Righteousness Apart From The Law | Romans 3:21-31

The Text

Romans 3:21-31 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Some Thoughts

The law given by God shows two things to us. The first thing the law shows is Gods holy standard for our lives, but the second thing the law shows is our inability to keep it through our own strength.

Fortunately, Gods grace to us provides a way for us to be righteous and that is through the righteous sacrifice made on our behalf by Jesus on the cross. Through our faith in what Jesus did on the cross, he kept the law perfectly for us and he justifies us. Since we can not justify ourselves or keep the law ourselves, there is no boasting other than to boast of how good God has been to us.

What is to become of the law given to us by God then? Through faith, we uphold it even if we can not keep it perfectly, it is our sanctification that is re-shaping us to be more like Christ.