Romans 3 - Introduction

The Jew's prerogative. None are justified by the law; but all by faith.

Anno Domini 58.

THE foregoing reasonings being contrary to the prejudices of the Jews, one of that nation is here introduced, objecting, if our being the children of Abraham, members of the church of God, and heirs of the promises, will procure us no favour at the judgment; and if the want of these privileges will not preclude the Heathens from salvation;—what is the pre-eminence of a Jew above a Gentile, and what is the advantage of our being made the visible church of God? Romans 3:1.—The Apostle replied, That the Jews, as a nation, enjoyed great advantages by being the church of God: to them were committed the oracles of God, the law of Moses, and the writings of the prophets, in which the coming of the Seed of Abraham, who was to bless all nations, is foretold, Romans 3:2.—But, says the Jew, What good have we derived from these oracles, if the greatest part of us have not believed on him whom you affirm to be the seed of Abraham? Will not our unbelief occasion our rejection, and thereby destroy the faithfulness of God, who promised to Abraham to be a God to him and to his seed in their generations? Romans 3:3.—This consequence the Apostle denied. Because, although all the natural seed of Abraham were rejected for unbelief, the faithfulness of God would not be destroyed thereby, but rather established; as the casting of Abraham's seed out of the covenant for unbelief and disobedience, was tacitly threatened in the covenant itself, Romans 3:4.—But, replied the Jew, If our unrighteousness, in not believing on Jesus, establish the faithfulness of God, by occasioning our losing the privileges of the covenant, Is not God unrighteous in destroying us also as a nation for the sin of not believing on Jesus? Romans 3:5.—By no means, answered the Apostle; for if no sin could be righteously punished, which is attended with good consequences, How shall God judge the world? How shall he render to every man according to his works? Romans 3:6.—This answer not convincing the Jew, he urged his objection in a stronger form, as follows: If the truth of God, in executing his threatenings on us as a nation, hath abounded to his glory through our lie, Why are we punished as sinners individually, for what has contributed so exceedingly to God's glory, that it can scarcely be called a sin? To this objection the Apostle adds, Why not say also, what we apostles are slanderously reported to practise, and even to order, Let us do evil that good may come? This pernicious doctrine theApostle reprobated with abhorrence, by declaring, that the condemnation of those who hold it is most just, Romans 3:8 which is all that he now thought fit to say on the subject; intending to confute both the objection and the slander more fully afterwards, chap. 6: Romans 7:8 :

Because the Apostle had affirmed, Romans 3:2 that the pre-eminence of the Jews above the Gentiles consisted in the advantages which they derived from the oracles of God, for improving themselves in knowledge, holiness, and virtue, the Jew asks, Do you acknowledge that we excel the Gentiles in worthiness of character, and that, on account thereof, we are entitled to be justified by the law? Not at all, says the Apostle; for we have formerly, chap. 1: and 2: proved Jews and Gentiles, that is the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers among theJews, and the statesmen, philosophers, and common people of the Gentiles, to be all under sin, and obliged to seek justification by faith, Romans 3:9.—And with respect to the common people of the Jews, I will shew you by passages from your own Scriptures, that the generality of them have always been exceedingly corrupt, notwithstanding the advantages which they derived from the oracles of God, Romans 3:12.—Wherefore Jesus and Gentiles being sinners, every mouth of man, pretending to justification as due on account of works, is effectually stopped, both by the law of nature and by the law of Moses, and all the world stands condemned by both, as liable to punishment from God, Romans 3:19.—The Apostle having thus, step by step, led his readers to the great conclusion which he meant to establish, he produces it as the result of all his reasonings hitherto: Wherefore, by works of law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: because through law is the knowledge of sin, Romans 3:20.—That is, neither Jew nor Gentile can be justified meritoriously by works of law; because, law requiring immaculate obedience under the penalty of death, its only operation is to make sinners sensible that they are liable tocondemnation, without giving them the least hope of mercy: so that any expectation of eternal life which sinners can entertain, must be founded upon a method of justification different from that of law.

This being the proper place for it, the Apostle introduces his account of the Gospel-method of justification, as follows. Because both the law of nature, and the law of Moses have made immaculate obedience necessary to justification, and because no man is able to give such an obedience, a righteousness without law, that is, a different righteousness from immaculate obedience to any law whatever, is now discovered in the Gospel, to be what God requires in order to salvation. And to reconcile the Jews to that kind of righteousness, the Apostle told them, (deferring the proof of his assertion till afterwards, chap. Romans 4:1.) that it is testified by the law and the prophets, Romans 3:21.—even the righteousness which God has appointed from the beginning, as the righteousness of sinners; a righteousness which is through the faith enjoined by Jesus Christ, and which, from mere favour, will be counted to all, and rewarded upon all who believe; for with God there is no distinction of persons, in his method of justifying mankind, Romans 3:22.—because all have sinned and come short of the praise of God, Romans 3:23.

Manyof the Jews, however, continued utterly averse to the new dispensation:First, Because its doctrine of justification by faith rendered the Levitical sacrifices, which they believed to be real atonements, altogether useless; and, secondly, because they fancied that no sacrifice forsin was appointed under the Gospel.—This latter mistake the Apostle corrected, by informing them that justification is a free gift from God, bestowed on sinners through the redemption which is by Christ Jesus, that is through the atonement which he has made for sin by the sacrifice of himself: Romans 3:24.—And that on account of his having offered a sacrifice so meritorious, God has set him forth as a mercy-seat, seated on which, consistently with his justice, he forbears to punish sinners immediately, and grantsthem space to repent and believe, that he may pardon both them who have repented and believed before the coming of Christ, Romans 3:25 and them who shall repent and believe after his coming, even to the end of the world; Romans 3:26.—Where then is boasting? the boasting of the Gentile philosophers, and of the Jewish scribes, who, being puffed up with pride, the one on account of their intellectual attainments, and the other on account of their zeal in performing the rites of Moses, fancy themselves entitled to eternal life. To this question the Apostle replies, It is excluded: not however by law, which only justifies men meritoriously through an immaculate obedience to its precepts; but by the law of faith, the Gospel, which justifies sinners gratuitously through faith, Romans 3:27 and thereby utterly beats down the pride both of the Jews and the Gentiles.

Having thus explained the Gospel-method of justification, and shewn that it is founded not on the merit of men's works, but in the mercy of God, and in the atonement made for sin by the death of Christ, the Apostle produces his second great conclusion: We conclude then, that by faith man is justified without works of law, Romans 3:28. And truly, unless this, with the arguments which support it, had been added, the former conclusion, Romans 3:20. By works of law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, would have answered no purpose, but to terrify sinners.—Farther, to wean theJewseffectuallyfromthe legal method of justification bysacrifices, washings, and meats, on which they doted, the Apostle observed, that Jews and Gentiles being all under the government of the same God, who is equally related to all, as their creator and judge, Romans 3:29 there cannot be one way of justification appointed for the Jews, and another for the Gentiles; but all are to be justified in one method, namely, by faith, Romans 3:30.—To conclude: because the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles affirmed, That in teachingagratuitous justification by faith without works of law, the Apostle made law useless, he told them, this doctrine does not make law useless, but rather establishes it as absolutely necessary, Romans 3:31. However, the proof of his assertion being a matter of great importance, the Apostle deferred it till afterwards, that he might propose it at large, chap. 7: