Posted by Romans on Saturday, 30 May 2015
Romans 3:21
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
By the words but now Paul introduced a sharp contrast with what preceded. He had just affirmed, “No one will be declared righteous in His [God’s] sight by observing the Law” (v. 20). This is now followed by the statement, Apart from Law (in the Gr. this phrase is in the emphatic first position) a righteousness from God . . . has been made known (i.e., made plain). This in essence repeats the words of 1:17a. But Paul added the fact that the Law and the Prophets testify to this fact. What Paul was introducing about God’s righteousness was not foreign to the Old Testament. “The Law and the Prophets” was often used of the entire Old Testament (see references at Matt. 5:17), the Law referring to the first five books and the Prophets, the other books. In Romans 4 Paul illustrated this truth from the Law (Abraham: Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:1-3, 9-23) and from the Prophets (David: Ps. 32:1-2; Rom. 4:4-8).
