Romans 3:5

Romans 3:5. But, introducing the common objection: ‘If God thus prevails, do we not, by our sin, help on His glory.' The answer to this objection follows (Romans 3:5-8). Paul admits the premise but denies the conclusion.

Our unrighteousness. The opposite of ‘righteousness;' here used quite generally.

Commendeth, or, ‘established'. The word may have either sense. The former makes the objection stronger, and is preferable here; in chapter Romans 5:8, where the word occurs again, both senses are suggested.

The righteousness of God. Here His character or attribute.

What shall we say? This phrase occurs several times in this Epistle, and was frequent among the Rabbins. ‘It is a formula of meditation on a difficulty, a problem, in which there is danger of a false conclusion. It was also in use among the classical authors.' (Lange.) This is the preparation for the negative answer to the next question.

Is God unrighteous who is inflicting the wrath? This is the unwarranted conclusion, which is denied by the very form of the question in the original. The emphasis rests on ‘unrighteous,' which refers to His character as Judge (comp. Romans 3:6-7). ‘The wrath,' the well-known judicial wrath, at the judgment. This is a designation of God, being as He is, one who is inflicting the wrath, and is not equivalent to, where He inflicts, etc.

I speak after the manner of men. This parenthetical clause is a third protest against the wrong conclusion, which is directly denied in Romans 3:6. He speaks as men would speak; the question is one he could not ask as a Christian, still less as an Apostle. ‘I say this just as an ordinary man, not under the influence of the divine Spirit, may well say it' (Meyer). So that the phrase favors, instead of opposing, Paul's inspiration.