Romans on Justification
I have been meaning to sit down and read through Romans carefully with an eye toward what Paul says about justification. Romans and James are probably the two most sustained and detailed treatments of justification in the Scriptures, and Romans has had a privileged place in the history of theology. So I sat down with a bunch of commentaries and translations and worked my way through the book. Here is what I came up with. Apologies for the rough style and lack of eloquence.
Paul begins by stating his purpose in writing the letter: “to bring about the obedience of faith” (1.5). (At the end of the letter, he reiterates this; cf 16.26). After offering thanksgivings, he begins to set the stage (1.16-18). Paul is combating Jewish Christians known as “Judaizers” who believed that Jewish ritual observances (especially circumcision) were necessary for salvation. Paul calls these “works of the law” and condemns the insistence upon them. The Gospel is for everyone, he contends, not just Jews; the righteous shall live by faith.
In the next section (1.18-2.16), Paul compares the Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles, he says, are without excuse. God “handed them over” to their impurity, revealing their problem. The problem is idolatrous religion (see 1.23, 25, 26-27). Likewise, the Jews are without excuse. God handed them over to a Law, revealing their impurity. They know better, yet they continue in their impurity (2.1-4). Thus, Jews and Gentiles are in the same position before God. God repays, Paul says, according to works: eternal life or wrath (2.5-13). There is no partiality, then, with Jew or Greek—it is obedience, not racial identity, that counts. Immortality comes through perseverance in good works (2.7). Glory, honor, and peace await those who “do good” (2.10). It is here that the concept of “justification” first enters the scene: “those who observe the law will be justified” (2.13). “Law” refers not to the particularly Jewish law, but to that which is “written on their hearts,” the law of obedience to God. Paul strengthens his case by reiterating that the Jews are without excuse (2.21-2.23) and obedience is the true circumcision (2.25-29).
Justification, then, is a matter of obedience to God's law, written on the heart, not of ritual observances or the “letter” of Jewish legal custom (2.29).
Of course, it is good to be a Jew (3.1-8), entrusted with the “utterances of God.” Jewish unbelief does not nullify that; on the contrary, God's righteousness is shown in judging unrighteousness. Nevertheless, all – whether Jew or Greek – are alike under sin (3.8-20). The Jewish law does not remedy impurity; rather, it gives consciousness of it (3.19-20). Thus, “no human being will be justified [...] by observing the law,” referring to the specifically Jewish law. Righteousness must come some other way, apart from that law (3.21-31). We are justified, Paul says, by God's grace (24) through faith (25).
How do faith, works, and law relate? In 3.27, Paul speaks of “boasting,” the racial boasting of the Jew under Jewish law. In the next verse, we read of “faith apart from works of the law.” This does not refer to every kind of “works” and every kind of “law,” because that would contradict everything to this point. It is explained in the next verse, where we read, “does God belong to the Jews alone?” Clearly, we are speaking of a “boasting” and a “works of the law” that are distinctively Jewish. (The passage does not, for instance, read, “does God belong to those who do good works alone?”) In keeping with the development of thought in Romans, justification is by faith and is opposed to those who think justification comes by the works of the Jewish law. The “boasting” that is excluded is not the boasting of the successful morality, but the racial boasting of the Jew (as in 2.17-24).
In chapter four, Paul speaks of Abraham. Abraham was justified before he was circumcised (4.9-11) and is therefore the “father of all the uncircumcised who believe” (4.11). This is a blow to Paul's opponents, who would have appealed to Abraham as one of their own. Abraham enjoys a dynamic relationship with God, performing great acts of faith (Genesis 12, cf Hebrews 11.8) before he is “declared righteous” (justified) (Genesis 15), which is before he is circumcised (Genesis 17). We are Abraham's descendants by righteousness that comes from faith, not by works of the law (4.13). Paul talks about this in terms of overcoming death: Abraham's old age, Sarah's dead womb, the death of Isaac, the death of Jesus (4.19, 24-25). It results in the theological virtues: faith, hope, and love (5.1, 4, 5).
In chapter five, Paul reveals that we are “justified by his blood,” speaking of Jesus (5.9). Blood, of course, is the principle of family relations. We are all of Adam's blood by virtue of our shared humanity. Christ, however, unites himself to our flesh and blood, redeeming it: in the womb of the Blessed Mother Mary, on the cross as He is crucified, in Holy Communion where we eat His Flesh and drink His Blood, etc. (“This cup is the new covenant in my blood,” cf 1 Corinthians 11). We are made “non-sons” through the blood of Adam; we are made sons – God's own flesh and blood – through the blood of Christ. Death came through Adam (5.12), but life comes through Christ (5.17). Justification is a “gift” and an “abundance of grace” (5.17).
First, Paul had said Abraham's fatherhood was universal, and this was a blow to his opponents. Now, we go further back: Adam's fatherhood is universal, so both Jews and Gentiles share in the common legacy of sin. Just as the universality of Adam encompasses both Jew and Gentile, the universality of Christ encompasses both. Furthermore, justification is not merely a change in frivolous legal standing, but we are genuinely “made righteous” -- justification is a matter of genuine transformation. What counts is not the difference between Jew and Gentile, but the difference between the old and new Adam.
But how do we get from the old Adam to the new Adam? How are we justified? The first component that Paul mentions is baptism (6.3-11). In baptism, we are made dead to sin with Christ (6.3-9), and are then raised into new life with Christ (6.4-12). The second component is obedience (6.12-23). Paul warns us not to sin, because sin leads to dead (6.12-16, 21, 23). Obedience, on the other hand, leads to righteousness (6.16). Obedience leads to sanctification, which leads to eternal life (6.19, 22). Notice that justification is described as a process, one that “leads to” eternal life.
In chapter seven, Paul once again contrasts two kinds of law (7.1-25). He identifies one with the “spirit” and the other with the “letter” (7.6). The “law of God” in the “inner self” is associated with spirit (7.22), and the “law of sin” is associated with letter (7.23). We have the “law of spirit and life” on the one hand and the “law of sin and death” on the other (8.2). Death is overcome by divine sonship. Those led by the “spirit” (rather than sin and death) are children (8.14). They are given the “spirit of adoption” by which they cry “Abba!” (8.15). Who is led by the spirit? Those who have, by the spirit, “put to death the deeds of the body” -- in other words, those who have been baptized (8.13). It is not the Jews who are heirs, but all those who are children, whether Jew or Gentile (8.17). This adoption is accomplished (8.16) but nevertheless also on its way as something we await (8.23).
Paul continues by discussing again the situation of the Jews. The Israelites were given much, but have not lived up to it (9.4-5). Does this mean God failed? No, it means keeping the law is not what counts (9.6-7). “Children of the promise” are not made by the prescriptions of Jewish regulations – in the case of Abraham, Isaac is favored over Ishmael; in the case of Isaac, Jacob is favored over Esau, despite the legal status afforded the firstborn. The question is one of righteousness. The “righteousness that comes from the law” of sin and death leads nowhere, but the “righteousness that comes from faith” is achieved by those who follow it (9.30-31, 10.4-6). It is believing in Jesus Christ and confessing that God raised Him from the dead that is key for the Jews, who rejected Christ (10.9-11, 32-33). So there is no distinction there, either (10.12); both Jews and Gentiles must recognize Christ. Jews do not have an “inside track” to salvation, for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (10.13).
Paul continues by taking a step back and offering an explanation of Israel's disobedience, the remnant, and the salvation of the Gentiles in terms of salvation history; he also describes the foundational character of God's work with the Israelites (11.1-36).
Paul then, after having stressed the importance of good works and obedience to the law of God for justification (the righteousness of faith), goes on to tell his listeners how to do good works, how to obey (12.1-15.13). “The one who loves another has fulfilled the law,” he says (13.8, 10). Why must we comport ourselves in the way Paul admonishes us? Time is critical; “salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (13.11-12). Faith is the impetus and source of our good works (hence the phrase, “righteousness of faith”) (14.14, 17-18, 23).
The letter closes with a repetition of the purpose of the letter: “to lead the Gentiles to obedience” (15.18). The closing doxology emphasizes this purpose once again: “to bring about the obedience of faith” (16.26).
Conclusion: Justification is adoption as God's children (8.14-17). The Jews do not have an “inside track” by following the “works of the law,” the Jewish legal customs (2.29, 3.28). Adoption comes instead by baptism (6.3-11) and the consequent obedience of faith (6.12-23, 2.5-8, 10, 13). Justification (adoption) leads to eternal life and glory (2.7, 5.17-21, 6.22). All of this is a gift of God's grace (3.24) that is progressively worked out in our lives (4.9b-12, 6.22, 8.16-17, 23-24).
Paul begins by stating his purpose in writing the letter: “to bring about the obedience of faith” (1.5). (At the end of the letter, he reiterates this; cf 16.26). After offering thanksgivings, he begins to set the stage (1.16-18). Paul is combating Jewish Christians known as “Judaizers” who believed that Jewish ritual observances (especially circumcision) were necessary for salvation. Paul calls these “works of the law” and condemns the insistence upon them. The Gospel is for everyone, he contends, not just Jews; the righteous shall live by faith.
In the next section (1.18-2.16), Paul compares the Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles, he says, are without excuse. God “handed them over” to their impurity, revealing their problem. The problem is idolatrous religion (see 1.23, 25, 26-27). Likewise, the Jews are without excuse. God handed them over to a Law, revealing their impurity. They know better, yet they continue in their impurity (2.1-4). Thus, Jews and Gentiles are in the same position before God. God repays, Paul says, according to works: eternal life or wrath (2.5-13). There is no partiality, then, with Jew or Greek—it is obedience, not racial identity, that counts. Immortality comes through perseverance in good works (2.7). Glory, honor, and peace await those who “do good” (2.10). It is here that the concept of “justification” first enters the scene: “those who observe the law will be justified” (2.13). “Law” refers not to the particularly Jewish law, but to that which is “written on their hearts,” the law of obedience to God. Paul strengthens his case by reiterating that the Jews are without excuse (2.21-2.23) and obedience is the true circumcision (2.25-29).
Justification, then, is a matter of obedience to God's law, written on the heart, not of ritual observances or the “letter” of Jewish legal custom (2.29).
Of course, it is good to be a Jew (3.1-8), entrusted with the “utterances of God.” Jewish unbelief does not nullify that; on the contrary, God's righteousness is shown in judging unrighteousness. Nevertheless, all – whether Jew or Greek – are alike under sin (3.8-20). The Jewish law does not remedy impurity; rather, it gives consciousness of it (3.19-20). Thus, “no human being will be justified [...] by observing the law,” referring to the specifically Jewish law. Righteousness must come some other way, apart from that law (3.21-31). We are justified, Paul says, by God's grace (24) through faith (25).
How do faith, works, and law relate? In 3.27, Paul speaks of “boasting,” the racial boasting of the Jew under Jewish law. In the next verse, we read of “faith apart from works of the law.” This does not refer to every kind of “works” and every kind of “law,” because that would contradict everything to this point. It is explained in the next verse, where we read, “does God belong to the Jews alone?” Clearly, we are speaking of a “boasting” and a “works of the law” that are distinctively Jewish. (The passage does not, for instance, read, “does God belong to those who do good works alone?”) In keeping with the development of thought in Romans, justification is by faith and is opposed to those who think justification comes by the works of the Jewish law. The “boasting” that is excluded is not the boasting of the successful morality, but the racial boasting of the Jew (as in 2.17-24).
In chapter four, Paul speaks of Abraham. Abraham was justified before he was circumcised (4.9-11) and is therefore the “father of all the uncircumcised who believe” (4.11). This is a blow to Paul's opponents, who would have appealed to Abraham as one of their own. Abraham enjoys a dynamic relationship with God, performing great acts of faith (Genesis 12, cf Hebrews 11.8) before he is “declared righteous” (justified) (Genesis 15), which is before he is circumcised (Genesis 17). We are Abraham's descendants by righteousness that comes from faith, not by works of the law (4.13). Paul talks about this in terms of overcoming death: Abraham's old age, Sarah's dead womb, the death of Isaac, the death of Jesus (4.19, 24-25). It results in the theological virtues: faith, hope, and love (5.1, 4, 5).
In chapter five, Paul reveals that we are “justified by his blood,” speaking of Jesus (5.9). Blood, of course, is the principle of family relations. We are all of Adam's blood by virtue of our shared humanity. Christ, however, unites himself to our flesh and blood, redeeming it: in the womb of the Blessed Mother Mary, on the cross as He is crucified, in Holy Communion where we eat His Flesh and drink His Blood, etc. (“This cup is the new covenant in my blood,” cf 1 Corinthians 11). We are made “non-sons” through the blood of Adam; we are made sons – God's own flesh and blood – through the blood of Christ. Death came through Adam (5.12), but life comes through Christ (5.17). Justification is a “gift” and an “abundance of grace” (5.17).
First, Paul had said Abraham's fatherhood was universal, and this was a blow to his opponents. Now, we go further back: Adam's fatherhood is universal, so both Jews and Gentiles share in the common legacy of sin. Just as the universality of Adam encompasses both Jew and Gentile, the universality of Christ encompasses both. Furthermore, justification is not merely a change in frivolous legal standing, but we are genuinely “made righteous” -- justification is a matter of genuine transformation. What counts is not the difference between Jew and Gentile, but the difference between the old and new Adam.
But how do we get from the old Adam to the new Adam? How are we justified? The first component that Paul mentions is baptism (6.3-11). In baptism, we are made dead to sin with Christ (6.3-9), and are then raised into new life with Christ (6.4-12). The second component is obedience (6.12-23). Paul warns us not to sin, because sin leads to dead (6.12-16, 21, 23). Obedience, on the other hand, leads to righteousness (6.16). Obedience leads to sanctification, which leads to eternal life (6.19, 22). Notice that justification is described as a process, one that “leads to” eternal life.
In chapter seven, Paul once again contrasts two kinds of law (7.1-25). He identifies one with the “spirit” and the other with the “letter” (7.6). The “law of God” in the “inner self” is associated with spirit (7.22), and the “law of sin” is associated with letter (7.23). We have the “law of spirit and life” on the one hand and the “law of sin and death” on the other (8.2). Death is overcome by divine sonship. Those led by the “spirit” (rather than sin and death) are children (8.14). They are given the “spirit of adoption” by which they cry “Abba!” (8.15). Who is led by the spirit? Those who have, by the spirit, “put to death the deeds of the body” -- in other words, those who have been baptized (8.13). It is not the Jews who are heirs, but all those who are children, whether Jew or Gentile (8.17). This adoption is accomplished (8.16) but nevertheless also on its way as something we await (8.23).
Paul continues by discussing again the situation of the Jews. The Israelites were given much, but have not lived up to it (9.4-5). Does this mean God failed? No, it means keeping the law is not what counts (9.6-7). “Children of the promise” are not made by the prescriptions of Jewish regulations – in the case of Abraham, Isaac is favored over Ishmael; in the case of Isaac, Jacob is favored over Esau, despite the legal status afforded the firstborn. The question is one of righteousness. The “righteousness that comes from the law” of sin and death leads nowhere, but the “righteousness that comes from faith” is achieved by those who follow it (9.30-31, 10.4-6). It is believing in Jesus Christ and confessing that God raised Him from the dead that is key for the Jews, who rejected Christ (10.9-11, 32-33). So there is no distinction there, either (10.12); both Jews and Gentiles must recognize Christ. Jews do not have an “inside track” to salvation, for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (10.13).
Paul continues by taking a step back and offering an explanation of Israel's disobedience, the remnant, and the salvation of the Gentiles in terms of salvation history; he also describes the foundational character of God's work with the Israelites (11.1-36).
Paul then, after having stressed the importance of good works and obedience to the law of God for justification (the righteousness of faith), goes on to tell his listeners how to do good works, how to obey (12.1-15.13). “The one who loves another has fulfilled the law,” he says (13.8, 10). Why must we comport ourselves in the way Paul admonishes us? Time is critical; “salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (13.11-12). Faith is the impetus and source of our good works (hence the phrase, “righteousness of faith”) (14.14, 17-18, 23).
The letter closes with a repetition of the purpose of the letter: “to lead the Gentiles to obedience” (15.18). The closing doxology emphasizes this purpose once again: “to bring about the obedience of faith” (16.26).
Conclusion: Justification is adoption as God's children (8.14-17). The Jews do not have an “inside track” by following the “works of the law,” the Jewish legal customs (2.29, 3.28). Adoption comes instead by baptism (6.3-11) and the consequent obedience of faith (6.12-23, 2.5-8, 10, 13). Justification (adoption) leads to eternal life and glory (2.7, 5.17-21, 6.22). All of this is a gift of God's grace (3.24) that is progressively worked out in our lives (4.9b-12, 6.22, 8.16-17, 23-24).
07/29/08 |