Chapter 3

3:5  But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)

righteousness

(See Scofield "Romans 3:21") .

3:6  God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

world

kosmos = mankind. (See Scofield "Matthew 4:8") .

3:7  For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?

sinner

(See Scofield "Romans 3:23") .

3:8  And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

damnation

i.e. condemnation.

3:9  What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

sin

Sin. (See Scofield "Romans 3:23") .

3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

righteous

(See Scofield "Romans 10:10") .

3:19  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

become

be brought under the judgment of God.

3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

sin

Sin. (See Scofield "Romans 3:23") .

3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

righteousness of God

The righteousness of God is neither an attribute of God, not the changed character of the believer, but Christ Himself, who fully met in our stead and behalf every demand of the law, and who is, but the act of God called imputation Leviticus 25:50 ; James 2:23, "made unto us . . righteousness" 1 Corinthians 1:30 .

"The believer in Christ is now, by grace, shrouded under so complete and blessed a righteousness that the law from Mt. Sinai can find neither fault nor diminution therein. This is that which is called the righteousness of God by faith."--Bunyan.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ; Romans 4:6 ; 10:4 ; Philippians 3:9 ; Romans 3:26

3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

sinned

Sin, Summary: The literal meanings of the Heb. and (Greek - ajlektorofwniva sin," "sinner," etc)., disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations. Sin is transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil Psalms 51:1 ; Luke 15:29, iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not; error, a departure from right ; Psalms 51:9 ; Romans 3:23, missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard; trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority Ephesians 2:1, lawlessness, or spiritual anarchy 1 Timothy 1:9, unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity John 16:9 .

Sin originated with Satan Isaiah 14:12-14, entered the world through Adam Romans 5:12, was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted ; Romans 3:23 ; 1 Peter 2:22, incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death ; Genesis 2:17 ; 3:19 ; Ezekiel 18:4 Ezekiel 18:20 ; Romans 6:23 and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ ; Hebrews 9:26 ; Acts 4:12 availed of by faith Acts 13:38 Acts 13:39 . Sin may be summarized as threefold: An act, the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; a state, absence of righteousness; a nature, enmity toward God.

3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Redemption

Redemption, "to deliver by paying a price." The N.T. doctrine. The N.T. records the fulfilment of the O.T. types and prophecies of redemption through the sacrifice of Christ. The completed truth is set forth in the three words which are translated redemption

(1) agorazo, "to purchase in the market." The underlying thought is of a slave-market. The subjects of redemption are "sold under sin" Romans 7:14 but are, moreover, under sentence of death ; Ezekiel 18:4, ; John 3:18 John 3:19 ; Romans 3:19 ; Galatians 3:10, and the purchase price is the blood of the Redeemer who dies in their stead ; Galatians 3:13 ; 2 Corinthians 5:21 ; Matthew 20:28, ; Mark 10:45 ; 1 Timothy 2:6 ; 1 Peter 1:18 .

(2) exagorazo, "to buy out of the market." The redeemed are never again to be exposed to sale;

(3) lutroo, "to loose," "to set free by paying a price" John 8:32 ; Galatians 4:4 Galatians 4:5 Galatians 4:31 ; 5:13 ; Romans 8:21 . Redemption is by sacrifice and by power (See Scofield "Exodus 14:30") Christ paid the price, the Holy Spirit makes deliverance actual in experience Romans 8:2 .

(See Scofield "Isaiah 59:20") . See Scofield " Romans 1:16 ".

grace Grace (in salvation), Romans 4:4-16 ; 3:24 . (See Scofield "John 1:17") .

3:25  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;

propitiation

Lit. a propitiatory sacrifice, through faith by his blood; (Greek - iJlasthvrion , "place of propitiation)." The word occurs, 1 John 2:2 ; 4:10 as the trans. of hilasmos, "that which propitiates," "a propitiatory sacrifice." Hilasterion is used by the Septuagint, and Hebrews 9:5 for "mercy-seat." The mercy-seat was sprinkled with atoning blood in the day of atonement Leviticus 16:14 in token that the righteous sentence of the law had been (typically) carried out, so that what must else have been a judgment-seat could righteously be a mercy-seat ; Hebrews 9:11-15 ; 4:14-16, a place of communion Exodus 25:21 Exodus 25:22 .

In fulfilment of the type, Christ is Himself the hilasmos, "that which propitiates," and the hilasterion, "the place of propitiation" --the mercy-seat sprinkled with His own blood-- the token that in our stead He so honoured the law by enduring its righteous sentence that God, who ever foresaw the cross, is vindicated in having "passed over" sins from Adam to Moses Romans 5:13 and the sins of believers under the old covenant (See Scofield "Exodus 29:33") and just in justifying sinners under the covenant. There is no thought in propitiation of placating a vengeful God, but of doing right by His holy law and so making it possible for Him righteously to show mercy.

remission passing over of sins done aforetime, i.e. since Adam. Cf. Hebrews 9:15 .

3:26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

righteousness

"His righteousness" here is God's consistency with His own law and holiness in freely justifying a sinner who believes in Christ; that is, one in whose behalf Christ has met every demand of the law Romans 10:4 .

3:28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Justification

Justification, Summary: Justification and righteousness are inseparably united in Scripture by the fact that the same word (dikaios, "righteous"; dikaioo, "to justify") is used for both. The believing sinner is justified because Christ, having borne his sins on the cross, has been "made unto him righteousness" 1 Corinthians 1:30 . Justification originates in grace ; Romans 3:24 ; Titus 3:4 Titus 3:5 is through the redemptive and propitiatory work of Christ, who has vindicated the law ; Romans 3:24 Romans 3:25 ; 5:9 is by faith, not works ; Romans 3:28-30 ; 4:5 ; 5:1 ; Galatians 2:16 ; Galatians 3:8 Galatians 3:24 and may be defined as the judicial act of God whereby He justly declares righteous one who believes on Jesus Christ. It is the Judge Himself Romans 8:31-34 who thus declares. The justified believer has been in court, only to learn that nothing is laid to his charge. Romans 8:1 Romans 8:33 Romans 8:34 .

3:31  Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Do we then

The sinner establishes the law in its right use and honour by confessing his guilt, and acknowledging that by it he is justly condemned. Christ, on the sinner's behalf, establishes the law by enduring its penalty, death. Cf. Matthew 5:17 Matthew 5:18 .