Justified by Faith Apart From Works of the Law; Paul Draws to Faith by the Example of Abraham (Romans 3:27–31)

Rom. 3:27. Where then is boasting? It has been excluded: by what law? By the law of works? No, but by the law of faith.

As it were: you might have boasted, having divinely ordained ordinances; but since you did not fulfill these ordinances, you thereby removed from yourselves all ground for boasting. But even if now, coming to your senses, you turned to strict fulfillment of all that has been commanded you, it would serve no purpose. God has now established a new covenant, and the first covenant has taken from you all possibility of boasting.

“It has been excluded,” έξεκλείσθη,—shut out, annulled. “He did not say: ‘destroyed,’ but: ‘excluded,’—that is, no longer has place” (blessed Theodoret). “He did not say: it vanished and perished, but: ‘excluded,’—by which is meant more—the unseasonableness of boasting. There was a time for boasting, but now that time has passed. As when the judgment has come there is no longer time for those wishing to repent, so also for the Jews that time had passed when they could say: we can make amends by keeping the Law—when the verdict has been pronounced and He has come who by grace destroys all evil. They should have been concerned about this before the coming of Christ. But when He came who saves through faith, the time of efforts (under the Law) ended, since all means proved ineffective; Christ saves by grace. Therefore He came now. And if He had come in the beginning, they could have said that it was possible to be saved with the help of the Law through one’s own labors and merits. Therefore, lest He give occasion for such shameless words, Christ waited a long time. And when it became clear from everything that men did not have sufficient strength of their own, then He saves by His grace. And whoever contradicts this acts like a man who, having committed grievous crimes and being unable to justify himself before the court, is condemned and sentenced to execution, but is then freed by royal mercy, and after his freedom has the shamelessness to boast and insist that he committed no offense. This should have been shown before receiving mercy; but when mercy is shown, it is no time to boast. The same happened with the Jews, since they did not defend themselves; Christ came and by His coming deprived them of boasting. He who presents himself as a teacher of infants, boasts in the Law, is called an instructor of the foolish, yet together with them has need of a Teacher and Saviour; he has nothing to boast about. If even formerly circumcision was uncircumcision, how much more now. For circumcision is abolished both for past and for present time” (Saint Chrysostom).

“By what law?” “Having said that ‘it has been excluded,’ the Apostle shows how this came to pass: how ‘it has been excluded’” (Saint Chrysostom). The word: “law”—can be understood both in the proper sense, and thus: by virtue of what “has it been excluded”?

“By the law of works?” From the Greek: by works? — that is, by the law of works? — by virtue of works? No; but by virtue of faith, that is, by virtue of the New Covenant, established on faith. How by virtue of faith boasting has been excluded, this is self-evident. But how could it be excluded by virtue of works, or by the law of works? For although the Apostle denies this, he shows by the question that it is possible. How then is it possible? — It is possible in the sense that the Law accuses the Jews. But this indeed happened, and the Apostle could not deny this when he himself accuses the Jews by the Law and takes away from them their boasting. The Law accused and took away boasting. And one could not have said: no—not by the law of works was boasting excluded. Therefore it seems that by this question and negative answer: “by works? no,”—the Apostle wished only to set forth more vividly the power of faith, placing before it the Law. For one could have said directly after the question: by what law? — By the law of faith.

“No, but by the law of faith.” “Behold, Paul has even called faith a law; he holds to the old terminology in order to make acceptable what seemed to be an innovation. And wherein consists the law of faith? In that one is saved by grace. Here the Apostle proves that all things are possible to God, Who not only saved, but also justified, and gave the right to boast, having no need for our works, but requiring only faith. And he says this so that the believing Jew might be accustomed to humility, and the unbeliever humbled and then drawn in. Do you see what riches faith holds?” (Saint Chrysostom).

Boasting is excluded by the law of faith not so that all may be covered with disgrace, but so that all may be shown the path to true glory. By faith in the Lord they received remission of sins and opened the way for grace to enter them, which is given in the mysteries and sanctifies and presents pure and glorious before God, Angels, and men the one who is faithful to the conditions of the gracious covenant. There is glory! Such a law of faith abolished boasting by the Law—both by giving believers what the Law did not give, and by the fact that it was established not for Jews alone, but for all men in general. “As soon as grace appeared and was poured out upon all nations, the boasting of the Jews ceased; because God gave men a short way to salvation—faith” (blessed Theodoret).

Rom. 3:28. We hold that a man is justified by faith, apart from works of the Law.

Having proved that justification is in the blood of Christ, and not in works of the Law, he concludes his discussion and says: “from all that has been said we conclude that every man is justified by faith” (blessed Theophylact). “We hold,”—we think—we usually speak thus of thoughts not yet settled; one who thinks a certain way may change his mind. But the Apostle, saying: “we hold,” λογιζόμεθα,—wishes to say: such is an immutable principle for our reasoning—firmly hold that man can be justified only by faith. “He did not say: ‘be justified’—to a Jew, or to one living under the Law, but, speaking generally and opening the door of salvation to the whole human race, he used a generic name—a common designation of nature—saying: a man” (Saint Chrysostom; blessed Theodoret). Before this he only stripped the Jew of this boasting, and from works of the Law he took away the power to do so, and he placed all mankind on one level, showing all one path of salvation through faith in the blood of the Lord. Now he expresses these same thoughts in the form of a principle, yet having in view chiefly the Jew; for he alone stood with the opinion that it was possible to be saved another way, often even after receiving the Gospel, and could not quickly become reconciled to the view that now the condition of salvation is one for all. Therefore he also added: “apart from works of the Law,”—that is, apart from a life according to the ordinances of the Old Testament institutions. Neither for the acceptance of the Gospel, nor for the appropriation of its gracious powers, nor for a salvific life according to its spirit do works of the Law give anyone any help or any advantage. “Two thoughts disturbed the Jews: the first, that those who could not be saved by works might be saved without works; the second, that the uncircumcised were given rights equal with the Jews, who had been trained in the Law for so long. This latter thought disturbed them much more than the first. Therefore the Apostle, proving the first, moves on to the second, which so terrified the Jews that even after receiving faith, disturbed by it, they accused Peter on account of Cornelius and all that he did for his conversion” (Saint Chrysostom). And what had been said was enough for their instruction, but for greater persuasion the Apostle adds a reasoning from common sense, saying:

Rom. 3:29. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not also the God of Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles also.

The Apostle, as it were, sees from afar how the Jews, accustomed to claiming special privileges before God, upon reading the foregoing word, are troubled by the thoughts arising in their hearts: how can this be, how can this be allowed? Therefore he hurries to calm this turmoil, saying as it were: “do not be troubled by this, Jew, as if by some absurdity” (blessed Theophylact). “Or is God the God of Jews only?” “Is God some private God? From this it is clear that those wishing to demean Gentiles thereby demean God’s glory, not permitting God to be God of all. If He is indeed God of all, then He cares for all. And if He cares for all, then He saves all equally through faith” (Saint Chrysostom). He appeals to the common belief imprinted in the hearts of all, and thereby shuts the mouth of the Jew and encourages the Gentile. Even to this day God has not left Himself “without witness” among the Gentiles, although He has certainly guided the Jews more clearly. It was necessary that it be so for a time; but when that time passed, now He offers to all a common guidance to salvation. The sense of the words: “or is God only the God of Jews”—will then be thus: that God should forever show special care only for the Jews, this cannot be. God is the God of all. This was necessary for a time; but now God is pleased to show to all what He has shown to the Jews alone.

Rom. 3:30. Since God is one; and He will justify the circumcised from faith, and the uncircumcised through faith.

Such now is the law of salvation for all! Believe, and you will be saved. Whether you are circumcised or not circumcised, faith alone is powerful to show you righteous before God. This is not my reasoning. Thus God has ordained; He Himself justifies. Therefore, you Jew, do not resist stubbornly, and you Gentile, do not despair. Receive faith—and God will justify equally both the uncircumcised as the circumcised, and will not deprive one (not deprive—here: not shortchange), and will not give excess to the other. On the height of the justifying economy God presides, and He alone justifies; man on his part presents nothing justifying, only faith. And for it God justifies every one. Or “God is one”—conveys the thought that there is no other God to whom the Gentiles might turn for justification. God is one, from Him alone can justification come. If we cannot think that God abandoned the Gentiles to perdition, then we must accept that He will also give them justification. If now God is one and all men are of one nature, then the condition of justification must also be one for all. And it is—faith; the circumcised and the uncircumcised are justified by faith. “God is one God of all, one Creator of all, and it is impossible that He should care for some and leave others without His care. Consequently, to all who believe He grants salvation” (blessed Theodoret). True, the Apostle attributes to the circumcised justification — εκ πίστεως — from faith, out of faith, and to the uncircumcised — δια της πίστεως — through faith. But one cannot definitively point to what nuance of thought concerning the justification of some and others the Apostle wished thereby to express. It seems he wished only to mark off separately the justification of both, yet by the undivided faith whose power is the same for both. He draws all equally under the shelter of faith. There is, of course, a certain distinction of the Jew from the Gentile: for him in the Law and in the Prophetic Scriptures were sown both the Gospel and faith, and he stood already within God’s fence; while this one could rise only to the feeling of the impossibility of being saved except by God’s special help, and that God will not abandon him either, as God of all; yet for him to enter God’s fence there still remained some doorway. This door for him is faith; through faith, δια πίστεως,—he enters. For the Jew, by contrast, it remained only to be sprinkled from the fountain of faith, εκ πίστεως,—the suggestion of which he could draw from the Law and Scriptures. The fruit from this for both is one—justification. — Is not this what the holy Apostle hints at here?!

2) The Apostle persuades, draws, and inclines toward faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:31–5:21)

It has been explained that salvation is only in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and it has been shown that, while both Gentiles and Jews had nothing remaining but to await the judgment of God’s wrath, God in His goodness revealed a special path to salvation through faith, which washes away sins and draws down sanctifying grace, and that in this way now all is from faith: God justifies “the circumcised from faith, and the uncircumcised through faith.” Having proved this, the Apostle now proceeds to persuade them of it and to incline them toward its acceptance. The first source of persuasion he draws from: a) the example of Abraham together with the testimony of David (Rom. 3:31–4:25); the second is supplied by: b) the treasures of faith (Rom. 5:1–11); the third: c) a presentation of the significance of the economy of Christ in the history of mankind (Rom. 5:12–21).

a) Through the example of Abraham (Rom. 3:31–4:25)

The Apostle examines the example of Abraham from all sides, but especially bears down on that side of his life where faith was active; and he briefly introduces the testimony of David into his discussion of Abraham. But at the transition to this examination, he sets forth a likely source of confusion among the Jews, arising from his previous arguments: so then, you destroy the Law? Clearing away this confusion, the Apostle responds: no, I do not destroy, but establish. I here set forth in word what our forefather Abraham showed in deed.

Rom. 3:31. Do we then nullify the Law through faith? By no means! Rather, we establish the Law.

By the word: “the Law”—here is meant all the Old Testament Scripture, and not merely the legislative books of the prophet Moses, the foreword to which is what is written in the book of Genesis, and the commentary to which is all that was written after the books of Moses. All the Old Testament institution, depicted in these books, the Apostle presents in the image of a building and asks: do I destroy this building of the Law by teaching faith? — “Do we then nullify the Law through faith?” This question in itself, and all the more so with the answer: “by no means,”—is completely unexpected. For the entire immediately preceding discourse (Rom. 3:20–30) deprives the Law of all power and declares it from now on unnecessary. How then does he say: we do not destroy, and still so decisively: “by no means”—and moreover with such an opposite assertion: “rather, we establish the Law”?

And yet this is perfectly true. The Apostle here does not explain this in detail, leaving it to us to make the explanatory inferences. The Law had two aspects: an external one—all the visible institutions, and an internal one—that to which it led, what it prefigured and what it promised in the future. This latter constituted its soul, while the former was its body. The external part of the Law is truly destroyed, and the internal part is released from under the external, brought to light and set before the eyes of all—by the coming of the Lord, the Gospel, and faith in Him. By drawing the mind away from that destroyed thing and fixing attention on this thing manifested and set before all eyes, the Apostle could say: “we do not destroy, but establish.” The same thing happens here as when a sown seed sprouts. To appearance it spoils and becomes waterlogged—the same as being destroyed; and yet the living power hidden in it, having gained freedom, through this very thing first gives a stalk, then an ear, and then a grain. Looking at the waterlogged seed, anyone would say: what is this—does nature destroy the seed? And apparently so it seems; but in reality one should say: no, it does not destroy, but builds.

Here are the specific conclusions flowing from this general principle! The institutions under the Law prefigured Christ the Lord with the whole work of salvation accomplished by Him, and the prophecies foretold all this. When the Lord came and, having accomplished salvation, began to call all to faith through the Apostolic Gospel; then faith, thus obtained sovereignty, fulfilled what constituted the content of the Law, or established the Law. Second, the Law was given so that men might fulfill it and, by fulfilling it, become righteous. But since it did not give power, through our weakness it remained unfulfilled, and its goal was not attained. The only fruit from it was the knowledge of sin; but through this only the conscience was burdened and the desire for a better ordering of the path to righteousness was kindled. And behold faith came, like rain upon thirsty ground. It washes away sins in the blood of Christ and in grace gives strength to everyone to become holy and spotless. Faith, therefore, gives what the Law had in view, but what was not attained under its guidance alone, and thus it establishes the Law—sets it in its proper place.

Thus all our commentators reason. Blessed Theodoret writes: “of old both the Law and the Prophets proclaimed about faith. Therefore, by receiving faith, we establish the Law.” Ambrosiaster completes this by citing the words of the Lord: “and the Lord Himself said: ‘I came not to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill’ (Matt. 5:17).” Saint Chrysostom explains all more fully: “the holy Paul proves here that faith not only does not harm the Law, but also helps it, just as the Law prepares the way for faith. As the Law, preceding faith, testified about it—for Paul calls it witnessed by the Law and Prophets; so faith restored the failing Law. How did it restore it, you ask? Look at what was the goal of the Law, to what did all its actions tend? To making man righteous. Yet the Law could not attain this: ‘for all’ it is said, ‘have sinned.’ But when faith appeared, it succeeded in this. Therefore, faith restored the desire of the Law and brought to fulfillment that for which the Law labored. Consequently, faith did not destroy, but perfected the Law. Since the Jews were troubled most of all by the fact that faith seemed to oppose the Law, the Apostle, even more than a Jew could have wished, proves that it not only does not oppose, but also helps and furthers the Law; and indeed the Jews particularly wished to hear this.”

Therefore, faith saves not merely in that it washes away the sins of the penitent with the blood of Christ, but especially in that, by drawing down grace, it gives power to fulfill the Law. An indispensable condition of salvation is the fulfillment of the Law. To this end the entire New Testament economy (dispensation) is directed. Having received the gracious means,—stand and remain clean and spotless—and you will be saved, for nothing unclean will enter the Kingdom of God. The entrance to it is purity, not imputed but essential, purity that passes through all of human nature, penetrating both body and soul and characterizing them.