Paul has been
explaining how possessing the law of God had not produced righteousness for
Jews (who had the law in a written form) or for Gentiles (who had the law
written on their hearts). Yet the apostle did not want his readers to conclude
that they could not have a righteousness from God, and in these verses he
mentions how they could.
First, he says that
there is a righteousness from God that is not connected to the law. This should
have been good news to those who had just heard his prolonged description of
everyone’s failure to keep the law of God perfectly. Not only would it be good
news, it would also have been surprising news because Paul has stressed several
times in the previous section (1:18-3:20) that God is determined to punish
lawbreakers. This must mean that God has more than one option with regard to
how he treats those who have broken his laws, whether Jews or Gentiles.
Second, Paul says
that this righteousness is recommended by the Old Testament. He says this when
he writes in verse 21 that the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it. It is
worth noting the verb tense that Paul uses with regard to the Old Testament –
he does not say that the Old Testament bore witness (in the past), but that it
bears witness. Since it bears witness, it means it must be obvious. A proper
reading of the Old Testament will tell the reader that it is not about the
impossible righteousness of the law. Instead it is about the promise of another
righteousness that God will provide.
Third, this
righteousness, says Paul, is received through faith in Jesus Christ. Of course,
the title ‘Christ’ should alert us to the Old Testament message that Paul is
stressing because it refers to the Messiah. Right away, anyone familiar with
the Old Testament would begin to think of the many promises about and
descriptions of the Messiah who was to come.
Fourth, this
righteousness is given to everyone who believes in Jesus. Paul here mentions
that unlike the law, in which there was a distinction between Jews and
Gentiles, there is no distinction between those who believe in Jesus. Under the
law, there was a sense in which the Jews were closer to God because they had
his temple and worship. In the gospel, all are equally blessed in this other
righteousness.
Fifth, this
righteousness is a gift from God. Paul uses another word here in connection
with righteousness and it is the word ‘justify’, which means to declare just,
to announce that persons who had broken God’s law are regarded by him as
justified because they have believed in Jesus. The law never gave a gift, not
because it did not have them, but because we could never merit them. This other
righteousness of God is a gift.
Sixth, righteousness
can be received by sinners because of what happened to Jesus. Paul uses two
descriptions that are full of meaning. One is that Jesus is the redeemer and
the other is that God made him a propitiation (we will think about them in
tomorrow’s reading).
Seventh, the fact
that God was waiting for this other righteousness to be provided explains why
he passed over the sins that were committed by his people during the Old
Testament period. He knew, and delighted in, the salvation that he had arranged
for his own Son to provide for lawbreaking sinners. In the next chapter of
Romans, Paul will refer to two of those sinners, Abraham and David.
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