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ROMANS
Interpretation of Romans 3:21-31
The whole passage of Romans 3:21-31 deals with the Righteousness of God through Faith. This righteousness of God is God’s way of justifying sinners, in other words, putting them right with Himself without compromising His absolutely pure standard or character.
This righteousness of God according to verse 21 is being revealed apart from the law and is not only revealed in the New Testament which is the fulfilment of the law but also testified to in the Old Testament which verse 21 refers to as the “Law and the Prophets”.
Verse 22 points out that this righteousness of God is obtaineable through faith in Jesus Christ and the availability is for all who believe because “there is no difference”. The phrase “there is no difference” refers to the fact that there is no differnce between the Jews and the Gentiles as long as they believe. This is echoed by Jesus Chirst himself in John 3:16 where he says that “For God so love the World………………..that whosoever believes ………………….will have eternal life”. The words “world”, and “whosoever”, both refer to all people in the world.
Verse 23 emphasizes that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. This means that all men whether Jews or Gentiles have sinned either by nature or by choice or by practice and therefore have attracted the wrath of God. The glory of God which used to be represented in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night has been replaced by Jesus Christ who is now the glory of God.
Therefore, in verses 24-26, it is seen that man needs redemption (to be bought back) which is being freely given through Christ Jesus. In the Old Testament time, the annual atomement of sins was carried out through the slaying of lambs and by sprinkling the blood of the lambs by the high priest, but the everlasting, once and for all atonement for man’s sins and to appeacse the wrath of God can only be attained through the Blood of the God-Man, who is Jesus Christ himself. John the Baptist refers to him as ”the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. (John 1:29b).
God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for atonement or reconciliation with seperated mankind, (propitiation) and therefore fellowhip with a holy God can only be realized through atoning for sins. It is the shed blood of Jesus that ultimately satisfied the requirements of God’s justice. God’s judgement was fully administered on Christ who was the blameless sacrifice for all sins whether those of Jews or those of Gentiles and for both past and present sins, even for the future.
Faith in the blood of Jesus Christ is what justifies mankind in the eyes of God and the blood also becomes the bond that joins people to God and entitles them to God’s covenant provisions.
Verses 27 and 28 explain the fact that no one can or should boast about his righteousness, justification or salvation because none of these is achieved through the works of law, but by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Paul affirms this by saying in Ephesians 2:8 that salvation (which is the redemptive work of Christ), is not by work but by grace through faith lest any man should boast.
In verses 29-31, the question is asked if God is only the God of the Jews, the answer is that God is not only the God of the Jews but also the God of the Gentiles. The Jews study and know the law but the Gentiles do not know the law and since it is not by the deeds of the law that all men will be justified but by faith, it can be concluded that God who justifies all is for the Gentiles as much as He is for the Jews. Further more, it is explained that though the Jews are expected to be circumcized whereas the Gentiles are not, since there is only one God who has made provision for justification of all through the Blood of Jesus, He will justify both the circumcized and the uncircumcized through faith in that Blood of Jesus.
Finally, when the question is asked if faith cancels out the law, it is explained explicitely that faith does not therefore nulify the law, rather the law is upheld by faith because God’s moral laws are not abolished by the gospel of Christ. The whole plan of salvation including Christ’s obedience of the law for us and dying to pay the penalty for our breaking the law, shows that God’s moral standards are eternally valid.
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