Romans 3:21
The phrase “the righteousness of God without the law is manifested” must have sounded very strange to the ear of a Jewish Christian in the time that it was written by the Apostle Paul. As far as a Jew was concerned, the righteousness of God belonged only to God and not to man, and further, the only way to even see that righteousness was by the keeping of the law. When Paul writes this to the church at Rome, he is saying that there is now a way to have God’s righteousness without having to keep the law.
The manifestation of this righteousness, or the revealing of it, began in the form of Jesus, “being witnessed by the law and the prophets” (Romans 3:21). When Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of the mountain and then transfigured in front of them, He was joined by Moses and Elijah who spoke to Him of His impending death in Jerusalem (Luke 9:28-36). Moses is a representative of the law (John 1:17) while Elijah is representative of the prophets (Malachi 4:5), and both saw Jesus manifest as the righteousness of God on that mountain. Having seen this, they must give way to Jesus, which prompts God to direct attention to the Son by saying, “This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Luke 9:35).
Now that the law and the prophets have stepped aside to make way for the manifestation of God’s righteousness, there is nothing keeping mankind from having this righteousness as his own. Paul says that it, “is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Romans 3:22). This places God’s perfect righteousness into anyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ. By His sacrificial work at the cross, we are made to be His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
If God’s righteousness is our righteousness simply by us placing our faith in Jesus Christ, why do some boast of their position in Christ as if they have achieved it on their own? Some believers act as if they function in more power because they pray more or fast more or study more. Paul anticipated that people would love the justification afforded by Jesus but that they would confuse the results with their own earning and performance. He confronts this in Romans 3:27:
“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”
This is no invitation for believers to look lightly upon error and sin. The knowledge that we are free from the trappings of the law is meant to free us from guilt and condemnation so that we will not perpetuate the cycle of works and religion. Our freedom from the law will never cause us to go back into sin, for when we exchanged law for grace, sin can no longer dominate the one who allows grace to reign in their life (Romans 6:14). Sin receives its strength from the presence of the law (1 Corinthians 15:56), so remove the law and you remove sins power. Believers who still feel that it is their obligation to keep the law in order to maintain righteousness are actually empowering sin to revive with force in their life (Romans 7:9).
Remember that righteousness is not an attribute of God, nor is it the attitude of a Christian. Righteousness is Jesus Christ, for He was manifested in front of the law and the prophets. As Jesus is, so are you in this world, so being free from the law you are in Him and He is in you. Hallelujah!
The phrase “the righteousness of God without the law is manifested” must have sounded very strange to the ear of a Jewish Christian in the time that it was written by the Apostle Paul. As far as a Jew was concerned, the righteousness of God belonged only to God and not to man, and further, the only way to even see that righteousness was by the keeping of the law. When Paul writes this to the church at Rome, he is saying that there is now a way to have God’s righteousness without having to keep the law.
The manifestation of this righteousness, or the revealing of it, began in the form of Jesus, “being witnessed by the law and the prophets” (Romans 3:21). When Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of the mountain and then transfigured in front of them, He was joined by Moses and Elijah who spoke to Him of His impending death in Jerusalem (Luke 9:28-36). Moses is a representative of the law (John 1:17) while Elijah is representative of the prophets (Malachi 4:5), and both saw Jesus manifest as the righteousness of God on that mountain. Having seen this, they must give way to Jesus, which prompts God to direct attention to the Son by saying, “This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Luke 9:35).
Now that the law and the prophets have stepped aside to make way for the manifestation of God’s righteousness, there is nothing keeping mankind from having this righteousness as his own. Paul says that it, “is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Romans 3:22). This places God’s perfect righteousness into anyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ. By His sacrificial work at the cross, we are made to be His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
If God’s righteousness is our righteousness simply by us placing our faith in Jesus Christ, why do some boast of their position in Christ as if they have achieved it on their own? Some believers act as if they function in more power because they pray more or fast more or study more. Paul anticipated that people would love the justification afforded by Jesus but that they would confuse the results with their own earning and performance. He confronts this in Romans 3:27:
“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”
This is no invitation for believers to look lightly upon error and sin. The knowledge that we are free from the trappings of the law is meant to free us from guilt and condemnation so that we will not perpetuate the cycle of works and religion. Our freedom from the law will never cause us to go back into sin, for when we exchanged law for grace, sin can no longer dominate the one who allows grace to reign in their life (Romans 6:14). Sin receives its strength from the presence of the law (1 Corinthians 15:56), so remove the law and you remove sins power. Believers who still feel that it is their obligation to keep the law in order to maintain righteousness are actually empowering sin to revive with force in their life (Romans 7:9).
Remember that righteousness is not an attribute of God, nor is it the attitude of a Christian. Righteousness is Jesus Christ, for He was manifested in front of the law and the prophets. As Jesus is, so are you in this world, so being free from the law you are in Him and He is in you. Hallelujah!
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