Question 1

What does “the righteousness of God without the law” mean in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Here, “the righteousness of God without the law” means a way of being right with God that does not come from keeping commandments or earning it by good works. God Himself provides this righteousness as a gift. It was hinted at in the law and the prophets, but now it has been clearly shown in Jesus Christ. Instead of the law making us righteous, God counts as righteous everyone who trusts in Jesus. So this righteousness is from God, through faith, not from our own obedience.

Question 2

What does it mean that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”?

Accepted Answer

This line says that every person, without exception, has sinned. No one reaches the standard of God’s glory or the life with Him that we were made for. We were meant to reflect His honor and share in His glory, but our sin has broken that. This includes both Jews and Gentiles. Because of this, no one can claim to stand right before God on their own. Everyone needs the same thing: God’s grace and the righteousness He gives through Jesus.

Question 3

What does it mean to be “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”?

Accepted Answer

To be justified means to be declared righteous in God’s courtroom. “Freely by his grace” shows that God does this as a free gift, not as payment for our efforts. The ground of this gift is “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Redemption is like being bought back or set free from slavery. Jesus, by His suffering and death, paid the price to free sinners from guilt and judgment. God then counts those who trust in Christ as righteous, purely because of what Christ has done for them.

Question 4

What is meant by Jesus being a “propitiation through faith in his blood”?

Accepted Answer

“Propitiation” points to a sacrifice that turns away God’s righteous anger against sin. In the old sacrifices, blood was shed to show that sin deserved death. Here, God has set Jesus forward as the true sacrifice. His blood points to His whole life given up on the cross. Through trusting in His blood, meaning His sacrificial death, our sins are forgiven and God’s justice is satisfied. God does not start loving us because of this; rather, through Christ’s death the barriers to enjoying His love are removed.

Question 5

How can God be both “just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus”?

Accepted Answer

This verse explains how God can punish sin and yet forgive sinners. God is “just” because He does not ignore sin; it is judged in the death of Christ. The penalty is fully carried out. At the same time, He is the “justifier” of the one who believes in Jesus, because He credits Christ’s righteousness to that person and counts their sins as paid for by Christ. So God remains fair and holy, yet graciously declares believers righteous because Jesus stood in their place.

Question 6

Why is boasting excluded in this teaching about justification?

Accepted Answer

Boasting is ruled out because there is nothing in ourselves to boast about. If we were made right with God by our works, we could claim some credit. But since justification is by the “law of faith,” meaning by trusting in what Christ has done, all the credit belongs to God. Our faith does not earn anything; it simply receives what God gives. This leaves no room to brag about our background, our obedience, or our religious efforts. Salvation is purely a gift of grace.

Question 7

What does it mean that a person is justified by faith without the deeds of the law?

Accepted Answer

This means that God declares a person righteous not because they have kept His law, but because they trust in Jesus Christ. The “deeds of the law” are our works and attempts to obey God’s commands. These cannot remove our guilt or meet God’s perfect standard. Faith, on the other hand, looks away from self and rests on Christ’s righteousness and sacrifice. So justification does not come from our doing, but from believing in the One who has done all that is needed.

Question 8

How does this passage show that God is the God of both Jews and Gentiles?

Accepted Answer

Paul asks if God is the God of the Jews only, then answers that He is also the God of the Gentiles. There is only one God, so His way of making people righteous must be the same for everyone. He justifies the circumcised and the uncircumcised by faith. This means Jewish people and non-Jewish people are brought into right standing with God in exactly the same way, through faith in Jesus, not through different paths. This unites all believers under one God and one gospel.

Question 9

Do faith and grace make the law useless in this passage?

Accepted Answer

No, they do not make the law useless. Paul says, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” Faith shows the true purpose of the law. The law exposes sin and shows that we cannot justify ourselves. This drives us to Christ, who fulfills the law’s demands. When we are justified by faith, the law is honored because its standard is met in Christ and its role in pointing us to Him is confirmed, not canceled.

Romans 3:21

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Righteousness through Faith in Christ

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Romans 3:21

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

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Righteousness through Faith in Christ

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