Romans 3:27-31 Commentary – Boasting Excluded by the Law of Faith
Boasting Excluded by the Law of Faith Key Passage: Romans 3:27–31
Romans VerseQuest Commentary Essay 23: Boasting Excluded by the Law of Faith Text: Romans 3:27–31
Romans 3:27–31 says, “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” That passage is Paul sweeping the courtroom floor after the gospel has knocked every religious trophy off the shelf. The sinner has been exposed. The law has spoken. Every mouth has been stopped. The whole world is guilty before God. No flesh is justified by the deeds of the law. Then God reveals His righteousness without the law, by faith of Jesus Christ, freely by grace, through redemption in Christ Jesus, by propitiation through faith in His blood. And as soon as that gospel truth lands, Paul asks the only sane question left: “Where is boasting then?” The answer is short enough to fit on a tombstone for human pride: “It is excluded.”
Boasting is the natural religion of Adam’s race. Man wants something to brag about. He wants credit, contribution, recognition, merit, progress, moral superiority, sacramental standing, law-keeping status, denominational identity, religious achievement, or at least a little participation ribbon to wave in heaven’s face. The gospel takes all that away. It does not leave the sinner one square inch of ground for boasting. Not one. If justification is by faith without the deeds of the law, then the Jew cannot boast in circumcision, the Gentile cannot boast in philosophy, the Catholic cannot boast in sacraments, the legalist cannot boast in commandments, the moralist cannot boast in decency, the church member cannot boast in membership, the preacher cannot boast in ministry, and the sinner cannot boast in “doing his best.” Grace is not a joint venture between God and Adam’s polished carcass. Grace is God justifying the ungodly through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:27–31 is also one of the clearest answers to the slander that faith destroys righteousness or makes the law meaningless. Paul says the opposite. Faith does not make void the law. Faith establishes the law. Why? Because the law’s proper work was never to justify guilty flesh. The law exposes sin, stops mouths, and proves guilt. Faith does not dishonor that work. Faith agrees with it. Faith says, “The law is right. I am guilty. I cannot justify myself. I need the righteousness of God.” Then faith receives Christ, whose blood satisfies God, whose righteousness answers the law’s demand, and whose redemption provides what man could never produce. Faith is not a work. Faith is not a sacrament. Faith is not a hidden form of religious achievement wearing a nicer suit. Faith is the empty hand receiving what God freely gives in Jesus Christ.
Chapter One: Where Is Boasting Then?
Paul asks, “Where is boasting then?” That question rises naturally after everything he has just said. If all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, if sinners are justified freely by His grace, if Christ is the propitiation through faith in His blood, and if God is just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus, then where can man boast? He cannot boast in his record because his record is stained. He cannot boast in his law-keeping because the law has condemned him. He cannot boast in his religion because religion did not redeem him. He cannot boast in his sincerity because sincerity cannot satisfy justice. He cannot boast in his faith as though faith were some heroic virtue that impressed God. The object of faith is Christ, and Christ gets the glory.
The sinner’s boast always sounds more respectable to the sinner than it does to God. One man boasts in morality. Another boasts in religious heritage. Another boasts in baptism. Another boasts in church membership. Another boasts in keeping commandments. Another boasts in rejecting other people’s errors. Another boasts in doctrinal precision. Another boasts in emotional experiences. Another boasts in service, sacrifice, giving, or suffering. The flesh can turn almost anything into a trophy, including the very doctrines that should kill boasting. A man can even boast that he believes salvation is by grace, which is like bragging about being humble while standing on a stage with a spotlight and a trumpet.
Paul’s question is not merely theological. It is personal. Where is boasting in your salvation? Where is boasting in your standing before God? Where is boasting in your Bible knowledge, ministry, church, denomination, separation, right division, or zeal? If your salvation is of grace, boasting is an intruder. If your justification is by faith without the deeds of the law, boasting is trespassing on holy ground. If Christ shed His blood to redeem you, then your little religious résumé is not a contribution; it is a filthy rag trying to climb onto the altar. Calvary does not share the stage with Adam’s applause line.
Chapter Two: It Is Excluded
Paul answers, “It is excluded.” Not reduced. Not balanced. Not moderated. Not humbled a little. Excluded. Boasting has been shut outside the door and told it has no seat at the table. The gospel does not negotiate with human pride. It evicts it. If a sinner is justified freely by grace, then he has no boast. If righteousness is of God, then man’s righteousness is not the issue. If redemption is in Christ Jesus, then religious merit is not part of the payment. If propitiation is through faith in His blood, then human works do not satisfy God. The gospel does not merely discourage boasting; it abolishes the legal basis for it.
This is why the gospel is offensive to religious flesh. Religion loves to leave man something. Even if it gives God the larger share, it wants man to keep a little corner of the glory. God does most, but man completes. Christ opens the door, but man keeps himself in. Grace begins, but works finish. Blood pays part, but sacraments apply the rest. Faith receives, but performance preserves. That is the language of religious compromise. Romans 3 will not tolerate it. Boasting is excluded because justification is not a partnership. A saved sinner may serve, obey, labor, suffer, give, preach, and grow, but none of that forms the ground of his justification before God. His boast is in the Lord, not himself.
There is a holy brutality in the word “excluded.” It cuts through the soft fog of modern religion. The man who wants to boast in baptism finds the door locked. The man who wants to boast in the mass finds the door locked. The man who wants to boast in Sabbath-keeping finds the door locked. The man who wants to boast in commandment-keeping finds the door locked. The man who wants to boast in “I surrendered all” finds the door locked. The man who wants to boast in “I held out faithful” finds the door locked. Christ is inside. Grace is inside. Blood is inside. Faith is inside. Boasting is outside, banging on the door like a drunk at a wedding he was not invited to.
Chapter Three: Not by the Law of Works
Paul asks, “By what law? of works? Nay.” That “Nay” ought to settle the question for anyone who still believes words. Boasting is not excluded by the law of works. Works actually give man room to boast if he can perform them. Romans 4:2 will say, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.” Works and boasting go together like gasoline and fire. If salvation were by works, man could compare, compete, measure, grade, brag, and demand wages. He could look at his neighbor and say, “I climbed higher. I did better. I paid more. I worked harder. I kept longer.” That is exactly why works cannot be the ground of justification before God.
The law of works says, “Do and live.” The sinner’s problem is that he did not do. He already sinned. He already came short. He already broke the standard. A law system cannot justify the guilty after guilt has occurred. It can only condemn him. This is where religious people go blind with both eyes open. They treat the law like a second chance machine. The law is not a second chance machine. The law is a righteous standard, and once broken, it testifies against the breaker. A man does not become innocent of theft by promising not to steal tomorrow. He does not become innocent of murder by volunteering at a hospital. He does not become innocent of sin by joining a church and trying harder. Guilt must be answered.
The law of works also fails because flesh cannot produce what God requires. Romans 8:3 will say the law was weak through the flesh. The weakness was not in the law’s holiness, but in man’s flesh. The law is like a perfect plumb line hung beside a crooked wall. It shows the crookedness; it does not straighten the wall. It is like a mirror showing dirt; it does not wash the face. It is like a scale showing short weight; it does not add gold to the bag. The law of works can expose, condemn, and define, but it cannot justify guilty flesh. Therefore boasting is not excluded by works. Works would feed boasting if man could stand on them. But he cannot, so God excludes boasting another way.
Chapter Four: By the Law of Faith
Paul says boasting is excluded “by the law of faith.” That is a powerful phrase. He does not mean faith is another Mosaic code or a new set of commandments by which man earns justification. He means faith operates by a principle that excludes boasting. Works say, “Look what I did.” Faith says, “Look what Christ did.” Works bring a wage. Faith receives a gift. Works point to the worker. Faith points to the Saviour. Works produce boasting. Faith destroys boasting because faith admits dependence. Faith confesses that God is true, Christ is sufficient, the blood is accepted, and the sinner has nothing worthy to offer.
Faith is not a work. That needs to be said until every sacramentalist, Calvinist fatalist, legalist, and confused religionist stops choking on Romans. Faith is not a meritorious deed by which man earns salvation. Romans 4:5 will say, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly.” Believing is contrasted with working. If God says “worketh not, but believeth,” then the man who calls faith a work is arguing with the grammar of the Holy Ghost. Faith is the condition of receiving justification, not the purchase price of it. Christ paid the price. Faith receives the benefit.
The “law of faith” also keeps salvation personal and universal. Faith does not require a temple, priesthood, altar, ritual system, national covenant, or religious institution. A guilty sinner can believe God. A Jew can believe. A Gentile can believe. A man in a palace can believe. A man in prison can believe. A dying thief can believe. A religious hypocrite can believe if he drops his pride. A vile sinner can believe if he stops excusing himself. Faith removes boasting because the believing sinner stands with empty hands before a full Christ. The only thing faith contributes is the confession that it has no contribution.
Chapter Five: A Man Is Justified by Faith Without the Deeds of the Law
Romans 3:28 says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” That is not hard to understand; it is hard for religion to accept. Paul says, “we conclude.” This is the apostolic conclusion after the argument. Not a suggestion. Not a denominational opinion. Not a Protestant slogan. The conclusion of Romans 1:18 through 3:27 is that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. If your doctrine cannot say that without stuttering, your doctrine is not Pauline. If your church cannot preach that without adding conditions, your church is confusing the gospel. If your system says, “Yes, faith, but also…” you are already reaching for a hammer to nail works onto grace.
“Justified” means declared righteous before God. It is a legal standing, a divine verdict, a courtroom declaration grounded in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The sinner who believes is not merely given a chance to become justified later if he behaves. He is justified. God does not put him on probation as a spiritual intern. He declares him righteous on the ground of Christ’s blood and righteousness. That is why justification brings peace with God in Romans 5:1. If justification depended on future performance, peace would be impossible. The believer would be stuck in religious weather, sunny when obedient, stormy when failing, and never sure whether the Judge had changed His mind. Romans gives a better foundation: justified by faith.
“Without the deeds of the law” is the phrase that cuts the throat of mixed justification. Without means without. Not mostly without. Not initially without. Not ceremonially without but practically with. Without. The deeds of the law do not enter as the ground of justification. The believer should walk in good works after salvation, but those works do not justify him before God. Ephesians 2:8–10 keeps the order clean: saved by grace through faith, not of works; created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Works follow as fruit; they do not enter as the root. Confuse root and fruit, and you will grow a theological weed patch.
Chapter Six: One God Justifies Jew and Gentile by Faith
Paul asks, “Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.” That question flows from justification by faith. If justification were by the Mosaic law, then the Jew would have a covenant advantage in the means of justification that excluded the Gentile. But if justification is by faith, then one God justifies both Jew and Gentile on the same righteous ground. This does not erase Israel’s national promises. It does not turn Gentiles into Jews. It does not create a replacement-theology smoothie where all Bible distinctions are blended into mush. It simply means that in the matter of justification before God, Jew and Gentile alike must come by faith.
Paul says, “Seeing it is one God.” There is not one God for Jews and another for Gentiles. There is one God, and therefore one righteous way of justification. The Jew cannot be justified by law while the Gentile is justified by faith. The Gentile cannot be justified by philosophy while the Jew is justified by covenant privilege. The Catholic cannot be justified by sacraments while the Baptist is justified by faith. The moralist cannot be justified by decency while the sinner is justified by grace. One God. One righteousness. One Redeemer. One propitiation. One blood. One way for guilty men to be declared righteous: faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul then says God “shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.” The wording differs slightly, but the ground is the same: faith. The circumcision refers to the Jew; the uncircumcision refers to the Gentile. The Jew is not saved by being circumcised. The Gentile is not excluded by being uncircumcised. Both need Christ. Both must believe. Both are guilty under sin. Both are justified by faith. That is the great equalizer. The gospel does not let the Jew boast in circumcision or the Gentile boast in being outside the law. It shuts both mouths and points both to Jesus Christ.
Chapter Seven: Faith Establishes the Law
Paul asks, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” That is the answer to the legalist’s accusation. He hears justification by faith without the deeds of the law and cries, “You are destroying the law!” Paul says, “God forbid.” Faith does not make the law void. Faith establishes the law. Why? Because faith agrees with the law’s verdict. The law says man is guilty. Faith says, “Amen.” The law says man cannot justify himself. Faith says, “Amen.” The law demands righteousness. Faith receives the righteousness of God in Christ. The law points to sacrifice, blood, and substitution in shadow. Faith lays hold of the reality in Jesus Christ.
Works-righteousness actually dishonors the law because it pretends sinners can satisfy the law after already breaking it. It lowers the law into a manageable program. It turns God’s holy standard into a ladder for religious climbers. Faith honors the law by admitting the law is right and man is wrong. Faith does not argue with the law. Faith does not negotiate with the law. Faith does not say the law was too strict. Faith says the law did its job: it showed me my sin and drove me to Christ. The legalist thinks he honors the law by trying to be justified by it. He actually insults it by acting like its righteous demands can be met by fallen flesh.
Faith establishes the law because Christ fulfilled what the sinner could not. The law’s righteousness, justice, and holiness are not cast aside in the gospel. They are answered in Christ. He fulfilled the law. He bore the curse. He shed the blood. He satisfied justice. He provided righteousness. The believer is not justified because God forgot the law’s demand, but because Christ met the righteous requirement and bore the judgment due to sin. That is why faith does not destroy God’s righteousness. It displays it. The law is established, not as a means of justifying flesh, but as a witness to the righteousness of God and the necessity of Christ’s redeeming work.
Conclusion
Romans 3:27–31 shows that justification by faith excludes boasting completely. The sinner has no room to brag in law, circumcision, works, morality, religion, sacraments, church membership, ordinances, heritage, doctrine, ministry, or personal effort. Boasting is excluded by the law of faith because faith points away from self and rests entirely in Jesus Christ. Works would give man something to glory in if he could be justified by them, but he cannot. Faith receives what grace provides, and grace gives all glory to God. The man who truly understands justification by faith has no trophy case left standing.
This passage also gives one of the clearest conclusions in Scripture: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” That conclusion should settle the matter for any Bible believer. Faith is not a work. Faith is not a sacrament. Faith is not hidden merit. Faith is not religious achievement. Faith is the sinner believing God concerning His Son. Jew and Gentile alike stand before one God with one need and one way of justification. The circumcision is justified by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. No man is saved by national privilege, outward sign, law-keeping, or religious performance. All must come to Christ.
Finally, Paul protects the law from both legalism and lawlessness. Faith does not make the law void. Faith establishes the law. Legalism dishonors the law by trying to use it as a ladder to heaven. Lawlessness dishonors the law by treating God’s righteousness lightly. Faith honors the law by accepting its verdict and fleeing to the Saviour whom God set forth. The law says guilty. Faith says true. The law says no flesh justified. Faith says Christ alone. The law stops the mouth. Faith opens the heart to grace. The law exposes the sinner. Faith receives the righteousness of God. That is why boasting is gone, Christ is exalted, God is just, and the believer is justified.
Romans 3:27-31 Commentary – Boasting Excluded by the Law of Faith
Boasting Excluded by the Law of Faith
Key Passage: Romans 3:27–31
Romans VerseQuest Commentary
Essay 23: Boasting Excluded by the Law of Faith
Text: Romans 3:27–31
Romans 3:27–31 says, “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” That passage is Paul sweeping the courtroom floor after the gospel has knocked every religious trophy off the shelf. The sinner has been exposed. The law has spoken. Every mouth has been stopped. The whole world is guilty before God. No flesh is justified by the deeds of the law. Then God reveals His righteousness without the law, by faith of Jesus Christ, freely by grace, through redemption in Christ Jesus, by propitiation through faith in His blood. And as soon as that gospel truth lands, Paul asks the only sane question left: “Where is boasting then?” The answer is short enough to fit on a tombstone for human pride: “It is excluded.”
Boasting is the natural religion of Adam’s race. Man wants something to brag about. He wants credit, contribution, recognition, merit, progress, moral superiority, sacramental standing, law-keeping status, denominational identity, religious achievement, or at least a little participation ribbon to wave in heaven’s face. The gospel takes all that away. It does not leave the sinner one square inch of ground for boasting. Not one. If justification is by faith without the deeds of the law, then the Jew cannot boast in circumcision, the Gentile cannot boast in philosophy, the Catholic cannot boast in sacraments, the legalist cannot boast in commandments, the moralist cannot boast in decency, the church member cannot boast in membership, the preacher cannot boast in ministry, and the sinner cannot boast in “doing his best.” Grace is not a joint venture between God and Adam’s polished carcass. Grace is God justifying the ungodly through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:27–31 is also one of the clearest answers to the slander that faith destroys righteousness or makes the law meaningless. Paul says the opposite. Faith does not make void the law. Faith establishes the law. Why? Because the law’s proper work was never to justify guilty flesh. The law exposes sin, stops mouths, and proves guilt. Faith does not dishonor that work. Faith agrees with it. Faith says, “The law is right. I am guilty. I cannot justify myself. I need the righteousness of God.” Then faith receives Christ, whose blood satisfies God, whose righteousness answers the law’s demand, and whose redemption provides what man could never produce. Faith is not a work. Faith is not a sacrament. Faith is not a hidden form of religious achievement wearing a nicer suit. Faith is the empty hand receiving what God freely gives in Jesus Christ.
Chapter One: Where Is Boasting Then?
Paul asks, “Where is boasting then?” That question rises naturally after everything he has just said. If all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, if sinners are justified freely by His grace, if Christ is the propitiation through faith in His blood, and if God is just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus, then where can man boast? He cannot boast in his record because his record is stained. He cannot boast in his law-keeping because the law has condemned him. He cannot boast in his religion because religion did not redeem him. He cannot boast in his sincerity because sincerity cannot satisfy justice. He cannot boast in his faith as though faith were some heroic virtue that impressed God. The object of faith is Christ, and Christ gets the glory.
The sinner’s boast always sounds more respectable to the sinner than it does to God. One man boasts in morality. Another boasts in religious heritage. Another boasts in baptism. Another boasts in church membership. Another boasts in keeping commandments. Another boasts in rejecting other people’s errors. Another boasts in doctrinal precision. Another boasts in emotional experiences. Another boasts in service, sacrifice, giving, or suffering. The flesh can turn almost anything into a trophy, including the very doctrines that should kill boasting. A man can even boast that he believes salvation is by grace, which is like bragging about being humble while standing on a stage with a spotlight and a trumpet.
Paul’s question is not merely theological. It is personal. Where is boasting in your salvation? Where is boasting in your standing before God? Where is boasting in your Bible knowledge, ministry, church, denomination, separation, right division, or zeal? If your salvation is of grace, boasting is an intruder. If your justification is by faith without the deeds of the law, boasting is trespassing on holy ground. If Christ shed His blood to redeem you, then your little religious résumé is not a contribution; it is a filthy rag trying to climb onto the altar. Calvary does not share the stage with Adam’s applause line.
Chapter Two: It Is Excluded
Paul answers, “It is excluded.” Not reduced. Not balanced. Not moderated. Not humbled a little. Excluded. Boasting has been shut outside the door and told it has no seat at the table. The gospel does not negotiate with human pride. It evicts it. If a sinner is justified freely by grace, then he has no boast. If righteousness is of God, then man’s righteousness is not the issue. If redemption is in Christ Jesus, then religious merit is not part of the payment. If propitiation is through faith in His blood, then human works do not satisfy God. The gospel does not merely discourage boasting; it abolishes the legal basis for it.
This is why the gospel is offensive to religious flesh. Religion loves to leave man something. Even if it gives God the larger share, it wants man to keep a little corner of the glory. God does most, but man completes. Christ opens the door, but man keeps himself in. Grace begins, but works finish. Blood pays part, but sacraments apply the rest. Faith receives, but performance preserves. That is the language of religious compromise. Romans 3 will not tolerate it. Boasting is excluded because justification is not a partnership. A saved sinner may serve, obey, labor, suffer, give, preach, and grow, but none of that forms the ground of his justification before God. His boast is in the Lord, not himself.
There is a holy brutality in the word “excluded.” It cuts through the soft fog of modern religion. The man who wants to boast in baptism finds the door locked. The man who wants to boast in the mass finds the door locked. The man who wants to boast in Sabbath-keeping finds the door locked. The man who wants to boast in commandment-keeping finds the door locked. The man who wants to boast in “I surrendered all” finds the door locked. The man who wants to boast in “I held out faithful” finds the door locked. Christ is inside. Grace is inside. Blood is inside. Faith is inside. Boasting is outside, banging on the door like a drunk at a wedding he was not invited to.
Chapter Three: Not by the Law of Works
Paul asks, “By what law? of works? Nay.” That “Nay” ought to settle the question for anyone who still believes words. Boasting is not excluded by the law of works. Works actually give man room to boast if he can perform them. Romans 4:2 will say, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.” Works and boasting go together like gasoline and fire. If salvation were by works, man could compare, compete, measure, grade, brag, and demand wages. He could look at his neighbor and say, “I climbed higher. I did better. I paid more. I worked harder. I kept longer.” That is exactly why works cannot be the ground of justification before God.
The law of works says, “Do and live.” The sinner’s problem is that he did not do. He already sinned. He already came short. He already broke the standard. A law system cannot justify the guilty after guilt has occurred. It can only condemn him. This is where religious people go blind with both eyes open. They treat the law like a second chance machine. The law is not a second chance machine. The law is a righteous standard, and once broken, it testifies against the breaker. A man does not become innocent of theft by promising not to steal tomorrow. He does not become innocent of murder by volunteering at a hospital. He does not become innocent of sin by joining a church and trying harder. Guilt must be answered.
The law of works also fails because flesh cannot produce what God requires. Romans 8:3 will say the law was weak through the flesh. The weakness was not in the law’s holiness, but in man’s flesh. The law is like a perfect plumb line hung beside a crooked wall. It shows the crookedness; it does not straighten the wall. It is like a mirror showing dirt; it does not wash the face. It is like a scale showing short weight; it does not add gold to the bag. The law of works can expose, condemn, and define, but it cannot justify guilty flesh. Therefore boasting is not excluded by works. Works would feed boasting if man could stand on them. But he cannot, so God excludes boasting another way.
Chapter Four: By the Law of Faith
Paul says boasting is excluded “by the law of faith.” That is a powerful phrase. He does not mean faith is another Mosaic code or a new set of commandments by which man earns justification. He means faith operates by a principle that excludes boasting. Works say, “Look what I did.” Faith says, “Look what Christ did.” Works bring a wage. Faith receives a gift. Works point to the worker. Faith points to the Saviour. Works produce boasting. Faith destroys boasting because faith admits dependence. Faith confesses that God is true, Christ is sufficient, the blood is accepted, and the sinner has nothing worthy to offer.
Faith is not a work. That needs to be said until every sacramentalist, Calvinist fatalist, legalist, and confused religionist stops choking on Romans. Faith is not a meritorious deed by which man earns salvation. Romans 4:5 will say, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly.” Believing is contrasted with working. If God says “worketh not, but believeth,” then the man who calls faith a work is arguing with the grammar of the Holy Ghost. Faith is the condition of receiving justification, not the purchase price of it. Christ paid the price. Faith receives the benefit.
The “law of faith” also keeps salvation personal and universal. Faith does not require a temple, priesthood, altar, ritual system, national covenant, or religious institution. A guilty sinner can believe God. A Jew can believe. A Gentile can believe. A man in a palace can believe. A man in prison can believe. A dying thief can believe. A religious hypocrite can believe if he drops his pride. A vile sinner can believe if he stops excusing himself. Faith removes boasting because the believing sinner stands with empty hands before a full Christ. The only thing faith contributes is the confession that it has no contribution.
Chapter Five: A Man Is Justified by Faith Without the Deeds of the Law
Romans 3:28 says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” That is not hard to understand; it is hard for religion to accept. Paul says, “we conclude.” This is the apostolic conclusion after the argument. Not a suggestion. Not a denominational opinion. Not a Protestant slogan. The conclusion of Romans 1:18 through 3:27 is that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. If your doctrine cannot say that without stuttering, your doctrine is not Pauline. If your church cannot preach that without adding conditions, your church is confusing the gospel. If your system says, “Yes, faith, but also…” you are already reaching for a hammer to nail works onto grace.
“Justified” means declared righteous before God. It is a legal standing, a divine verdict, a courtroom declaration grounded in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The sinner who believes is not merely given a chance to become justified later if he behaves. He is justified. God does not put him on probation as a spiritual intern. He declares him righteous on the ground of Christ’s blood and righteousness. That is why justification brings peace with God in Romans 5:1. If justification depended on future performance, peace would be impossible. The believer would be stuck in religious weather, sunny when obedient, stormy when failing, and never sure whether the Judge had changed His mind. Romans gives a better foundation: justified by faith.
“Without the deeds of the law” is the phrase that cuts the throat of mixed justification. Without means without. Not mostly without. Not initially without. Not ceremonially without but practically with. Without. The deeds of the law do not enter as the ground of justification. The believer should walk in good works after salvation, but those works do not justify him before God. Ephesians 2:8–10 keeps the order clean: saved by grace through faith, not of works; created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Works follow as fruit; they do not enter as the root. Confuse root and fruit, and you will grow a theological weed patch.
Chapter Six: One God Justifies Jew and Gentile by Faith
Paul asks, “Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.” That question flows from justification by faith. If justification were by the Mosaic law, then the Jew would have a covenant advantage in the means of justification that excluded the Gentile. But if justification is by faith, then one God justifies both Jew and Gentile on the same righteous ground. This does not erase Israel’s national promises. It does not turn Gentiles into Jews. It does not create a replacement-theology smoothie where all Bible distinctions are blended into mush. It simply means that in the matter of justification before God, Jew and Gentile alike must come by faith.
Paul says, “Seeing it is one God.” There is not one God for Jews and another for Gentiles. There is one God, and therefore one righteous way of justification. The Jew cannot be justified by law while the Gentile is justified by faith. The Gentile cannot be justified by philosophy while the Jew is justified by covenant privilege. The Catholic cannot be justified by sacraments while the Baptist is justified by faith. The moralist cannot be justified by decency while the sinner is justified by grace. One God. One righteousness. One Redeemer. One propitiation. One blood. One way for guilty men to be declared righteous: faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul then says God “shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.” The wording differs slightly, but the ground is the same: faith. The circumcision refers to the Jew; the uncircumcision refers to the Gentile. The Jew is not saved by being circumcised. The Gentile is not excluded by being uncircumcised. Both need Christ. Both must believe. Both are guilty under sin. Both are justified by faith. That is the great equalizer. The gospel does not let the Jew boast in circumcision or the Gentile boast in being outside the law. It shuts both mouths and points both to Jesus Christ.
Chapter Seven: Faith Establishes the Law
Paul asks, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” That is the answer to the legalist’s accusation. He hears justification by faith without the deeds of the law and cries, “You are destroying the law!” Paul says, “God forbid.” Faith does not make the law void. Faith establishes the law. Why? Because faith agrees with the law’s verdict. The law says man is guilty. Faith says, “Amen.” The law says man cannot justify himself. Faith says, “Amen.” The law demands righteousness. Faith receives the righteousness of God in Christ. The law points to sacrifice, blood, and substitution in shadow. Faith lays hold of the reality in Jesus Christ.
Works-righteousness actually dishonors the law because it pretends sinners can satisfy the law after already breaking it. It lowers the law into a manageable program. It turns God’s holy standard into a ladder for religious climbers. Faith honors the law by admitting the law is right and man is wrong. Faith does not argue with the law. Faith does not negotiate with the law. Faith does not say the law was too strict. Faith says the law did its job: it showed me my sin and drove me to Christ. The legalist thinks he honors the law by trying to be justified by it. He actually insults it by acting like its righteous demands can be met by fallen flesh.
Faith establishes the law because Christ fulfilled what the sinner could not. The law’s righteousness, justice, and holiness are not cast aside in the gospel. They are answered in Christ. He fulfilled the law. He bore the curse. He shed the blood. He satisfied justice. He provided righteousness. The believer is not justified because God forgot the law’s demand, but because Christ met the righteous requirement and bore the judgment due to sin. That is why faith does not destroy God’s righteousness. It displays it. The law is established, not as a means of justifying flesh, but as a witness to the righteousness of God and the necessity of Christ’s redeeming work.
Conclusion
Romans 3:27–31 shows that justification by faith excludes boasting completely. The sinner has no room to brag in law, circumcision, works, morality, religion, sacraments, church membership, ordinances, heritage, doctrine, ministry, or personal effort. Boasting is excluded by the law of faith because faith points away from self and rests entirely in Jesus Christ. Works would give man something to glory in if he could be justified by them, but he cannot. Faith receives what grace provides, and grace gives all glory to God. The man who truly understands justification by faith has no trophy case left standing.
This passage also gives one of the clearest conclusions in Scripture: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” That conclusion should settle the matter for any Bible believer. Faith is not a work. Faith is not a sacrament. Faith is not hidden merit. Faith is not religious achievement. Faith is the sinner believing God concerning His Son. Jew and Gentile alike stand before one God with one need and one way of justification. The circumcision is justified by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. No man is saved by national privilege, outward sign, law-keeping, or religious performance. All must come to Christ.
Finally, Paul protects the law from both legalism and lawlessness. Faith does not make the law void. Faith establishes the law. Legalism dishonors the law by trying to use it as a ladder to heaven. Lawlessness dishonors the law by treating God’s righteousness lightly. Faith honors the law by accepting its verdict and fleeing to the Saviour whom God set forth. The law says guilty. Faith says true. The law says no flesh justified. Faith says Christ alone. The law stops the mouth. Faith opens the heart to grace. The law exposes the sinner. Faith receives the righteousness of God. That is why boasting is gone, Christ is exalted, God is just, and the believer is justified.
Romans Verse-by-Verse Commentary
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Romans 1:1 Commentary – Paul, a Servant of Jesus Christ
Romans 1:2-4 Commentary – The Gospel Promised Beforehand
Romans 1:5–7 Commentary – Grace, Apostleship, and Obedience to the Faith