Paul takes the best objections to his gospel and answers them, then proves from Scripture that Jew and Greek are all under sin and every mouth is closed. But now a righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law, given freely through the redemption in Christ Jesus, so that God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Boasting is excluded, there is one God for everyone, and faith does not cancel the law: it establishes it.
A short introduction to the whole letter, written to be read aloud or recorded as a video intro — about a minute and forty-five seconds.
Let’s talk about Romans. If you only study one letter in the New Testament, a lot of people would tell you — make it this one.
Paul writes it to a church in Rome he’s never visited. He didn’t build that team. He’s never been in their locker room. So before he calls a single play, he tells them who sent him — Jesus Christ, the risen King.
Then he hands them the whole game plan in one line: “I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation” (1:16). That’s the franchise. Everything else in the letter is how that plan gets run.
Here’s how Paul lays it out.
First, he rolls the film on the whole human race. Picture two teams. One team, Israel, was handed the playbook — God’s law and His promises. The other team, the Gentiles, never got the playbook, but the stadium lights were on the whole time: creation itself shows there’s a God. And when you watch the tape on both teams, it’s not pretty. Missed assignments everywhere. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23). Nobody’s getting a game ball.
Then comes the play call that changes everything. We’re made right with God by faith — not by our stats, not by our effort in practice. Grace puts us on the team.
After that, Paul shows you what it looks like to live in the system: a new life, the power of God’s Spirit, and a promise that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ (8:38–39).
And he finishes with execution — how a team of forgiven men actually plays together.
That’s Romans, men. Let’s get in the film room.
Before you zoom into any single passage, see the whole chapter’s shape. Paul answers the objections to his gospel; then he proves from Scripture that no one is righteous; then comes the turn, “But now,” and the righteousness that God gives; and last, what that leaves of boasting, of the Jew’s privilege, and of the law.
Click any box above to jump straight to that part’s full teaching material. As a class, this works either as one sitting (walk the whole arc in 45–60 minutes at a survey level, then go deeper another time) or as four sessions, one movement per week, using that part’s own outline for the depth.
Bible arcing breaks a passage into its clauses and shows how they relate: which clause carries the main point, and which ones ground it, explain it, or push against it. Here are all 31 verses — 63 statements — on one board, in four drives: the objections (a change of possession at verse 9), the case from Scripture (a change of possession at verse 21), the righteousness from God (a Handoff at verse 27), and what it leaves of boasting (a Handoff into chapter 4). Watch for the long chain of quotations in verses 10–18, and for the First Downs inside verses 21–26. Chalk Marks (bottom right) draws the Bible marks into the text and closes each drive with its own mark. Play Marks is the coach’s football shorthand in the margin. Arc Lines draws the arcs instead: tick the box beside a relationship to add its arc, one at a time, and watch the argument build. Tap a relationship name for what it means, ► to watch it play, or a part title to jump there.
Every relationship has a football mark you can draw in your own Bible’s margin. Hover over or tap a mark to see what it means.
Chapter 2 redefined the Jew, so Paul asks the obvious question: what is left of the advantage? He answers in one line and then takes the objections as they come, each sharper than the last, until the last one is simply condemned.
| Part intro | 2 min |
| Pregame Huddle | 1 min |
| The Game Plan | 1 min |
| Kickoff | 2 min |
| Chalk Talk | 2 min |
| The Drive | 24 min |
| The 2-Minute Drill | 1 min |
| Review | 4 min |
| Postgame | 10 min |
Think of this page as the sideline sheet a head coach carries in his hand on game day. Every series opens with an Opening Snap to get the room engaged, then a Chalk Talk Exercise: the room marks the text in their own Bibles and you take up their answers. A Team Drill follows for a live group. Then The Play Call: what the text actually says, broken into assignments. The Sideline Call is the one line you say slowly. The Coach’s Clipboard holds the extra film — cross-references and background — for when the room wants more. One rule for every coach who runs this plan: say what the text says with conviction, and say what we don’t know with humility.
Chapter 2 ended by redefining the Jew: not the one who is one outwardly, but the one inwardly (2:28–29). That raises the obvious question, and chapter 3 opens by asking it out loud. The next eight verses are a run of questions and answers: a question, a short reply, then a sharper question. Whether Paul is arguing with a real opponent or with his own mind, the pattern is a fast exchange. Read it aloud so the room can hear the speakers change.
“Know therefore that Yahweh your God himself is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness to a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments,”
— Deuteronomy 7:9 · WEBWhich of these four objections do you hear most often, from other people or from yourself? How does verse 4 answer it?
Be able to say the four objections in order, and to give Paul's answer to each in one line. Be ready for the question of who is speaking in each line: say it plainly, and say that the Greek has no speaker labels.
Father, You entrusted Your words to Your people, and You have not stopped being faithful when we have not. Keep us from every excuse that makes light of sin or lays any blame on You. Let You be true and every man a liar, and let us be found with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Jew has a real advantage: God's own words were entrusted to him. But man's unfaithfulness cannot cancel God's faithfulness, our unrighteousness cannot make God unjust, and the man who says “let's do evil that good may come” is justly condemned. God is true. God judges the world rightly.
1Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision? 2Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the revelations of God. 3For what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God? 4May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written, “that you might be justified in your words, and might prevail when you come into judgment.” 5But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say? Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath? I speak like men do. 6May it never be! For then how will God judge the world? 7For if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), “Let’s do evil, that good may come?” Those who say so are justly condemned.
ROMANS 3:1–8 · WEBMark the connecting words, not whole clauses. The shape carries the meaning, so one pen is enough; colors match the arc tags below if you have colored pencils. Chalk Marks, bottom right on this page, draws these same marks into the text of every diagram. The football Play Marks are the coach’s shorthand for the diagrams on this sheet; these are the only marks you need in your own Bible.
Not every word gets marked. Mark the connectors and the flow of thought shows itself: read down the page by the marks and you can hear Paul’s argument.
Box every main clause. Run the drive line down the margin to the next one, and close each drive with a goal line where a new argument takes the ball. Every other clause gets its mark, off the drive line or off the clause it supports. One pen is enough — the shape carries the meaning. When a main clause is also a play (like the “Therefore” in 1:24), its mark sits right on the drive line, just above the box. Hover over or tap any mark, here or in the margin, to see what it means.
Ask: “If a man is born into a family that has the Bible, is he any closer to God than the man who isn't?” Let a few guys answer. Paul asks exactly that in verse 1, and he does not say no.
In pairs, read Romans 9:4–5 beside Romans 3:2. What does Paul list as the Jews' advantages? Then read verse 3 and say in one sentence what the objection is. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul asks what advantage the Jew has, answers that it is great, and then takes the first objection: if some were unfaithful, does that cancel God's faithfulness? Never. God stays true, though every man is a liar.
“Then what advantage does the Jew have?” “Or what is the profit of circumcision?” One question asked two ways.
“Much in every way!” “they were entrusted with the revelations of God”. The first advantage.
“what if some were without faith?” “Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?”
“May it never be!” “let God be found true, but every man a liar”, as the Scripture says.
Man's unfaithfulness cannot cancel God's faithfulness.
Picture a man whose business partner embezzled and ran. The man stays at the desk, honors the contracts, and pays the clients himself. The partner's failure did not cancel the promise. The word of the firm was only as good as the man who stayed.
Where have you used someone else's failure, or your own, as a reason to doubt that God keeps his word? Name it, and read verse 4 over it: let God be found true.
Here's the first half of the game plan: “Much in every way.” The Jew was entrusted with God's words (v.2), and when some were unfaithful God did not become unfaithful with them (v.3–4).
Verse 2 says “first of all,” and the Greek expects a “second” that this chapter never lists. Paul gets pulled into the objections. Say it out loud: he names one advantage here and leaves the list unfinished. If a man asks what the others are, 9:4–5 is where Paul comes back to the list.
The Greek has no speaker labels. Verses 1, 3, 5 and 7 are the questions; verses 2, 4, 6 and 8 are the replies. Bible teachers differ on whether Paul is arguing with a real opponent or reasoning with himself; either way, the room can hear it as an exchange. Say “the objector” as a teaching device, not as a claim about who he was.
Verses 1–4 settle the first two objections. Verses 5–8 take the sharper ones.
Ask: “Have you ever heard someone say, ‘If my sin makes God's grace look bigger, how can he blame me?’” Let it land. Paul puts that exact excuse on the table in verses 5–8, and he does not soften his answer.
In pairs, read verses 5–8 and mark each question. Then answer in one sentence each: how does Paul reply to verse 5, to verse 7, and to verse 8? Notice which reply is different from the others. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
The objections get sharper: if our unrighteousness shows God's righteousness, is he unjust to punish? If my lie makes his truth look better, why am I judged? Why not do evil that good may come? Paul rejects the first two outright, and to the third he gives a sentence, not an argument: those who say so are justly condemned.
“if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say?” “Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath?”
“May it never be!” “how will God judge the world?” If God were unjust he could not judge anyone.
“if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory”, “why am I also still judged as a sinner?”
“Let’s do evil, that good may come?” Paul says this is how he is slanderously reported.
“Those who say so are justly condemned.” No argument, just a sentence.
If God could not judge sin, he could not judge the world.
Picture a judge whose court is accused of being unjust because it punishes thieves, since after all the thief only proved the law was needed. The accusation answers itself: take away the court's right to judge, and there is no justice left to praise.
Which excuse do you reach for most: “God knows my heart,” “it did some good,” or “grace covers it”? Name it, and hear verse 8 over it: justly condemned.
Here's the whole game plan: “Much in every way. God stays true.” God's words were entrusted (v.2), his faithfulness does not depend on ours (v.3–4), and no excuse makes him unjust or makes our sin right (v.5–8).
Verse 8 starts as a question (“Why not…”) and then stops to say that Paul is being slandered for this very teaching. The Greek never supplies the verb that would finish the first thought. Read it aloud and let the room hear it break off. It is the same kind of unfinished sentence you will meet again in Romans 2:17 and 5:12.
Verses 4 and 6 answer with “May it never be!” and a reason. Verse 8 answers with a verdict: those who say so are justly condemned. The relative clause in the Greek points at the people who say it. Paul does not dignify the slogan with an argument here.
“Much in every way. God stays true.”The Jew has an advantage, because God's words were entrusted to him. But human unfaithfulness cannot cancel God's faithfulness, and no objection, however clever, can make God unrighteous or excuse a sinner.
Verses 1–8, one series at a time. Ask out loud, let the room answer, then take it up. You will not have time for all of them: pick two or three from each series.
Think of the last week. Name one specific time you used someone else's failure, or your own, or God's grace itself, as an excuse: “It's not like I hurt anyone,” “God knows my heart,” “it'll work out for good anyway.” What was the excuse, word for word?
Take that excuse to verse 4. “Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar”. The excuse you named was an attempt to make yourself the one who is right. The truth is that God is true whatever that makes of us. So here is the one question: what would you say about that moment if you started from “God is true”?
The CallStop defending the excuse. Let God be true and be honest about the rest.
Ground you take this week.
The line you hold inside.
Pray ItFather, I have been making excuses. Let You be true and me a liar. Show me where I have been trying to defend myself, and give me the honesty to stop. Keep me from using Your grace as a reason. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Gracious God, You entrusted Your words to Your people, and when we were unfaithful You stayed faithful. Forgive us for every excuse we have made and for every time we have treated Your patience as permission. Let You be found true and every one of us a liar, and let us be found in You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Let God be found true,
but every man a liar.
The question of verse 1 comes back from the other side: are we any better off in front of God? The answer is no. Paul proves it from Scripture, a chain from the throat to the feet to the eyes, and then says what the Scripture is for.
“Verse 8 ended on a verdict: people who say ‘let's do evil that good may come’ are justly condemned. So are the Jews any better off than the Gentiles?”
| Part intro | 2 min |
| Pregame Huddle | 1 min |
| The Game Plan | 1 min |
| Kickoff | 2 min |
| Chalk Talk | 2 min |
| The Drive | 34 min |
| The 2-Minute Drill | 1 min |
| Review | 6 min |
| Postgame | 10 min |
Think of this page as the sideline sheet a head coach carries in his hand on game day. Every series opens with an Opening Snap to get the room engaged, then a Chalk Talk Exercise: the room marks the text in their own Bibles and you take up their answers. A Team Drill follows for a live group. Then The Play Call: what the text actually says, broken into assignments. The Sideline Call is the one line you say slowly. The Coach’s Clipboard holds the extra film — cross-references and background — for when the room wants more. One rule for every coach who runs this plan: say what the text says with conviction, and say what we don’t know with humility.
Verse 9 asks the question of verse 1 again, from the other side. In verse 1 the question was whether the Jew has an advantage. Verse 2 said yes, in one real way. Verse 9 asks whether that advantage makes the Jew any better off before God's judgment, and answers no. The proof is a chain of Old Testament quotations (verses 10–18), then the verdict (verses 19–20). Notice how many times Paul says “all” and “no one.”
“Don’t enter into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no man living is righteous.”
— Psalm 143:2 · WEBWhich line of the chain, throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, eyes, is closest to home for you this week? What does it mean that the last one is the fear of God?
Be able to name the three movements: the charge (verse 9), the proof from Scripture (verses 10–18), the verdict (verses 19–20). Pray that no man in the room leaves feeling this paragraph was about someone else.
Lord, You have said there is no one righteous, not one, and we have read it too quickly. Close our mouths. Let us stop explaining ourselves and be silent before You, so that we can hear what You have done. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Paul asks again whether the Jews are any better off, and answers no: Jews and Greeks are all under sin. Then he proves it from Scripture, a chain of quotations from the throat to the feet to the eyes, and closes it with the law's verdict. Every mouth is shut and all the world is accountable to God.
9What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. 10As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one. 11There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. 12They have all turned away. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one.” 13“Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit.” “The poison of vipers is under their lips.” 14“Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” 15“Their feet are swift to shed blood. 16Destruction and misery are in their ways. 17The way of peace, they haven’t known.” 18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God. 20Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
ROMANS 3:9–20 · WEBMark the connecting words, not whole clauses. The shape carries the meaning, so one pen is enough; colors match the arc tags below if you have colored pencils. Chalk Marks, bottom right on this page, draws these same marks into the text of every diagram. The football Play Marks are the coach’s shorthand for the diagrams on this sheet; these are the only marks you need in your own Bible.
Not every word gets marked. Mark the connectors and the flow of thought shows itself: read down the page by the marks and you can hear Paul’s argument.
Ask: “Is anyone in this room good enough that God owes him a pass?” Let the silence do some of the work. Then read verse 9 and its answer.
In pairs, read Psalm 14:1–3 beside Romans 3:10–12. Which words did Paul keep, and what is the one he added? One sentence per pair. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul asks again whether the Jews are better off, and answers no: Jews and Greeks are all under sin. Then he proves it from Scripture, starting with six lines that say the same thing in different words: no one is righteous.
“What then? Are we better than they?”
“No, in no way.”
“we previously warned both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin”.
“As it is written”, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
“There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God.”
“They have all turned away. They have together become unprofitable.” “There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one.”
No one righteous. No, not one.
Picture a roomful of men each convinced he is the exception. The coach holds up a ruler and says, “This is the line.” Not one of them reaches it, and the coach never says anyone is close. The ruler was not made to rank men. It was made to measure.
Where do you grade yourself against other men and not against the line? Name the man you compare yourself to, and hear verse 10 over both of you.
Here's the first half of the game plan: “All under sin. No one righteous.” Jews and Greeks alike are under sin (v.9), and Scripture says it six ways (v.10–12).
Verse 9 begins the way verse 1 did: “What then?” Chapter 3 started with the Jew's advantage and spent eight verses on objections. This verse asks the same question from the other side: are we better off in front of God's judgment? All the commentators we checked start a new section here.
The Greek verb translated “are we better than they?” can be read more than one way. It might mean “do we have an advantage?” or “are we making an excuse?” or “are we worse off?” The answer, “No, in no way,” and the charge that follows leave the point the same. Do not get stuck.
Verses 9–12 say who is under sin. Verses 13–18 name the parts of the body.
Ask: “If you had to describe a sinner from head to toe in a sentence, where would you start?” Let a few guys answer. Paul starts with the throat.
Split into pairs. Each pair takes two parts of the body from verses 13–18 (throat and tongue, lips and mouth, feet and ways, eyes) and says in one sentence what sin each one names. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul keeps going down the body: throat, tongue, lips, mouth, then feet and ways, and last, the eyes. Speech first, then action, then the root: no fear of God before their eyes.
“Their throat is an open tomb.” “With their tongues they have used deceit.” “The poison of vipers is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood.”
“Destruction and misery are in their ways.” “The way of peace, they haven’t known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” The root of all of it.
From the throat to the feet to the eyes: no fear of God.
Picture a mechanic walking around a wrecked car, calling out what is broken: the lines, the frame, the axle, the wheels. At the end he opens the hood and says, “And the engine was never turned on.” That is verse 18. The rest was the damage; this is why.
Which part of the body in this list is the one you most need God to deal with this week: the tongue, the mouth, the feet? Name it, and then name the root underneath it: where have you stopped fearing God?
Here's the first half of the game plan, finished: “All under sin. No one righteous.” Scripture names the throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet and ways, and under all of it, no fear of God.
Verses 10–18 quote from several places: Psalm 14 for the opening lines, Psalm 5:9 for the throat, Psalm 140:3 for the poison of vipers, Psalm 10:7 for the mouth, Isaiah 59:7–8 for the feet and ways, and Psalm 36:1 for the eyes. Paul strings them together on purpose. The sheet shows the WEB text of each one as it is written there.
Notice how it moves: the “no one” lines in verses 10–12 (the heart and mind), the speech organs in 13–14, the feet and ways in 15–17 (what the body does), and then the eyes in 18, back to the inner man. The last line explains the first lines.
Verses 13–18 finish the Scripture. Verses 19–20 say what the Scripture is for.
Ask: “What is the purpose of a speed limit sign? Does it make anyone a better driver?” Let a few guys answer. Verse 20 says the same thing about the law.
In pairs, read Romans 7:7 and Galatians 2:16 beside Romans 3:20. What does the law do, and what can it not do? One sentence per pair. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul says what the Scripture is for. The law speaks to those under it so that every mouth is closed and all the world is accountable to God, because by works of the law no flesh will be justified; through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
“whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law”.
“that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God”.
“by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight”.
“through the law comes the knowledge of sin”.
The law closes every mouth. It was never meant to save one.
Picture an X-ray technician who shows a man the break in his leg. The film does not set the bone. It shows him he needs a doctor. Nobody blames the X-ray for what it found.
Where are you still trying to use the law as a way to feel justified? Name it, and hear verse 20 over it: through the law comes the knowledge of sin, not the removal of it.
Here's the whole game plan: “All under sin. Every mouth closed.” Jews and Greeks are all under sin (v.9–18), and the law shuts every mouth and makes the whole world accountable to God (v.19–20).
The “because” at the start of verse 20 gives the reason for the whole of verse 19: the law speaks so that every mouth is closed because no flesh will be justified by works of the law. Most readers take it that way. One reading ties it only to the last clause, the closing of every mouth; the point is the same.
Verse 4 said “every man a liar.” Verse 19 says “every mouth closed.” Same “every.” Hold them side by side.
“No one righteous. Every mouth closed.”Jews and Greeks are all under sin. Scripture says so, from the throat to the feet to the eyes. The law that speaks to those under it closes every mouth and makes the whole world accountable to God, because no flesh will be justified by works of the law.
Verses 9–20, one series at a time. Ask out loud, let the room answer, then take it up. You will not have time for all of them: pick two or three from each series.
Think of the last week. Name one specific time you measured yourself against another man and came out on top: his language, his temper, his habits, his marriage. What was it, and what did it let you skip?
Take it to verse 10. “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”. The comparison you made was a way of staying out of the verse. The truth is that the line is not another man; it is God, and every mouth is shut by it. So here is the one question: what would you say in that moment if the standard were God and not the other man?
The CallStop grading yourself on a curve. Stand where the law puts you, silent, and listen.
Ground you take this week.
The line you hold inside.
Pray ItFather, close my mouth. I have been defending myself and comparing myself, and the whole time You have said there is no one righteous. Show me my sin as the law shows it, and drive me to the righteousness You give. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Lord God, You have said that every mouth will be closed and all the world held accountable to You. We confess that we have talked and defended and compared. Close our mouths, open our eyes, and let us see the sin the law makes known, so that we run to the righteousness that is not our own. In Jesus' name, Amen.
But now apart from the law,
a righteousness of God
has been revealed.
The case is closed and the verdict is guilty. Then two small words turn the letter: but now. A righteousness of God has been revealed, apart from the law, for everyone who believes, and God has put forward Christ so that he is both just and the one who justifies.
“Verse 20 ended with no flesh justified by works of the law. If that is the end of the road, where does a man go from here?”
| Part intro | 2 min |
| Pregame Huddle | 1 min |
| The Game Plan | 1 min |
| Kickoff | 2 min |
| Chalk Talk | 2 min |
| The Drive | 26 min |
| The 2-Minute Drill | 1 min |
| Review | 4 min |
| Postgame | 10 min |
Think of this page as the sideline sheet a head coach carries in his hand on game day. Every series opens with an Opening Snap to get the room engaged, then a Chalk Talk Exercise: the room marks the text in their own Bibles and you take up their answers. A Team Drill follows for a live group. Then The Play Call: what the text actually says, broken into assignments. The Sideline Call is the one line you say slowly. The Coach’s Clipboard holds the extra film — cross-references and background — for when the room wants more. One rule for every coach who runs this plan: say what the text says with conviction, and say what we don’t know with humility.
Everything up to verse 20 is the case against the world. Verse 21 begins with the two small words that turn the letter: “But now.” Verses 21–26 are one of the densest paragraphs in the New Testament: a single main statement (a righteousness of God has been revealed) and a long run of clauses hanging off it. Verses 22b–23 step aside for a moment to say why there is no distinction, then verse 24 picks the thread back up. Take it slowly and let the room breathe between clauses.
“For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:21 · WEBPaul says “freely” and “by his grace” in the same breath. Where do you still try to pay for something that has already been paid?
Be able to say verse 21 and verse 24 from memory, and the one-line difference between them: the righteousness revealed, and the way it reaches us. Be ready for the question of what “atoning sacrifice” means and say honestly that Bible translators render the word more than one way.
Father, thank You for the words “but now.” We could not earn what You have given, and You have given it freely. Thank You that You put forward Christ Jesus and did not compromise Your justice to save us. Teach us to rest in what You have done. In His name, Amen.
But now a righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law, testified to by the law and the prophets. It comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, with no distinction, because all have sinned. We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward so that he himself would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
21But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets; 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction, 23for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; 24being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance; 26to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time, that he might himself be just and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.
ROMANS 3:21–26 · WEBMark the connecting words, not whole clauses. The shape carries the meaning, so one pen is enough; colors match the arc tags below if you have colored pencils. Chalk Marks, bottom right on this page, draws these same marks into the text of every diagram. The football Play Marks are the coach’s shorthand for the diagrams on this sheet; these are the only marks you need in your own Bible.
Not every word gets marked. Mark the connectors and the flow of thought shows itself: read down the page by the marks and you can hear Paul’s argument.
Ask: “What are the two most hopeful words you can hear after bad news?” Let a few guys answer. Paul's two words are “but now.”
In pairs, read Romans 1:16–17 and then 3:21–22. What did Paul say was revealed in 1:17, and what does he say is revealed in 3:21? One sentence per pair. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
After the long case against everyone, the letter turns: but now a righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law, though the law and the prophets testify to it. It comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, with no distinction, because all have sinned.
“But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed”.
“being testified by the law and the prophets”.
“even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe”.
“there is no distinction”, “for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God”.
But now: a righteousness from God, apart from the law, for all who believe.
Picture a prisoner who has heard every charge read and every witness against him. The door opens and a man he has never met says, “The debt has been paid. Come out.” Nothing the prisoner did made that happen. That is the weight of “but now.”
What in your life is still waiting to hear “but now”? Name the charge, and then read verse 21 over it.
Here's the first half of the game plan: “A righteousness from God, for all who believe.” It is revealed apart from the law (v.21), through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (v.22), because there is no distinction (v.22–23).
Verse 21 begins with the same two words that begin many turns in Paul. Here the turn is large: it is the turn from the whole case against the world (1:18–3:20) to the good news. The commentators we checked mostly hear it as a turn in the history of salvation (the old era, the new) as well as in the argument. Say both.
Verse 22b and verse 23 step aside to say why there is no distinction: all have sinned. Verse 24 then picks the sentence back up with “being justified,” going back to “all those who believe” in verse 22. Read verses 22 and 24 together, skipping 22b–23, and the thread is clear.
Verses 21–23 say what has been revealed and who it is for. Verses 24–26 say how God did it.
Ask: “How can a just judge let a guilty man go free and still be just?” Let the room wrestle with it. Paul's answer is in verses 25–26.
In pairs, read Isaiah 53:6 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 beside Romans 3:24–26. Who paid, who received, and what did God stay? One sentence per pair. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul says how: being justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an atoning sacrifice, to demonstrate his righteousness, both for past sins passed over and at this present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
“being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”.
“whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood”.
“for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance”.
“to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time”.
“that he might himself be just and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus”.
Justified freely, and God stays just.
Picture a father in court as the judge reads the penalty against his son. The father stands up, says “I will pay it,” and the judge, who loves justice, accepts. The son goes free, and the law has not been bent. Nobody leaves the room doubting the judge.
Where are you still trying to pay for something that was paid in full? Name it, and read verse 24 over it: freely, by his grace, through the redemption in Christ Jesus.
Here's the whole game plan: “A righteousness from God. Just, and the justifier.” The righteousness is revealed (v.21–23), and it is a gift God paid for in Christ so that he stays just while justifying the one who believes (v.24–26).
The participle in verse 24 is in the same form as “all” in verse 23, but most readers hear it as going back to “those who believe” in verse 22. Not everyone who has sinned is justified; those who believe are. Say it plainly and move on.
The Greek word in verse 25 has been translated “propitiation,” “expiation,” “atoning sacrifice,” and “mercy seat.” The WEB uses “atoning sacrifice.” Do not settle the debate for the room; say that Bible translators render it more than one way, and that every rendering has the blood of Christ at the center.
Verses 25 and 26 say “to demonstrate his righteousness” twice, once pointing back (the passing over of prior sins) and once pointing to now (at this present time). The two phrases run side by side on the board. Say it aloud: God's patience in the past and his action at the cross are both on display.
Verses 21–26 are the gospel. Verses 27–31 ask what follows.
“But now. Justified freely.”Apart from the law, a righteousness from God has been revealed, and it comes through faith to everyone who believes. We are justified as a gift, by his grace, through the redemption in Christ Jesus, and God is shown to be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Verses 21–26, one series at a time. Ask out loud, let the room answer, then take it up. You will not have time for all of them: pick two or three from each series.
Think of the last week. Name one specific time you tried to pay for something God had already given: a prayer you said to make up for a failure, an extra effort to feel acceptable, a way of working your way back into good standing. What were you trying to buy?
Take it to verse 24. “being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. What you were trying to buy has been paid for, in full, by Christ. The truth is that justification is a gift, not wages. So here is the one question: what would change in that moment if you believed it was given freely?
The CallStop paying. Receive what has been paid.
Ground you take this week.
The line you hold inside.
Pray ItFather, thank You that the righteousness I need is a gift. Forgive me for trying to buy it. Let me rest in the redemption You paid for in Christ Jesus, and let that rest show in how I live this week. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Gracious Father, we thank You for the words “but now.” You revealed a righteousness we could not earn, and You gave it freely through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. You put Him forward so that You are both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Him. Teach us to rest in what You have done. In His name, Amen.
Where then is
the boasting?
It is excluded.
If the righteousness is a gift, what is left of pride? Nothing. And if there is one God, he is the God of Jews and Gentiles alike. Does faith then cancel the law? Paul says never: it establishes it.
“If righteousness is given freely and received by faith, what is left of a man's pride in what he has done?”
| Part intro | 2 min |
| Pregame Huddle | 1 min |
| The Game Plan | 1 min |
| Kickoff | 2 min |
| Chalk Talk | 2 min |
| The Drive | 20 min |
| The 2-Minute Drill | 1 min |
| Review | 4 min |
| Postgame | 10 min |
Think of this page as the sideline sheet a head coach carries in his hand on game day. Every series opens with an Opening Snap to get the room engaged, then a Chalk Talk Exercise: the room marks the text in their own Bibles and you take up their answers. A Team Drill follows for a live group. Then The Play Call: what the text actually says, broken into assignments. The Sideline Call is the one line you say slowly. The Coach’s Clipboard holds the extra film — cross-references and background — for when the room wants more. One rule for every coach who runs this plan: say what the text says with conviction, and say what we don’t know with humility.
Verses 21–26 gave the gospel. Verse 27 asks what follows from it, and the answer is a string of short questions and answers: where is boasting, by what kind of law, is God the God of Jews only, do we nullify the law. The pace is fast and the points are simple. Keep it that way. The whole paragraph is Paul using the gift of verses 21–26 to close off three doors: pride, Jewish exclusivity, and the idea that faith makes the law pointless.
“for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”
— Ephesians 2:8 · WEBWhere do you catch yourself boasting, even quietly? What does verse 27 say has happened to it?
Be able to say the three questions of verses 27–31 and their answers: boasting, by what law, the God of Jews only, do we nullify the law. Pray that no man leaves the room trusting what he did. Chapter 4 begins with Abraham, and the room will hear it differently if verse 27 has landed.
Lord, You have taken our boasting away and given us Christ. Let us stop keeping score. Thank You that You are one God and the God of every people. Establish Your law in us by the faith You give. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Where then is the boasting? It is excluded, not by a law of works but by a law of faith. We reckon that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law. God is not the God of Jews only; there is one God, who justifies the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Does faith cancel the law? Never. We establish the law.
27Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! No, we establish the law.
ROMANS 3:27–31 · WEBMark the connecting words, not whole clauses. The shape carries the meaning, so one pen is enough; colors match the arc tags below if you have colored pencils. Chalk Marks, bottom right on this page, draws these same marks into the text of every diagram. The football Play Marks are the coach’s shorthand for the diagrams on this sheet; these are the only marks you need in your own Bible.
Not every word gets marked. Mark the connectors and the flow of thought shows itself: read down the page by the marks and you can hear Paul’s argument.
Ask: “If a man gets a gift he could never have bought, what does he have to brag about?” Let a few guys answer. That is verse 27.
In pairs, read Ephesians 2:8–9 beside Romans 3:27–28. What does each say about boasting? One sentence per pair. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul asks where boasting is left, and answers in four quick lines: it is excluded; by what law? of works? no, a law of faith. Then the claim the whole chapter has been heading toward: a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
“Where then is the boasting?”
“It is excluded.”
“By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.”
“a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law”.
A gift cannot be boasted about. Boasting is excluded.
Picture two men at a banquet. One was invited and paid his own way; the other was invited and the host paid for everything. Only one of them walks out having something to brag about. At this table, no one paid.
Where do you still quietly keep score, comparing what you have done to what the other guy has done? Name it, and hear verse 27 over it: excluded.
Here's the first half of the game plan: “Boasting excluded.” Righteousness is a gift (the whole of 21–26), so boasting has nowhere to stand (v.27), and a man is justified by faith apart from works (v.28).
Verse 27 says the exclusion happens by a “law of faith,” and the Greek word for law here is the same as in “law of works.” Most readers hear it as a principle or rule: the way of faith, not the way of works. Say it that plainly.
The Greek manuscripts differ: some read “therefore,” and most editions read “for.” The WEB prints “therefore.” The sheet draws it as the reason boasting is excluded, a “for,” and shows the WEB wording. One line is enough.
Verses 27–28 shut the door on pride. Verses 29–31 shut the door on exclusivity and on the idea that faith cancels the law.
Ask: “If there is only one God, can he have favorites?” Let a few guys answer. Paul builds his argument on that one question.
In pairs, read Deuteronomy 6:4 beside Romans 3:29–30. What does the confession say about God, and what does Paul draw from it about who he justifies? One sentence per pair. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul closes with three moves: God is not the God of Jews only, because there is one God; he justifies the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith; and faith does not nullify the law, it establishes it.
“Or is God the God of Jews only?”
“Isn’t he the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also”.
“there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith”.
“Do we then nullify the law through faith?”
“May it never be! No, we establish the law”.
One God. One way. The law established.
Picture a coach with one rulebook for the whole league. A team can come in from either conference, and the same rule decides the game. Nobody on either side gets to say the rulebook was written for them alone.
Where do you treat God as if he were the God of people like you? Name the group you think of as outside, and hear verse 29 over it: the God of Gentiles also.
Here's the whole game plan: “Boasting excluded. One God for all.” Pride has no place (v.27–28), God is the God of Jews and Gentiles alike (v.29–30), and faith establishes the law (v.31).
“There is one God” in verse 30 is the confession every Jew prayed daily, from Deuteronomy 6:4. Paul takes the thing Israel was proud of and draws the conclusion they did not: if God is one, he cannot be the God of one people only.
Many readers hear chapter 4 as Paul's proof that faith establishes the law. The commentators we checked mostly say it picks up the claim of verses 27–30 (boasting, faith, Abraham as the test case) rather than verse 31 itself. Tell the room chapter 4 is coming and let it make its own case.
“Boasting excluded. One God for all.”If righteousness is a gift received by faith, there is nothing left to boast about. And if there is one God, he is the God of Jews and Gentiles alike, and justifies both on the same footing. Faith does not cancel the law; it establishes it.
Verses 27–31, one series at a time. Ask out loud, let the room answer, then take it up. You will not have time for all of them: pick two or three from each series.
Think of the last week. Name one specific time you took credit: for how you handled a hard conversation, for how you served, for the way you pray, for being the kind of man who reads Romans. What did you say, or think, about yourself?
Take it to verse 27. “Where then is the boasting? It is excluded.”. The credit you took was something you were given. The truth is that boasting has no standing, because a gift cannot be boasted about. So here is the one question: what would you say about that moment if it were all grace?
The CallStop keeping score. Give the credit where it belongs.
Ground you take this week.
The line you hold inside.
Pray ItFather, I have been taking credit. Take it back. Let me stop keeping score, and let me boast only in Christ, who gave me what I could not earn. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Lord God, You are one, and You are the God of every people. You have taken our boasting away and given us the righteousness of Christ as a gift. Forgive us for our quiet pride. Establish Your law in our hearts by the faith You have given, and let us boast in You alone. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Romans 3 takes the objections to the gospel and answers them, proves from Scripture that no one is righteous, and then turns the whole letter with two words, “But now.” A righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law, and we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (3:24). Boasting is excluded, there is one God for everyone, and faith establishes the law. The next chapter begins with the question that raises: “What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather, has found according to the flesh?” (4:1).
Read all of Romans 3 in one sitting, marking the relationships the way the arcing sections showed you, and watch for the two words that turn it in verse 21. Then ask honestly: where am I still defending myself, comparing myself, or trying to pay for what has already been paid? Bring that to Christ in prayer before you do anything else today.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), which is in the public domain.
The line the rest of this passage is built around.
“Then what advantage does the Jew have?”
Why it matters: What advantage does the Jew have? Paul asks it out loud. The next seven verses are him working through the objections that question raises.
Two possibilities, set side by side.
“Then what advantage does the Jew have?”
“Or what is the profit of circumcision?”
Why it matters: Circumcision, the sign. He asks it as a second possibility: is the advantage in the person, or in the rite?
A question, and the answer given to it.
“Then what advantage does the Jew have?”
“Much in every way!”
Why it matters: “Much in every way!” He does not water the question down. The reply is a question and its answer, side by side.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“Much in every way!”
“Because first of all, they were entrusted with the revelations of God.”
Why it matters: The revelations of God: his words were entrusted to them. It is a “because” line, the reason the answer is “much.” Paul says “first of all” and never gets to a second.
The “then” holds only if the “if” is true.
“For what if some were without faith?”
“Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?”
Why it matters: The “if” half: if some were without faith. It sets up the question in the next line. The line after it carries the weight.
Each statement goes one step further than the last.
“Then what advantage does the Jew have?”
“Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?”
Why it matters: That man’s unfaithfulness might nullify God’s faithfulness. It is the second objection, and a sharper one than the first: now it is God’s own reliability being questioned.
A question, and the answer given to it.
“Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?”
“May it never be!”
Why it matters: “May it never be!” The strongest no the language has. Not “probably not”: never.
One line set against another.
“May it never be!”
“Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar.”
Why it matters: Let God be found true, but every man a liar. The denial of verse 4a is enforced by the positive: God is true, whatever that makes of us.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar.”
“As it is written, “that you might be justified in your words, and might prevail when you come into judgment.””
Why it matters: To Scripture: “As it is written.” This is David’s confession after his sin, and the line that admits guilt also says God is right when he speaks.
The “then” holds only if the “if” is true.
“But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say?”
“Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath?”
Why it matters: The “if” half of the third objection: if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say? The question that follows is the real objection.
Each statement goes one step further than the last.
“Then what advantage does the Jew have?”
“Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?”
“Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath?”
Why it matters: That God is unrighteous to punish. Another step up from verse 3: not just whether he keeps his word, but whether he is fair. The Greek expects the answer no.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath?”
“I speak like men do.”
Why it matters: “I speak like men do.” He is warning the reader that the objection is a human way of talking, not his own view.
A question, and the answer given to it.
“Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath?”
“May it never be!”
Why it matters: “May it never be!” Same words as verse 4, and the same loud refusal.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“May it never be!”
“For then how will God judge the world?”
Why it matters: If he could not judge, he could not judge the world at all. The reason is built on a fact everyone grants: God will judge the world.
The “then” holds only if the “if” is true.
“For if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory,”
“why am I also still judged as a sinner?”
Why it matters: The “if” half of the fourth objection: if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory. It sets up the question in verse 7b.
Each statement goes one step further than the last.
“Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?”
“Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath?”
“why am I also still judged as a sinner?”
Why it matters: Why am I also still judged as a sinner? It is verse 5 again, turned personal. The Greek manuscripts differ on whether the line begins with “for” or “but”; the sheet draws it as the next objection.
Each statement goes one step further than the last.
“Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath?”
“why am I also still judged as a sinner?”
“Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), “Let’s do evil, that good may come?””
Why it matters: “Let’s do evil, that good may come.” The climax of the chain. Paul says it is what he is slanderously reported as saying, and the sentence breaks off before it is finished.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), “Let’s do evil, that good may come?””
“Those who say so are justly condemned.”
Why it matters: Not an argument but a sentence: those who say so are justly condemned. The only objection in the paragraph he answers with a verdict.
The line the rest of this passage is built around.
“What then? Are we better than they?”
Why it matters: To the other side: are we better than they? It is verse 1 asked again, now about standing before God.
A question, and the answer given to it.
“What then? Are we better than they?”
“No, in no way.”
Why it matters: “No, in no way.” The advantage was real; it was never an exemption.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“No, in no way.”
“For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.”
Why it matters: He has already warned: Jews and Greeks are all under sin. He told us in chapters 1 and 2; now he proves it from Scripture.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.”
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
Why it matters: “There is no one righteous; no, not one.” The proof begins with Scripture, and it begins with the word the whole letter is about. Every line to verse 18 hangs on this “as it is written.”
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
“There is no one who understands.”
Why it matters: Understand. The mind has gone dark. It stands beside the first line, not under it.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
“There is no one who seeks after God.”
Why it matters: Seek after God. The mind does not understand and the will does not seek. Another line of the same list.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
“They have all turned away.”
Why it matters: Away. They have all turned away. A line about the way the whole life points.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
“They have together become unprofitable.”
Why it matters: Unprofitable: useless, spoiled. Like milk gone off. Another line of the same list.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
“There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one.””
Why it matters: No one does good, no, not so much as one. The list that began with “no one righteous” ends with “not one.”
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
““Their throat is an open tomb.”
Why it matters: The throat, an open tomb. Speech that smells of death. The body-part section starts here.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
“With their tongues they have used deceit.””
Why it matters: The tongue, used for deceit. What comes out of the throat gets shaped here.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
““The poison of vipers is under their lips.””
Why it matters: The poison of vipers. Speech that bites.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
““Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.””
Why it matters: Cursing and bitterness. The list of the speech organs closes here.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
““Their feet are swift to shed blood.”
Why it matters: The feet, swift to shed blood. The list moves from what people say to what they do.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
“Destruction and misery are in their ways.”
Why it matters: Destruction and misery are in their ways. The road they walk is marked by what they do.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
“The way of peace, they haven’t known.””
Why it matters: The way of peace. They haven’t known it. The ways of verse 16 are the opposite of this.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.”
““There is no fear of God before their eyes.””
Why it matters: No fear of God before their eyes. The last line explains the whole list: the sins are what grows when the fear of God is gone.
Each statement goes one step further than the last.
“No, in no way.”
“Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law,”
Why it matters: It speaks to those under the law. Paul pulls the quotation back to a principle: the law speaks to those who are under it, which means Israel first.
What the line above it is aiming at.
“Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law,”
“that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.”
Why it matters: That every mouth may be closed and all the world be accountable to God. The verdict of the whole section lands here.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.”
“Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight;”
Why it matters: Because by works of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight. The reason, and the thing the whole chapter turns on at verse 21.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight;”
“for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.”
Why it matters: Through the law comes the knowledge of sin. It diagnoses; it does not cure.
The line the rest of this passage is built around.
“But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed,”
Why it matters: “But now.” A righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law. This is the main clause of the whole paragraph; everything in verses 22–26 hangs on it.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed,”
“being testified by the law and the prophets;”
Why it matters: The law and the prophets testify to it. The righteousness is apart from the law but not against it.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed,”
“even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe.”
Why it matters: Through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Paul says it a second time, in other words, and adds the how and the who.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe.”
“For there is no distinction,”
Why it matters: There is no distinction. The reason is in verse 23.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“For there is no distinction,”
“for all have sinned,”
Why it matters: All have sinned. This is the whole of 1:18–3:20 in four words.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“for all have sinned,”
“and fall short of the glory of God;”
Why it matters: All fall short of the glory of God. One verb in the past (sinned), one in the present (fall short): the sin is over, the shortfall goes on.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe.”
“being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
Why it matters: They are justified freely, by his grace, through the redemption in Christ Jesus. The line picks up “those who believe” in verse 22 after the step aside in 22b–23.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
“whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood,”
Why it matters: Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an atoning sacrifice. The line picks up “Christ Jesus” from verse 24 and says who he is and what he was for. The initiative is God’s.
What the line above it is aiming at.
“whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood,”
“for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance;”
Why it matters: To demonstrate his righteousness: to show that he had been just all along in passing over prior sins. The aim was to vindicate God, not only to save us.
What the line above it is aiming at.
“whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood,”
“to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time,”
Why it matters: The same demonstration, at this present time. It runs beside verse 25b as a second aim: God’s righteousness shown both for the past and now.
What the line above it is aiming at.
“to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time,”
“that he might himself be just and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.”
Why it matters: That he might himself be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. How can a just God justify the guilty? Here is the answer: at the cross.
The line the rest of this passage is built around.
“Where then is the boasting?”
Why it matters: Where then is the boasting? The question takes the gospel of 21–26 and asks what follows from it.
A question, and the answer given to it.
“Where then is the boasting?”
“It is excluded.”
Why it matters: “It is excluded.” A one-word answer, shut and locked.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“It is excluded.”
“By what kind of law?”
Why it matters: A follow-up: by what kind of law? Paul puts a question to his own answer to see how it holds.
Two possibilities, set side by side.
“By what kind of law?”
“Of works?”
Why it matters: A law of works. He names the first possibility and holds it up to be tested.
One line set against another.
“Of works?”
“No, but by a law of faith.”
Why it matters: No, but by a law of faith. Works are refused and faith is the principle that does the excluding.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“No, but by a law of faith.”
“We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”
Why it matters: A man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. The Greek editions read “for” at the start; the WEB prints “therefore.” Either way it is the claim the paragraph rests on.
Two possibilities, set side by side.
“We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”
“Or is God the God of Jews only?”
Why it matters: The God of the Jews only. Paul raises the other possibility to refuse it.
One line set against another.
“Or is God the God of Jews only?”
“Isn’t he the God of Gentiles also?”
Why it matters: Isn’t he the God of Gentiles also? The denial of “Jews only” is asked as a question.
A question, and the answer given to it.
“Isn’t he the God of Gentiles also?”
“Yes, of Gentiles also,”
Why it matters: “Yes, of Gentiles also.” Question and answer in the same verse.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“Yes, of Gentiles also,”
“since indeed there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”
Why it matters: There is one God. And one God means one way: he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Each statement goes one step further than the last.
“Where then is the boasting?”
“Do we then nullify the law through faith?”
Why it matters: Do we then nullify the law through faith? It is the last question of the chapter, and it is the one the whole chapter has been raising since verse 1.
A question, and the answer given to it.
“Do we then nullify the law through faith?”
“May it never be!”
Why it matters: “May it never be!” The same loud no as verses 4 and 6.
One line set against another.
“May it never be!”
“No, we establish the law.”
Why it matters: We establish the law. Faith does not throw out the law; it puts it on its feet. How is the burden of the rest of the letter.
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