Romans 3:19-21
Back to The Bible's Difficult Scriptures Explained!
“Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.”
Is Rom 3:20 a license to set aside and disobey the Law of God, because by obeying it one cannot be justified, and thus righteousness is imputed “without the law” (Rom 3:21)? What does “under the law” mean?
Rom 3:20 actually speaks of being under the penalty of having broken the law, not of being under the need to keep it, because Rom 3:19 speaks of “stopping mouths,” meaning that everyone is guilty of sin because of disobedience to the law—which must be in effect for sin to be possible. Rom 3:23 makes this point clear because it states that “all have sinned.”
Why can no person be justified by the works (or keeping) of the law? The answer is fundamental to Christianity: because with the law only comes the knowledge of what sin is (end of verse). Keeping the law can neither forgive nor save anyone. Only Christ’s death and His blood applied to Christians by faith can forgive them—can justify and reconcile them (Rom. 5:8-9)—but it is His Resurrection to eternal life that saves them (Rom. 5:10). However, the law certainly can tell us what sin is!
Romans 3:21 explains that God’s righteousness in Christians does not come via their human efforts to keep the law (as Israel tried to do). But it should be obvious that righteousness is of (or by) faith (Rom 3:27). No one can boast that he kept the law on his own power, thus claiming that God owes him salvation!
Conclude your study by reading Rom 3:28 and then Rom 3:31. It is faith that establishes the law! This is because it requires faith from God—the faith of Christ (Rev. 14:12), not mere human faith (discussed earlier)—to be able to keep it. Then, and only then, can anyone become truly righteous (Psa. 119:172). Suggested reading:
• What Does the New Testament Teach About Law And Grace?
• Just What Is Salvation?
• What Is Your Reward in the Next Life?