Romans 3:21-26a

Romans 3:21-26:           “But now the righteousness of God without the Law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all who believe –  for there is no difference, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God – being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him with faith in Jesus.”

If Paul’s first words are true, the state of mankind is hopeless: if no one is righteous and all have gone astray, if all men are guilty before God, and cannot be justified by performing the works of the Law, then man is wholly lost and without hope.

But, here Paul declares a righteousness that does not depend upon man’s observance of legal regulations or ritual practices. In fact, he declares that the Law of Moses and the words of the prophets bore witness to a righteousness not dependent upon the Law. The righteousness of God comes without the vehicle of the Law. The righteousness of God comes to everyone, Jew or Gentile, who has faith in Jesus Christ. This righteousness is awarded to ‘all who have sinned’, whether the Jew or the Gentile, based solely on their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as everyone, regardless of their socio/cultural membership, has sinned and ‘fallen short of the glory of God’, so also everyone, regardless of their socio/cultural background, is offered the same means and mechanism of justification before God. Hope is offered to everyone; redemption is available to all.

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