Righteousness through Faith

Righteousness through Faith

Romans Chapter 3

Faithfulness

Paul’s literary style in Chapter 3 is a bit difficult to follow, as he raises question after question and supplies his own answers, sometimes supplying answers that he intends for us to understand are obviously wrong.

In verses 1-4, Paul begins with the question of faithfulness, and asks if our unfaithfulness with nullify God’s faithfulness. Why would such a question even occur to Paul? How could our actions have any affect on the actions of God? In this section, Paul is arguing the importance of the law, and we read in Deuteronomy 5:1-3 that the law was given to the people as a part of their covenant relationship with God. Paul reasonably asks would happen if the people were not faithful to the covenant relationship.

Paul was a good Old Testament scholar. He knew that the people could break the covenant, and that they would suffer for it, but that God would remain faithful. As God told the people through the prophet Jeremiah: “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

Let Us Do Evil that Good May Result

In verses 5-8, Paul asks a very difficult question. If God is always willing to forgive us (That is God’s nature) and we are always in need of forgiveness (that is our nature) how can God judge us? Are we not doing God a favor by giving him an opportunity to do good?

We have many ways of justifying ourselves. We say that we are choosing the lesser of two evils. We say that we are making the best of a bad situation. We say that the end justifies the means. They are all ways of trying to make the wrong thing look right.

Not Righteous

In verses 9-20, Paul uses a rabbinic technique called “stringing pearls”, quoting passage after passage to underscore his point that no one can achieve righteousness. We know that the law was given as a part of the covenant relationship with God, to show us how to live. Paul says that the law makes us conscious of our inadequacies. There is no way we can live up to the law.

Again, we have to ask the question how God can judge us. If we are made to fail, how can we be held accountable?

Righteousness through Faith

In verses 21-31, Paul responds to the justice of this situation. Though we have never been able to obtain righteousness, righteousness has been granted to us. Paul says we have nothing to boast about, because it is not our doing: this righteousness is nothing we can achieve, and we must remember that, because we try to make faith a work of its own. We make faith a thing to be achieved, measured, and compared among the saints. But though our faith is necessary, it is not an act, or a work, but a surrender. Our righteousness is achieved, not by our actions, but by the grace of God.

This is God’s justice, that though we do not appear worthy, God makes us worthy. Though we were made in such a way that we could not achieve perfection, we were made to be perfect.