A Study by Scott Sperling   Romans 3:19-20 -  Every Mouth Silenced 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 and the whole world held accountable to God. 20  Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. In preparation for his grand statement of the Gospel message of justification by faith, Paul here summarizes (in effect) all of what he has said in the first part of this epistle, starting in Rom. 1:18. From Romans 1:18 to the end of the first chapter, Paul established that all Gentiles were sinners and thus, in need of the salvation available through faith in Christ. Starting in Romans 2, and going until Romans 3:18, Paul established that the Jews, though they have the law, are all sinners and in need of the salvation available through faith in Christ. Here, in Rom. 3:19, Paul reiterates these conclusions, emphasizing the fact that knowledge of the Law does not, in itself, bring salvation. Rather, knowledge of the Law shows us how unrighteous we are, and silences any boasts that we may have concerning our own righteousness. As Paul says: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God” (vs. 19). The Jews, and especially the Jews, could not claim to be righteous in God’s sight, because (since they had knowledge of God’s law) they knew how far short they fell in attaining God’s standard of righteousness. On the contrary, this knowledge of the Law, should have “silenced” any boasting about being righteous, and led them to the conclusion that they would be “held accountable to God” for not living up to the righteous standard that God established in His Law. “In every instance the principle applies, that what the law says it says to those who have the law. Those to whom any revelation of the divine will is made are bound to be conformed to it. What the law written in the heart says, it says to those who have that law; and what the law as written in the Scripture says, it says to those who have the Scriptures” [Hodge, 80]. The purpose of God’s law, no matter how it is revealed to us—whether it is revealed to us through His written Word, or by His Spirit working through our consciences—is to “silence” whatever claim we think we might have of being righteous. Knowledge of God’s righteous standard is the great “silencer” of man before God. The Jews well knew, and indeed, each and every one of us well knows, that we sin, that we fall short of God’s righteous standard. As Paul concludes: “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (vs. 20). This is a scary, even damning, sentence: “…no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight…” If Paul’s epistle ended right here, our outlook would be bleak, indeed. God’s perfect righteousness, and sense of justice, would demand an accounting for our sins. Absolutely “no one” is excepted from this accounting. Paul points out that, it is not important in the grand scheme of things, whether we are declared righteous by other people; what is important, is whether we are declared righteous “in God’s sight.” The more we learn about, and ponder, God’s perfect Law, the more we become “conscious of our sin.” God gave His Law, and then stated that life would be the result of keeping that Law: “Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord” (Lev. 18:5). To underscore this statement, He gave this promise by His own name, saying, “I am the Lord.” What hope, then, is there for us, as sinners? Is there any path to life for us? Are we hopelessly doomed, because of our sin? “To be prepared for the reception of the gospel, we must be convinced of sin, humbled under a sense of its turpitude, silenced under a conviction of its condemning power, and prostrated at the footstool of mercy, under a feeling that we cannot satisfy the demands of the law, that if ever saved, it must be by other merit and other power than our own” [Hodge, 87]. Thank God that this is not the end of Christian doctrine, but is the gateway to the glorious Gospel message, which Paul will introduce in the next verses. Romans 3:21-26 – Justification by Grace through Faith 21  But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22  This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23   for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24  and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25  God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — 26  he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. With the words “But now…” (vs. 21), the tone in the book of Romans shifts. Since Rom. 1:18, Paul has been laying out his case that all people are sinful, both Gentiles and Jews, both rich and poor, westerners and easterners, the strong and the weak: other than Christ (when He walked this earth), there are no exceptions. This has been grim reading, for the most part. Our deserved judgment has been placed right before our eyes. We have been shown to be “justly condemned, helpless in the power of sin, powerless to escape God’s wrath” [Moo]. But with the words “But now…”, a more pleasant outlook appears. After laying before us the bad news, Paul will now lay before us the good news, the greatness of the blessed Gospel message. The phrase “But now” “marks the shift in Paul’s focus from the old era of sin’s domination to the new era of salvation” [Moo]. “The human predicament has been radically transformed because of the saving act of God in Christ, which Paul proceeds to develop” [Morris]. “There are no more wonderful words in the whole of Scripture than just these two words ‘But now.’” [Lloyd-Jones, in Moo]. The verses before us here, Romans 3:21-26, have been given great importance by Christian scholars, and rightly so. Grant Osbourne, an American New Testament scholar, called this “the core of Romans and indeed of any discussion of the doctrine of salvation.” Others go further. Hermann Olshausen, a 19 th  century German scholar, called this passage “the citadel of the Christian faith.” Martin Luther said this was “the chief point, and the very central place of the Epistle, and of the whole Bible.” Leon Morris, a 20 th  century Australian New Testament scholar, went even further, and opined that this is “possibly the most important single paragraph ever written.” Paul summarizes the glorious Gospel message: “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (vss. 21-22). The problem that Paul exposed in Romans 1:18 through 3:20 is that, in and of themselves, “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10). Here Paul introduces a solution to that problem, and that is attaining “the righteousness of God”, which is given to us by God “through faith in Jesus Christ.” God, in the law, provided for the forgiveness of sin through substitutionary sacrifice. Then God, through Christ, provided the perfect substitutionary sacrifice, whose sacrifice could atone for all sins ever committed, because of His perfect righteousness. God established in the Gospel that this forgiveness of sins (and thus righteousness) can be attained “through faith in Jesus Christ,” as Paul teaches here. And so, the problem that all of us have, that is, that we are due to be condemned and punished for our behavior on earth, can be solved if we would, by faith, accept the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. In this way, we are “given through faith” the righteousness that we need in order to survive Judgment Day. “To that righteousness is the eye of the believer ever to be directed; on that righteousness must he rest; on that righteousness must he live; on that righteousness must he die; in that righteousness must he appear before the judgment- seat; in that righteousness must he stand for ever in the presence of a righteous God” [Haldane, 132]. This is a righteousness testified to “by the Law and the Prophets.” It was not an afterthought. The plan of God was always to offer salvation by grace. Isaiah prophesied it: “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness” (Isa. 61:10). God Himself described to Moses His own gracious nature, and His desire to forgive sin: “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Exod. 34:6- 7). Isaiah wrote explicitly of Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins: “After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,and he will bear their iniquities” (Isa. 53:11). One could say that much of the Epistle to the Hebrews is a commentary on how the Law points to Christ, His sacrifice for us, and the atonement available to us through Him. Moreover, Paul will elaborate, in Romans 4, on the role of faith in the forgiveness of sins in the Old Testament, by using the examples of Abraham and David. And so, there are many ways that “the Law and the Prophets” testify to the imputed righteousness available to us through faith in Christ. God has chosen that this righteousness be “given through faith in Jesus Christ” (vs. 22). Jesus, and the works of salvation that He did on our behalves, is necessarily the object of that faith. It is “faith in Jesus Christ” that is the effective faith that brings salvation. A general faith in God, and His sovereignty, is not enough. A person must believe that he or she is a sinner, in need of the salvation offered through Christ; and then, one must believe that Christ’s sacrifice paid the price of the punishment that we deserve for our sins. This is the saving faith: the necessary “faith in Jesus Christ” that Paul wrote of. This is the same faith that John wrote of in his Gospel: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This faith, and the righteousness that comes through it, is available to everyone. It is not limited to one chosen group, or class, or race, or nationality. It is not limited to those who do good works, or to those who think they are good. This is beside the point. As Paul teaches, this righteousness is “apart from the law” (vs. 21). It is not even limited to those who belong to a specific religion, or denomination, or sect. One does not have to be a church-goer or church member to receive this gift of righteousness, this gift of salvation. It is available to all people, equally, who were created by God: Jew, Gentile, rich, poor, bound, free, learned, uneducated, powerful, meek. As Paul affirmed: “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:22b- 24). “All have sinned”, and so, all have been offered “justification” in the same way: by grace, through faith, in Christ. It is “justification” that is offered. To be “justified” is “a judicial act of God by which He freely acquits the penitent sinner, and adopts him as His child on the ground of Christ’s perfect righteousness, and on condition of a living faith” [Lange’s, 139]. It means “to be acquitted by God from all charges that could be brought against a person because of his or her sins” [Moo]. The meaning can easily be remembered by the mnemonic (cliché though it may be, but reasonably accurate): to be “justified” means to be treated by God just as if I’d never sinned. Note: being “justified” is quite different than being pardoned. When a person is pardoned, it means that his sentence is put to an end, but it does not confer innocence. The one who is pardoned is still guilty. “Justification”, however, actually confers righteousness, even “the righteousness of God”, as Paul points out in verse 22: “This righteousness is given…” The distinction between being pardoned, and being justified is important. One who is pardoned, being still guilty, cannot have fellowship with the infinitely righteous God. One who is justified, being declared righteous, can have fellowship with God. “Indeed, mere pardon leaves a sinner forever to stand naked before God. It grants him no robe of righteousness…. It is therefore a doctrine full of comfort that the believer is not only forgiven, He is also taken into favor —‘accepted in the Beloved.’ His standing is good before God” [Plumer, 149]. We need this justification because we have “sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (vs. 23). The phrase “fall short of the glory of God” is a somewhat vague, yet multi-faceted, phrase, which has been assigned many different meanings by commentators. It can mean that we fall short of being able to appear in God’s glorious presence; or that we fall short of receiving glory from God, as part of His approval of us; or that we fall short of displaying His glory through us, as we live in obedience as those created in His image. Any or all of these interpretations of this phrase are credible theologically. Given this, I believe that this phrase may have been made purposely vague, and purposely multi-faceted, by Paul (and the Holy Spirit), in order that we may meditate on the different ways that we “fall short of the glory of God”, and thus, are in need of “justification” by God. This “justification” comes to us, as Paul teaches, “freely by His grace” (vs. 24). This is a purposely (somewhat) redundant phrase, emphasizing that this “justification” is all of God, and nothing with respect to it comes from the work of those who are justified. This underscores what Paul wrote in vs. 21, that this righteousness of God available through Christ is “apart from law.” “God’s justifying verdict is totally unmerited. People have done, and can do, nothing to earn it” [Moo]. “Well,” you might ask, “isn’t my faith a work that I am doing to gain this justification?” The answer is no. Faith in Christ is not depicted in the Bible as a work  that we do, in order to attain justification. Why not? First, faith is “apart from law”, as Paul pointed out in verse 21. Second, faith is not an active work, but a passive state of mind. As John Calvin teaches: “Faith is something merely passive, bringing nothing of ours to the recovering of God’s favor but receiving from Christ that which we lack” [Calvin, Institutes, 3.13.5]. Third, the reason that faith is a passive state of mind on our part is that faith itself is given to us by God, through the Holy Spirit. As Paul teaches us in Ephesians: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). Faith is a “gift of God”, not a work of man. And so, this “justification” is all from God, “freely” given, from the riches of His “grace.” Now, though “justification” comes “free” to us, it did not come free to Christ: Christ bought it and paid dearly for it, as Paul points out: We are “justified… through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”  (vs. 24). Redemption in that culture was a commercial transaction by which a person was freed from slavery, or a prisoner of war was freed from captivity, through a price that someone paid on his behalf. In the context of the Gospel, our redemption is the price that Christ paid to free us from sin: to free us from the dominion of sin (for we were slaves to sin), and to free us from the effects of sin (the deserved punishment for our sins). Christ paid the price of redemption by suffering for our sins on the cross. Because Christ was sinless, His suffering of the wrath of God on the cross was not needed in regard to His own sins (because He was sinless), but could be used as a substitutionary payment for our sins. The cost of redemption was paid in Christ’s blood. Imagine the joy, in those times, when a slave was redeemed by a benefactor. Imagine the slave’s joy at being freed; imagine the joy when the shackles were removed; imagine the joy at just breathing that first breath of air as a free man. We should all have such joy, and more. We have been redeemed out of a much worse slavery (a slavery to the evil taskmaster of sin), and have been redeemed out of a much worse punishment (an eternity of punishment for our sins). Rejoice in our redemption by Christ! So, up to this point, Paul has taught us that our justification comes to us by faith, not by works. Next, he teaches us the mechanism within the Law, by which we are justified. In the Law, God established that sin could be atoned for through a substitutionary blood sacrifice. Those sacrifices were prophetic of the ultimate sacrifice of atonement – the death of Christ on the cross. Christ’s sacrifice, as Paul teaches here, is sufficient to atone for all human sin, even those sins committed before His death: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (vs. 25-26). So, Christ’s sacrifice, not only atones for our sins, but it also establishes and confirms God’s perfect righteousness. The Law’s demand for punishment due to sin is satisfied by the punishment that Christ received on our behalves. Notice God’s active participation in this: God Himself “presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement.” God, in His grace, took the initiative to offer a sacrifice of atonement for us. In the Law, the sinner, the one seeking atonement, would bring his offering to the priests, who would carry out the sacrifice of the animal, as prescribed by the Law. This is described in Leviticus: “If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting (Lev. 1:3-5). Note here, the active role that the sinner, the person seeking atonement, takes in the sacrificial offering. The sinner brings the animal to the tabernacle. The sinner places his hand on the head of the offered animal, as a sign that he seeks atonement for his sin, that he seeks to be forgiven by God for his sins. In the case of Christ, God Himself “presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement” (vs. 25). So then, where is the active participation of the sinner in the process, as prescribed by the Law? This is where faith comes in. The sacrifice is “to be received by faith” (vs. 25). By “faith”, we as sinners demonstrate our desire that ours sins be atoned for, that our sins be forgiven by God. Our “faith” is the equivalent act of placing our hand upon the head of the animal, as described in Leviticus. And only through “faith” will Christ’s sacrifice “be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you”  (Lev. 1:4). “By faith in his death as a sacrifice for sin; by believing that he took our sins; that he died in our  place; by thus, in some sense, making his offering ours; by approving it, loving it, embracing it, trusting it, our sins become pardoned, and our souls made pure” [Barnes, 88]. Paul has presented here in this passage, the essence of the Gospel message, the essence of Christ’s mission on earth, and the essence of saving faith. Notice how effective this Gospel, how complete and all- encompassing our salvation is, through faith. Paul presented three aspects of our salvation. First, we are “justified” (vs. 24). This is legal act, by which we are deemed by God to be covered in Christ’s righteousness through faith. Second, we are “redeemed” (vs. 24). This is our salvation from slavery to sin, and the effects of sin. Third, we have “atonement” for our sins (vs. 25). This gives us salvation from God’s wrath. Through Christ, we never have to undergo the punishment that we deserve for our sins. Praise be to God for the complete and all-encompassing nature of the salvation that we have through faith in Christ! Romans 3:27-31 – Humility 27  Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28  For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29  Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30  since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31  Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. To conclude the chapter, Paul gives a summarizing coda, of sorts, emphasizing the role of faith, not works, in our justification. “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (vs. 27-28). The Christian faith, and the Gospel message, eliminates any right to “boast.” Our salvation is of God, and through Christ. There is no room for the boasting of men. “In any religion of law, the worshipper may legitimately feel satisfaction in his personal achievement, but this is a satisfaction that can lead to pride. For those saved by grace, however, that is impossible. Grace leaves no place for satisfaction in one’s own achievement, for salvation is all of God” [Morris]. The free gift of salvation forces humility. Meditate on how this reflects perfectly the mien and ministry of Christ on earth. He came to earth, and behaved on earth, with all humility, and without a hint of boastfulness – though Christ, as “God over all, forever praised” (Rom. 9:5) certainly had reason to boast. So then, the behavior and mien of Christ is given to us as an example of how we should behave, and then, Christ’s lesson of humility is further strengthened by the Gospel message, which (as Paul points out here) precludes any boasting on our part. We stand before God in humility, and we should also express this same humility in all aspects of our lives before others. The “boasting” about which Paul is writing is primarily referring to the self-righteous judgment of the Jews over the Gentiles (of which Paul directly wrote in Rom. 2:1). And so, Paul next reminds the Jews who God is: “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith” (Rom. 3:29-30). The Jews well knew, and took pride in, that the God they worship is the one true God. And the Jews knew full well (or should have) that God promised their father Abraham many times that through him, all nations would be blessed (see Gen. 12:3; Gen. 18:18; Gen. 22:18). So Paul, in effect, here is saying that now is that time. The “circumcised” are justified by faith, and the “uncircumcised” are justified “through that same faith.” Paul will write more about this, in detail, in the next chapter. But as a point of emphasis here, to conclude this section, Paul ties the Gospel message, and justification through grace by faith, to the entire teaching of the Law in the Old Testament. “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law” (Rom. 3:31). The revelation by the Holy Spirit of God’s ways and God’s Law in the Old Testament is unified with the revelation of Christ and His mission in the New Testament. The free gift of salvation in no way “nullifies” anything that was taught to the Jews in the Old Testament times. Rather, the provision of atonement for our sins through Christ’s sacrifice absolutely “upholds the law”, as taught to the Old Testament prophets. The Bible is one grand revelation of God’s Law and God’s grace, working in perfect harmony. Click here to see Bibliography and Suggested Reading