Righteousness Apart From the Law—Romans 3:21

Righteousness Apart From the Law—Romans 3:21

"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify" (Romans 3:21)

I remember a lunch with a young friend who believed in Jesus. She had grown up in the church her entire life and had recently graduated from a Christian college. Through our discussion, she made it clear that she was trying really hard to be a “good” Christian.

When I probed her about her efforts, she became a little defensive, and I left feeling sorry for her because she was missing the whole point of Jesus. In the end, it was evident that she was trusting in her own efforts to be right with God.


At this point in Romans, there is a paradigm shift in thinking that must occur to understand the rest of the letter. In total, this is it: The righteousness we need cannot be obtained by our efforts.
 

At this point in Romans, there is a paradigm shift in thinking that must occur to understand the rest of the letter. In total, this is it: The righteousness we need cannot be obtained by our efforts.

The good news is that in our lacking is where we discover God’s provision. The righteousness we need comes from Him independently and apart from the Law.

This is radical even today. Imagine how you’d feel hearing this for the first time if, for your entire life, you religiously followed rules—just as in the situation for my friend, this would be a hard pill to swallow. But Paul claims that it is what the Law and the Prophets testified all along.

Why do we continue to miss this truth?

Our rules may look different today, but many of us are still operating in our own efforts because we haven’t understood this difference. This truth is easy to miss because mercy and grace were present in the Old Testament through the sacrifices prescribed by the Law. A logical assumption is that one earned forgiveness and grace by fulfilling as much of the Law as possible. We still hold on to this idea today, even if only subconsciously.


Our rules may look different today, but many of us are still operating in our own efforts because we haven’t understood this difference.
 

But this was never the Law’s intent, which was to show the pattern of the One to come—Christ (Col. 2:17).

If the Law and Prophets were testifying about Jesus and not about righteousness through the Law, then it makes sense that God’s righteousness comes through Jesus’s independent from the Commandments.

Faith in Jesus puts us in right standing with God (Rom. 3:22). This is the basis for understanding the rest of the Book of Romans.

Today, take a moment to thank God and Jesus for this righteousness that was made available through faith in Him. Ask God to grant wisdom to understand all that righteousness entails.

Do some digging...

Have I sparked your interest? Then do some digging. Here are a few articles on God’s gift of righteousness:

Previous: Romans 3:19-20  Next: Romans 3:22-24

Original article published June 21, 2009.

Juli Camarin

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