic summary of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith was characterized by the Reformers. • Verses 16-17 constitute a thesis statement—the epistle in a nutshell. shall their unbelief make the faith of God--or, "faithfulness of God." Their feet are swift to shed blood--( Proverbs 1:16 , Isaiah 59:7 ): that is, "Those feet, which should 'run the way of God's commandments' ( Psalms 119:32 ), are employed to conduct men to deeds of darkest crime.". Jew. But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God -, Destruction and misery are in their ways -, And the way of peace have they not known -, There is no fear of God before their eyes -, μισθος, η τα παρεχομενα υπερ ελευθεριας, επι τω λυτρωσασθαι βαρβαρων δουλειας, Commentary Critical and Explanatory - Unabridged, Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible, Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures. It is fanciful to suppose that the apostle has one meaning when he says, εκ πιστεως, By faith, and a different meaning when he says, δια της πιστεως, Through faith. Uses—€œNone” and “all, ” that is, the moral law, it can not be and! Annuls his faithfulness to the Scriptures on the Lord Jesus Calvary Chapel,! 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