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Time after Pentecost · Reformation Day · Year B

Romans 3:19-28

No One Is Righteous

Law and Grace (Gesetz und Gnade), Lucas Cranach the Elder
Law and Grace (Gesetz und Gnade), Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1529Herzogliches Museum, Gotha · public domain

Overview & Insights

“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:28)

Romans 3:9–20 is the climax of Paul’s argument in 1:18–3:8, concluding that both Jew and Gentile are under sin (implied) because they try to keep the old-covenant stipulation of the law (Jews by way of the Torah, Gentiles by way of the overlapping of natural law / Noahic law with the Torah). Both Jew and Gentile, however, are guilty before God because they are enslaved to sin. In Romans 3:9–20 Paul portrays the world as on trial before God in the heavenly courtroom. The following outline unfolds the dramatic scene: 1. The Charge: All are under sin (3:9). 2. The Evidence: The total depravity of humanity (3:10–18). The evidence is cited from a number of Old Testament texts that describe the wicked (Jew or Gentile) persecuting the righteous Jew. a. Psalm 14:1–3 (3:10–12) b. Psalm 5:9 (3:13a) c. Psalm 140:3b (3:13b) d. Psalm 10:7 (3:14–16) e. Isaiah 59:7–8a (3:17) f. Psalm 36:1b (3:18) 3. The Verdict: All are guilty before God.

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All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, yet are justified freely by his grace through faith in Christ Jesus, apart from works of the law (Romans 3:23–28). This is the heart of the Reformation’s rediscovery.

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