Rom 3:21-4:8 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Rom 3:21-22: 3:21–4:25 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 ; Paul elaborates on it in 3:27-31 and illustrates it with the experience of Abraham in ch 4 . Summary for Rom 3:21-22: 3:21-22 After a lengthy reminder of the power of sin (1:18–3:20 ), Paul returns to the theme presented in 1:17 , 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 ).

Summary for Rom 3:21-22: 3:21–4:25 ^a 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 ^b; Paul elaborates on it in 3:27-31 ^c and illustrates it with the experience of Abraham in ch 4 ^d.
Summary for Rom 3:21-22: 3:21-22 ^e After a lengthy reminder of the power of sin (1:18–3:20 ^f), Paul returns to the theme presented in 1:17 ^g, 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 ^h).
3:24 ⁱ 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 ^j), our righteous status before God can never be earned (see 4:4-5 ^k).

• 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 ^l). 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 ^m). God promised that he would again redeem his people (Hos 13:14 ⁿ; Mic 4:10 ^o).
3:25 ^p the sacrifice for sin (Greek hilastērion): This Greek word is used in the Greek Old Testament to refer to the “atonement cover,” the cover that rested on the Ark of the Covenant in the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle. The atonement cover was prominent in the Day of Atonement ritual (Lev 16 ^q) and came to stand for the atonement ceremony itself. Paul characterizes Jesus Christ as God’s provision of final atonement for his people. Jesus himself satisfies, or absorbs in himself, the anger of God against all sinful people (see Rom 1:18 ^r).

• those who sinned in times past: Paul refers to righteous Old Testament people who were not punished for their sins as strict justice would require. Hebrews reminds us, “it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb 10:4 ^s). How, then, could God forgive people in the Old Testament? Paul answers that Jesus’ sacrifice works backward in history as well as forward—through Christ, God provided for the full satisfaction of his righteous anger against human sin.
Summary for Rom 3:29-30: 3:29-30 ^t Paul uses the foundational Jewish commitment to monotheism to argue for universal access to God’s forgiveness. If there is only one God, then he is equally the God of both Jews and Gentiles. All people must be able to come to God on the same terms, through faith.
3:31 ^u we truly fulfill the law: Paul knows that some people will object to his insistence on faith apart from the law because it seems to dismiss the demands of the law. However, faith actually enables people to fulfill the law. The Holy Spirit is given to those who have faith, and he makes it possible for people to do as they should.

‏ Romans 4:1-8

4:1 ^v Jews in Paul’s day revered Abraham as Israel’s founder. Some Jewish texts claim that Abraham never sinned (Prayer of Manasseh 8; Jubilees 23:10). Others emphasize his obedience to the law of Moses as the basis for his relationship with God (1 Maccabees 2:52; Sirach 44:19-20). However, Paul demonstrates that Abraham’s faith, not his obedience, established his status with God. Abraham’s position as the founder of God’s people demonstrates that justification by faith is central in God’s plan.
4:3 ^w Paul quotes Gen 15:6 ^x. In response to God’s promise that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, Abraham believed God. It was faith that established Abraham’s relationship with God—not works (Rom 4:3-8 ^y), circumcision (4:9-12 ^z), the law (4:13-17 ^aa), or the number of his descendants (4:18-21 ^ab).
Summary for Rom 4:4-5: 4:4-5 ^ac The logic of these verses is as follows: (1) The stated premise is that when people work, their pay is what they have earned, not a gift. (2) The unstated premise is that God is never indebted to his creatures (because they owe him everything), so anything he gives them is a gift (see also 9:14-16 ^ad). (3) The conclusion is that therefore, people cannot be declared righteous before God because of their works.
Summary for Rom 4:7-8: 4:7-8 ^ae This quotation from Ps 32:1-2 ^af follows the Jewish custom of supporting a reference to the Law with a reference in the Prophets or the Writings. Paul also uses a Jewish exegetical technique of linking unrelated quotations with a key word. Here, record . . . has cleared translates the same Greek word as “counted” in Rom 4:3 ^ag.