What is the book of Romans 3 all about?
In one sentence, we can explain Romans 3 as focusing on the need for all people, regardless of their tribe- whether Jews or Gentiles- to receive justification through faith in Jesus.
Other valuable lessons from the Book of Romans 3
There is no eternal advantage to being a Jew–
Paul opens this chapter by asking if Jews enjoy any advantage. He answers in the affirmative, noting that they were privileged to receive the prophetic revelation. However, in verse 9, Paul asks whether we should conclude that Jews are superior to other people and answers in the negative.
God’s patience with our rebellion does not mean that our sinfulness serves any good purpose-
Paul states that God remained faithful even when many Jews acted unfaithfully. He goes further to warn us against thinking that our dishonesty brings Him glory. Here, Paul demystifies the notion that God tolerated the Jews’ unfaithfulness because they were somehow special. This is why in verse 9, Paul addresses the question of Jews’ perceived superiority.
The natural man has no desire for God and is enslaved in sin–
Paul says that “Jews and Gentiles are under the power of sin” (v.9). He then quotes Psalm 53:1-3 to emphasize humans’ inability to pursue and keep holiness on their own. Here, he shows that people are violent and have no regard for God.
The Jews are as great sinners as everyone else–
After quoting Psalm 53:1-3, Paul drops the bombshell. In verse 19, he tells the Jews that the preceding quotes apply to them because they are the people under the law. What does the quoted scripture entail? It reminds the Jews they, too, are naturally born in sin and have no special capacity to pursue holiness. Through the law, God proved that the entire humanity is guilty. He used the Jews as a sample group. Therefore, neither Jews nor Gentiles have anything to boast about!
The Jews must also accept Christ to be saved-
In verse 20, Paul is clear: “No one can be made right with God by following the law” (ERV). The MSG Bible puts it even better: “Our involvement with God’s revelation doesn’t put us right with God.” Paul reminds the Jews that trying to keep the law (a futile exercise) will not guarantee a right standing with God. Now, if the law is insufficient to the very people who originally received it, how much more worthless is it to us non-Jews? This is why no one- whether a believer or non-believer- should try to seek righteousness through the law.
The law was not meant to justify us but to create awareness of sin-
Paul says that “all the law does is to point out our sin” (CEV). Without the law, the Jews would have somehow viewed themselves as special and sinless. This is why he says that the law was given so that no one would have an excuse and so that God could show how guilty the world was.
The law showed man’s helplessness with sin-
Even after enjoying the privilege of receiving the law, the Israelites were unable to keep it, as revealed in verse 3. It does not matter if the law had been given to the Americans, Armenians, or Kenyans; the outcome would have been the same: they all would have failed miserably! Why? Because the issue of sin is a human problem, not a racial weakness. Paul emphasizes man’s helplessness with sin in Galatians 3:23 and Galatians 4, noting how we were slaves to the rules of this world and had to remain in the custody of the law until Christ came.
Righteousness is now received only by faith in Christ–
After showing us the ineffectiveness of the law in achieving righteousness, Paul reveals God’s plan. Instead of grappling with the futile exercise of keeping the law, we now enjoy a gift by simply believing in Christ’s work. Paul adds that faith now makes both Gentiles and Jews equal because all are sinners, but are accepted equally when they believe in Christ.
Our sins were not overlooked or swept under the carpet–
Paul says that Jesus became our propitiation. He atoned for our sins; He became our sacrifice. In reality, Jesus took our punishment. The wrath of God was deflected on Him. As an American would say, He took the fall!
God has never been the “exclusive” God of Jews-
The fallacy that salvation was meant for Jews and that other nations only got lucky when the Jewish communities rejected it is debunked in verse 29. After insisting on justification through faith and not law, Paul asks if God is God of Jews only and answers in the negative.
Important questions from the Book of Romans 3
What does Paul mean by saying that “we uphold the law?”
Toward the end of Romans 3, Paul asks a fundamental question concerning the law. He realizes that he portrayed the law as unnecessary in the process of justification. He asks, “Does this (emphasis on faith) mean that we can forget about the law? (NLT). He answers, “Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.”
So, what does “we uphold the law” mean the book of Romans 3?
It simply means this: Since we have received righteousness through faith in Christ, our continued belief or faith means that we have satisfied the demands of the law. We do not meet the demands through works, but faith in what Christ has done. Remember, the law was meant to show us our sins and demanded that we attain righteousness through works, something that was impossible. Now, that this righteousness has come to us through Christ, we have, therefore, fulfilled the law. This verse does not in any way suggest observation of the law; otherwise, it would invalidate everything Paul discusses in the entire chapter. It also cannot be interpreted to mean that by not sinning (due to our faith in Christ), we somehow prove our salvation because another question would arise: what about when we fall into sin while still in Christ? To understand Paul’s statement, we must proceed to chapter 4 of the book of Romans.
