Romans 3:9-31
Introductory Notes
It’s in this section that Paul (finally) gets to the content of the good news. Note that I have skipped over 2:13-3:8 for the purposes of this introductory study. The rationale for that is that the point of those verses is largely directed at a Jewish audience and concerns the place of the Law that God gave Israel.
In 1:18-32, Paul describes humanity’s sin. And then beginning in 2:1 he addresses an imaginary Jewish opponent – leveling charges of sin against him. In 2:6-10 we see the impartiality of God – he judges everyone according to works. Good people go to heaven, bad go to hell.
Paul goes on in 2:12-29 to describe the fact that the Jews aren’t unique in having a Law. Gentiles also have one, and it’s demonstrated in the fact that they have a conscience. So the Jews don’t get any special treatment because they have the Law – everyone gets judged according to their works.
We see the first inkling of the gospel in this section as well, in v. 29, in which ‘true’ Jews are described as ones who are born again – part of the new creation.
Paul then, in 3:1-8, addresses the issue of why the Jews were chosen. His Jewish opponent has objected, “What advantage has the Jew?” Paul begins to answer by saying that they have been given Scripture. But possessing God’s word doesn’t prevent them from getting judged according to their (evil) works!
This is stuff that you’ll want to explain in short form before the Bible study on 3:9-31.
Also, vv. 19-28 is possibly one of the most important sections in the whole of Scripture. I’d usually say ‘make sure they get this main point’ – but the whole thing is one cohesive unit – and is vital.
Exposition and Notes
3:9-18
The sequence in 3:10-18 is a series of quotations from Psalm 14:1-3, Psalm 5:9, Psalm 140:3, Psalm 10:7; Proverbs 1:16, Isaiah 59:7, 8; and Psalm 36:1.
The whole point here is introduced by the statement of conclusion from the previous section – Jews and Gentiles (Greeks) are guilty of sin before God. Paul goes on to say this accords with what God has stated in the aforementioned Scriptures. Now, if you look these all up, you’ll see that they’re not always explicitly about Jews or Gentiles, but about the enemies of God. Paul is merely using these verses to summarize the totality of our depravity that he’s already proven.
The verses mean what they say. As far as shedding blood goes, we need to remember that anger is murder in God’s sight (Matthew 5:21, 22).
3:19, 20
Verse 19 gives the inevitable result of the Law. The result is this: very people group – Jew and Gentile alike – is accountable to God. (That’s ‘the whole world.’)
Verse 20 tells us how this happens: the Law makes us aware that we’re sinning. Because we’re aware that we’re sinning because of the Law, trying to do what it requires doesn’t justify us.
Or to boil it down – The Law speaks so that Jews and Gentiles alike are accountable to God. They’re accountable because they can’t be justified by trying to do it, because it just makes us aware we’re sinning.
Or to boil it REALLY down – the law just accuses us; it doesn’t show that we’re righteous. And that’s because we’re not.
3:21, 22a
Note a couple things at this junction. ‘But now’ indicates something has happened in the history of the world – in the history of how God deals with people. No longer is he just speaking through the Law.
Also, note the ‘righteousness of God’ language that reappears. So we can’t be declared righteous (justified) by works of the Law – but at this juncture, God’s righteousness is revealed for all believers. It is given to believers through their faith in Jesus. This was prophesied in the OT – but is now made known.
In other words, we need righteousness to be justified. It can’t come from trying to do what the Law requires – so it has to come from God – and it does to everyone who believes in Jesus.
3:22b-24
Now we see that what we just covered – the righteousness of God is for all believers – is because there’s no distinction between believers. Just as Jews and Gentiles alike are under sin, so they are all alike in being justified.
v. 23 Goes on to say that the reason for that is that all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That’s why we’re all believers alike get the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus.
‘All sinned’ is an interesting way to say what Paul said. The exact phrase occurs again in Romans 5:12 and is quite possibly not a reference to individual sin but to the fact that we all sinned in Adam. Or in other words, we’re all living in the kingdom of sin because of our original father.
‘Falling short of the glory of God’ is also an interesting expression. In Ch. 2, Paul talked about the glory of God as a reward for glorifying God.
In other words, what’s probably being referred to in this verse is the fact that all believers are alike in that they were guilty in Adam and could not earn the glory that God promises to those who glorify him.
The other way that believers are all alike is that they are justified by God’s grace as a gift. The declaration of righteousness that guarantees us heaven is the gift. God’s grace causes that to happen. So there is a slight distinction between ‘grace’ and ‘gift.’ The gift is justification. The grace is God’s sovereign and loving action in working to bring about the justification of all believers.
In the end of v. 24, Paul begins to speak of the means of justification. The first manner in which he talks about it is in ‘redemption’ language. ‘Redemption’ has a couple backdrops. First, to a Jew it would bring back memories of how God’s mighty arm rescued the people from slavery in Egypt. But second, and more importantly, to a Greek, ‘redemption’ meant a price paid for the freedom of a slave. The two things are related. First, the result is freedom for a slave. But second, there is an exchange made for that freedom. In Israel’s case it was the exertion of God’s strength that was exchanged for Israel. But in justification it was Jesus that was exchanged for his Church. Or in other words, Jesus was subjected to the effects of that slavery (death; see 6:23) in the place of his Church.
3:25, 26
‘Whom’ refers to Jesus in v. 24. Paul here is about to tell us how this exchange for our freedom – Jesus for us – happened. God put Jesus forward as a propitiation. The word ‘propitiation’ means ‘sacrifice which averts the wrath of an angry god.’ It’s also the word that refers to the ‘mercy seat’ in the holy of holies on top of the ark of the covenant.
Remember a priest would enter into this place – a picture of God’s throne room – and sprinkle blood on the covering of the ark (the mercy seat) so that God would not punish the people for their sins. In other words, an animal was slain in the place of the people.
What we have here is God’s wrath being assuaged and satisfied in the blood of Christ. Or in other words, God’s wrath is satisfied in the death of Jesus. Or in other words, God the Father killed God the Son in the place of all believers.
We see this last part in the phrase ‘to be received by faith’ – literally, ‘through faith.’ In other words, the propitiation that God himself provided is applied to us through faith. We could not avert God’s wrath. God had to do that, and he applies that aversion of wrath to us through faith in Jesus.
This arrangement – God killing Jesus in the place of believers – demonstrates God’s righteousness because he’d passed over former sins. Or in other words, God just forgave people before Jesus through faith. Abraham had no redemption-price paid on his behalf. There was no ground for any Old Testament believer’s justification – until God the Father killed God the Son in their place.
v. 26 gives us the rationale for this. First, God wanted to show off his righteousness. God would not be just if he did not punish sinners. So in punishing Jesus in their place, he acted both justly/righteously (again, the same word) and caused the justification (righteous status before God) of every believer.
3:27, 28
Paul here picks up the concept of boasting. The imaginary Jew from ch. 2 was boasting in his having the Law, and presumably, doing what it required (2:17, 23). But any and all boasting is impossible because the manner in which God declares people righteous is by faith, not by what they do.
Or in other words, justification is based solely on God’s work; thus, we can’t brag about it – we did nothing to bring it about.
27 uses the word ‘law’ to describe ‘principles.’ Or in other words, justification is through the principles of faith. Or in other words, the thing that governs justification is not works, but faith.
3:28 is possibly one of the most important verses in the Bible. ‘Works of the Law,’ some modern theologians think, is merely the ceremonial Law (the laws concerning temple worship, etc.). But that’s not how Paul has talked about the works of the Law throughout Romans so far. The Law is about obedience to God. In other words, people are justified apart from attempts at obedience. God justifies every believer apart from their obedience or lack thereof. And he does it on the basis of Christ’s righteousness, accomplished in his substitutionary death.
3:29-31
Paul goes on here to say that God justifies all types of people (whether Jew or Gentile) in the same way – through faith. This is in opposition to the supposed objection that God is only the God of Jews. The answer to this is no, he justifies all the same way.
A Jew might then say that the idea of ‘justification by faith’ then makes the Law that Moses gave pointless. Paul rejoins with the exact opposite – justification by faith, rather, shows that the Law is valid.
How? The Law condemns everyone (Romans 3:19, 20, 23). And justification by faith is based on the righteousness accomplished for us by Jesus – he was condemned by the Law in our place (3:24-26). So this doctrine of justification by faith shows that the Law actually matters – because obedience to it matters.
Bible Study Suggested Discussion Guide
-Make sure you first go over what you’ve done in Romans so far. Remember: 1) The Scriptures testify to the Kingdom of Jesus so that people will trust and obey him for God’s glory. 2) Christians grow to obey Jesus more through being around other Christians – and through the gospel being preached to them. 3) The gospel is good news because God’s righteousness is given to us for God to consider us righteous – because we’re not – and our not being righteous earns us punishment. 4) We all know enough about God to know that we should worship him; but we don’t – we worship other things. And so God’s wrath is against us. 5) God’s wrath against us means he’s given humanity up to deeper and deeper rebellion. 6) Jews are no different – everyone is judged on the basis of whether they are good or bad. And we are all bad.
-And make sure you explain that though Israel was special in God’s plan – in that God communicated to them – everyone is still judged the same way. Having the Scriptures doesn’t save!
-Have someone read vv. 9-18
-Does anything stick out to you? Or does anyone have any questions?
-What kind of picture is painted of the human condition?
-Where do you identify with this description?
-Have someone read vv. 19, 20.
-What does the Law do?
-How does this relate to us?
-Have someone read vv. 21-26
-This section is very, very difficult AND very, very important. It may be helpful before beginning to discuss this section to define certain words
-sin = disobedience to what our Creator has commanded – including and primarily the worship of him
-God’s glory = the reward promised to those who obey God
-to justify = to declare/consider righteous
-grace = God’s moving for the happiness of the recipients of grace
-redemption = exchange of one thing for the freedom of another, often used for buying the freedom of slaves
-propitiation = sacrifice which satisfies the wrath of God against rebellion
-just = righteous
-What sticks out to you?
-Do you have any questions?
-Verse 26 says that God is both just and the justifier of everyone who believes in Jesus. How does this work?
-Have someone read vv. 27-31
-What are some of the main points here?
-How does justification by faith uphold the Law?
-What should our response to all this be?
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