Romans 3:20-24
3:20 a By doing what the law commands refers to obeying the requirements of the law of Moses. While this phrase refers to Jews, the principle extends to all people. If Jews cannot be put in right relationship with God by obeying the law God gave them, certainly other people cannot establish such a relationship through good deeds.Summary for Rom 3:21-22: 3:21–4:25 b Paul returns to the central theme of the righteousness of God that is revealed in Christ and is available to anyone who believes. The fundamental statement of this theology is in 3:21-26 c; Paul elaborates on it in 3:27-31 d and illustrates it with the experience of Abraham in ch 4 e.
Summary for Rom 3:21-22: 3:21-22 f After a lengthy reminder of the power of sin (1:18–3:20 g), Paul returns to the theme presented in 1:17 h, the way to be made right with God (literally the righteousness of God). As in that verse, “the righteousness of God” is the way that God puts people in right relationship with himself.
• without keeping the requirements of the law (literally apart from the law): The old covenant looked forward to the climactic revelation of God’s righteousness in his Son. Because of what God has accomplished for us in Christ by completely fulfilling the requirements of the law, we are now able to come to him by faith, apart from the covenant structure set up by the law of Moses (cp. Heb 8:13 i).
3:24 j God, in his grace: God makes us right in his sight, not because he has to, but because he has freely chosen to give us his favor through Christ Jesus. Because we are helpless slaves of sin (3:9 k), our righteous status before God can never be earned (see 4:4-5 l).
• through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins (literally through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus): In Paul’s day, redemption referred to the price paid to free a slave. God paid our redemption price with the blood of his own Son to rescue us from our slavery to sin (see 3:9 m). This language was used in the Old Testament to refer to the Exodus, the first redemption of God’s people from bondage (see 2 Sam 7:23 n). God promised that he would again redeem his people (Hos 13:14 o; Mic 4:10 p).
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