Lessons # 103 and 104
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Revealed Righteousness – assertion, facts, and reasons (Rom 3:21-24)
21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
In the introduction of this epistle to the Romans, we indicated that the second thing Apostle Paul discoursed as it relates to his theme of the righteousness of God that is revealed through the gospel message concerns how a person could appropriate God’s righteousness. Human’s sinfulness means the inability to meet God’s standard. We are saying that because of our sinfulness or our sinful nature, it is impossible to meet God’s righteous demands or to measure up to His righteousness. This implies that humans are in helpless situation but God who is gracious and rich in mercy, through the apostle, tells us not to lose hope because God’s righteousness could be obtained. Therefore, the next thing the apostle wrote in this epistle concerns how to appropriate God’s righteousness by faith as he discoursed in Romans 3:21-4:25. The apostle made the point that righteousness through faith has been revealed as he discoursed in Romans 3:21-31. This, he followed by a discourse on Abraham as an example of faith righteousness or someone who obtained God’s righteousness by faith and so he is considered the father of all those who attain righteousness by faith as the apostle developed in Romans 4:1-25.
The focus of our study beginning this morning is with righteousness through faith that is revealed as the apostle discoursed in Romans 3:21-31. This section may be studied by recognizing that there are three major declarations of the apostle. First, in verses 21 to 24, the apostle declared the fact of revealed righteousness with other facts and reasons for the revealed righteousness. Second, the apostle declared that God set forth Christ as our expiation/propitiation in verses 25 and 26. Third, in Romans 3:27-31, he communicated that revealed righteousness or justification by faith excludes any form of boasting as he makes his conclusion based on the facts he marshalled out in the section. To help understand this section that deals with revealed righteousness, it is necessary for us to focus on each of the three major declarations of the apostle so that we may harness the messages contained in the various declarations of the apostle in the passage of Romans 3:21-31. We begin with the first that is the focus of our study this morning.
We indicated that the apostle in verses 21 to 24 declared the fact of revealed righteousness along with other facts and reasons for revealed righteousness. The facts and reasons for revealed righteousness the apostle discoursed lead us to state a message we believe the Holy Spirit intends us to hear from these four verses. The message is that God’s revealed righteousness that is independent of the law and obtained through faith in Christ, is necessary because all humans do not meet God’s approval. You will see how we derived this message as we expound the passage before us.
One of the easiest things to do is to identify a problem that a person perceives about a given situation but most often those who identify a perceived problem do not suggest any solution to the problem. It is like the other thing people like to do which is criticism without any suggestion of how to correct the perceived fault or wrong identified. Both situations are not helpful without any suggested solution. The correct thing to do is what we studied in the past in which we indicated that the best position to be in with respect to a perceived problem is to identify a problem followed by a suggested solution. This principle we derived from our study of the book of Genesis where Joseph not only identified the problem of famine that was coming to Egypt as per Pharaoh’s dreams, but he also suggested the solution to minimize the effect of the famine. For this reason, we developed the principle that it is more beneficial if a person identifies a problem and also provides a suggested solution. This principle in a sense is played out in the passage we are studying. We say this because in the preceding section, especially in Romans 3:20, the apostle stated a problem that concerns the impossibility of being declared righteous by carrying out the requirements of the law since no one could carry them out perfectly. In effect, the apostle identified the major problem of humanity with God which is universal sinfulness. If he stopped with that, we are left helpless and hopeless, implying, of course, that the apostle did not carry out the principle we stated about specifying solution to a suggested problem. The Holy Spirit guided the apostle so he provided the solution to the problem by indicating that there is a way humans could be declared righteous with God that does not require carrying out the requirements of the law. It is this solution that the apostle introduced in the first phrase of Romans 3:21 but now.
The phrase but now is translated from two Greek particles. Following the Greek order, the first word is “now” that is translated from a Greek particle (nyni) that may mean “now” as an adverb of time with focus on the moment. This is the way the apostle used it as he defended himself against Jewish accusations before Governor Felix as he referenced the charges the Jews brought against him at the time he spoke to the governor as we read in Acts 24:13:
And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.
The word may also mean “as it is.” The second particle the apostle used in Romans 3:21 is a Greek word (de) that may be used to connect one clause to another, either to express contrast or simple continuation but in certain occurrences the marker may be left untranslated. Although it is often translated “but” in the English when there is a perceived contrast between two clauses, but it has other meanings such as “now,” “then,” “and,” “so”, when it is used to link segments of a narrative. It can also be used to indicate transition to something new. The use of the meaning “but” appears more times in the Greek NT to express contrast than any of its other usages. For example, it is a word used when Jesus contrasts what should be the right way to pray to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees as He stated in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:6:
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Anyway, when the two Greek words we have considered begin a clause, the combined words in the Greek that may be translated literally but now could be interpreted in one of two ways. The resultant phrase could be understood to mean “as the situation is” in which case it could be translated “but now” or “as it is” as the word is used by the apostle to recognize the situation he was in, in which he does what he did not want to do, implying that sin present as a force in him was working in him as we read in Romans 7:17:
As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
Another interpretation of the combined Greek particles as a phrase is that the Greek phrase introduces the real situation after an unreal conditional clause or sentence that precedes the usage of the phrase and so the phrase may be used to introduce the real situation after an unreal conditional clause or sentence with the translation “but, as a matter of fact” or any other phrase that conveys in an emphatic manner that something that follows is real in contrast to the unreality of what preceded it. This second interpretation is reflected when Apostle Paul stated what is the reality regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:20:
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
In this passage, the combination of the Greek words we are considering is rendered “but…indeed” to convey that what is stated is real after the apostle had used two unreal conditions in his argument regarding the reality of resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:17–19:
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
In this passage, there are two unreal conditions the apostle stated. The first supposes that Christ was not resurrected as in the clause And if Christ has not been raised. This states what is not true but for the sake of the apostle’s argument he states what is unreal. The second supposes that believers have hope only in this life as in the clause of verse 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ. The Scripture reveals that we have hope beyond this life, so what the apostle states is something that is unreal. Having stated these two unreal situations, the apostle proceeded to state what is real in verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 15 where the Greek phrase that begins our passage of study of Romans 3:21 is used. The combined particles or Greek phrase is translated in the NIV as “but…indeed” in 1 Corinthians 15:20 or “but in fact” in the ESV and the NRSV. The same use of the combined Greek phrase used in Romans 3:21 that literally translates “but now” is used to describe the reality of the one sacrifice of Christ that settled forever the matter of sin, so to speak, as the Greek phrase is used by the human author of Hebrews as we read in Hebrews 9:26:
Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Although the Greek phrase we are considering is translated here as But now, nonetheless, it is used to state what is real in that Christ appeared on this planet to die for our sins as in the sentence he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. This sentence is preceded by two unreal situations stated in Hebrews 9:24–25:
24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.
The human author of Hebrews stated two things that did not happen in these two verses. In verse 24, he indicated that Christ did not enter man-made sanctuary. In verse 25, he indicated that Christ did not enter heaven to offer Himself in a repeated sacrifice. After these two things that did not happen, the human author of Hebrews stated in verse 26 what indeed happened. Thus, it was fitting that the combined Greek words or the Greek phrase that literally translates “but now” is used to begin the second sentence of Hebrews 9:26. In our passage of Romans 3:21, the apostle used it to contrast a present situation to a past situation that it could be translated “but now” or “as the situation is.” In other words, the apostle contrasts the fact that God’s righteousness could not be attained in the past through the law to the fact that it can now be obtained through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The implication of this contrast is that the apostle stated the solution to the problem that he identified in Romans 3:20.
The solution to the problem of not obtaining God’s righteousness or not being declared righteous through the law is now available. This solution is introduced in the sentence of Romans 3:21 a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known. There are several facts the apostle conveyed about this righteousness.
The first fact the apostle conveyed is that the righteousness he was concerned with beginning in Romans 3:21 is focused on God and not on humans as in the phrase a righteousness from God. Literally, the Greek reads righteousness of God as reflected in majority of our English versions. The Greek syntax the apostle used suggests that the phrase is subject to at least three possible interpretations. It could be read as “righteousness produced by God” or “righteousness that God is the source, that is, from God” or “righteousness that God possesses, that is, that characterizes Him.” It is probably that the first two interpretations are intended by the apostle. In effect, the apostle is concerned about the righteousness that God is its source as well as produces.
The word “righteousness” is translated from a Greek noun (dikaiosynē) that may mean “righteousness” in the sense of doing what God requires or doing what is right, as the word is used to describe those who are persecuted, to whom belongs God’s kingdom in Matthew 5:10:
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
It is also in the sense of doing what God requires that our Greek word is used to attribute righteousness to Abraham when he believed Yahweh’s promise, as stated in Romans 4:3:
What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Righteousness here is a blessing conferred to Abraham in the sense that God considered him as doing what He wanted since he believed in Him. What God requires should not, of course, be thought only in terms of moral actions, but what is in accordance with His plan. This point is important since there is no morality involved in the use of our Greek word when it is used in the mouth of the Lord Jesus during His water baptism, but it is simply used in the sense of conforming to God’s plan, what He has decided, what is pleasing to Him in the Lord Jesus’ reply to John who was hesitant to baptize Him, as we read in Matthew 3:15:
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
Our Greek word may refer to the practices required by religion such as charitable giving so that it has the meaning of “religious observances,” as in Matthew 6:1:
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
The phrase acts of righteousness may be translated “religious observances.” Our Greek word may refer to the quality, state, or practice of judicial responsibility with focus on fairness hence means “justice, equitableness, fairness.” Thus, it is used to describe the manner of God’s future judgment in Acts 17:31:
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
It is in this sense of fairness or justice that our Greek word is used regarding the right practicing of judicial responsibility of believing rulers as it is used in Hebrews 11:33:
who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
The word may refer to quality or state of juridical correctness with focus on redemptive action and so means “righteousness.” It is used to describe the executive privilege that belongs to God in conferring a benefit. For example, the offering of Jesus Christ on the cross is described as a demonstration of righteousness on the part of God in Romans 3:25:
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
The 1984 edition of the NIV translated our Greek word with “justice” in this passage, but the 2011 edition used the meaning “righteousness” that is found in majority of our English versions. Each of these meanings could be justified in this passage, but it is probably the meaning of “righteousness” that is intended since the passage is concerned with how God puts persons right with Himself. Our Greek word may mean “being put in right relationship with God”, as that is the sense of the word in Romans 5:17:
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
The phrase the gift of righteousness may be understood either as the gift that comes from God because He is righteous or the gift of being put into a right relation with God. Though it is difficult to separate these two interpretations, but it is probably the second interpretation that is intended so that our Greek word is given the meaning of “being put into right relation with God.” Our Greek word in some contexts may approach the meaning of “salvation.” This we can see from its use in the Septuagint of Isaiah 51:5:
My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.
Here Yahweh’s righteousness is near, so is salvation; hence, there is a parallel between the two that we can say that “righteousness” in certain context refers to “salvation.” In our passage of Romans 3:21, the word means “righteousness, that is, “a status of legal rectitude that satisfies the moral requirements of God’s character.” In effect, we may state that the righteousness of God in our verse is “the status of right relationship with Himself that God grants” that ensures salvation. Anyhow, the first fact the apostle conveyed is that the righteousness he was concerned with beginning in Romans 3:21 is focused on God and not on humans as in the phrase a righteousness from God.
The apostle, of course, is eager to qualify this righteousness he had in mind, so the second fact he communicated is that it is independent of the law, that is, that it does not involve carrying out the requirements of the law, as in the phrase of Romans 3:21 apart from law. The expression “apart from” is translated from a Greek word (chōris) that is related to a Greek verb (chōrizō) that means to separate by departing from someone and so means “to separate, leave.” The verb form assumes there is a previous relationship between those involved in the separation. For example, when the apostle used the verb to caution against separation of husbands and wives, there is the assumption of an existing relationship, as implied in 1 Corinthians 7:10:
To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
The Greek preposition may mean “separated from someone, far from someone, without someone” as it is used to remind the Ephesians that they had no connection with Christ or the covenant God made with Israel prior to their salvation as stated in Ephesians 2:12:
remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
In our passage of Romans 3:21, it has the sense of “independently or apart from.” The righteousness God is the source or produces is independent of law in that it does not in any way depend on doing the requirements of the law.
The word “law” is translated from a Greek noun (nomos) that is used in three ways in the Scripture. It is used for a procedure or practice that has taken hold and so means “a custom, rule, principle, norm, law.” It is in the sense of “principle” that Apostle Paul used it in Romans 7:21:
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
The context of Romans 7:21 indicates that the word “law” refers to “principle” as reflected in the translation of many English versions, such as the NASB and the NAB. The translators of the CEB and the NJB used the word “rule” in place of “law” in their rendering of this passage in Romans 7:21. Another usage of the Greek word translated “law” is for describing the first five book of Moses (i.e., Genesis to Deuteronomy) often known as the Torah, as in John 1:45:
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Still another usage of the Greek word translated “law” is as a reference to the entire OT Scriptures. It is in this sense that the word is used in John 12:34:
The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
Law here could not refer to the Torah since nowhere in it that we have what the Jews asserted. However, there are at least two passages that the crowd could have referred from which they heard about Christ ruling forever. The first passage is Isaiah 9:7:
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
The second passage is Daniel 7:14:
He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
So, the law is used by the Jews to refer to the OT Scripture. The question is: Of these three usages, which applies to our context? It is the second meaning that refers to Torah and so refers to Jewish law as contained in the first five books of the OT given by Moses is used here in Romans 3:21. Anyhow, the second fact the apostle communicated about the righteousness of God is that it is independent of the law, that is, that it does not involve carrying out the requirements of the law.
The third fact the apostle communicated about this righteousness of God, that is his focus, is that it has been revealed. In effect, this righteousness that God is the source or its producer, the apostle indicates has been revealed. It is this fact the apostle communicated in the verbal phrase of Romans 3:21 has been made known. The expression “made known” is translated from a Greek verb (phaneroō) that may mean “to cause to become visible,” hence may mean “to appear” as it is used in describing the post resurrection appearance of the Lord Jesus in John 21:14:
This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
The word may mean “to reveal” as it is used by Apostle Paul in describing the grace of God that has been revealed in Christ in 2 Timothy 1:10:
but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
The word may mean “to cause to become known” and so may mean “to show” or “make known” as the word is used by Apostle Paul in describing the Corinthians as evidence of his apostolic ministry as stated in 2 Corinthians 3:3:
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
In our passage of Romans 3:21, the word has the sense of “to be manifest,” that is, “to become clearly revealed to the mind, the senses, or judgment.” The apostle used a perfect tense in the Greek indicating that he stated something that happened at a specific point in human history, but its result is continuing to the present.
There are two questions we need to ask about the verbal phrase of Romans 3:21 has been made known. The first question is who revealed this righteousness? The first question is necessary because the apostle used a passive voice in the Greek of the verb translated in the NIV has been made known. The second is how is it revealed? There are no direct answers provided in our passage, but the contents of this epistle to the Romans and the Scripture at large enable us to answer them. The most obvious answer to the first question of who revealed the righteousness is God. This is because revelation of any kind to humans is the work of God. When Apostle Peter correctly answered the Lord Jesus’ question regarding His identity, He indicated that the answer was given to him by God the Father as stated in Matthew 16:17:
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
Apostle Paul through the Holy Spirit communicated that God’s plan and provisions that remained hidden were revealed by the Holy Spirit as implied in 1 Corinthians 2:9–10:
9 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Apostle Paul as he espoused the doctrine of the mystery of Christ that includes the church and creating of the one new person from Jews and Gentiles conveyed that such secret truths were revealed by the Holy Spirit as we read in Ephesians 3:5:
which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
These passages we cited prove that whenever there is revelation of truth, it is by God. So, we come to the answer to the second question.
The second question we raised concerns in what way this righteousness that God is the producer and the source revealed. As we have already stated, there is no direct answer in our passage but the contents of this epistle to the Romans and the Scripture at large enable us to answer this question. Nonetheless, it is through the coming of Jesus Christ into the world that this righteousness is revealed. This answer makes sense considering what the apostle had already written that the righteousness from God is revealed in the gospel as he penned in Romans 1:17:
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
The apostle had also indicated that the gospel is about the Son of God in Romans 1:2–3:
2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David.
Thus, if the gospel is about the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and in it the righteousness of God is revealed, we are correct to assert that it is through the coming of Jesus Christ into this world that the righteousness that God is the source and the producer is revealed. Bearing in mind that this righteousness is concerned with being accepted by God, consequently, it is concerned with our salvation. This being the case, this righteousness is to be understood as revealed in Jesus Christ so that the apostle could describe Him as our righteousness as he wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:30:
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Furthermore, if, as we have stated, this righteousness is related to our salvation, we should not have any problem accepting that it is through Jesus Christ that it is revealed. This is because everything associated with our salvation is revealed through Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit asserted through the pen of Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 1:9–10:
9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Anyway, it is our answer that the phrase of Romans 3:21 righteousness from God should be understood as revealed through the coming of Jesus Christ into this world. In any event, the third fact the apostle communicated about this righteousness, that is his focus, is that it has been revealed.
The fourth fact the apostle communicated about this righteousness, that is his focus, is that it has been testified in the past in the OT Scripture. It is the fact that is described in the last clause of Romans 3:21 to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This translation of the NIV hides a significant fact communicated in the Greek as we will show later. However, to begin with, literally, the Greek reads being witnessed by the law and the prophets.
The phrase to which of the NIV is translated from a Greek preposition (hypo) with several meanings or usages. For example, it can be used as marker of cause or reason and so means “because of.” It may also be used as a marker of the control of something and so means “under.” In our passage of Romans 3:21, it is used as a marker of agency, hence means “by” as reflected in the literal translation and in majority of our English versions. In effect, instead of the phrase to which the Law and the Prophets testify of the NIV, the Greek reads being witnessed by the law and the prophets.
The word “law” is translated from the Greek noun (nomos) that we have already considered and indicated that in the verse we are considering, it refers to Torah, that is, the first five books of the OT written by Moses. It is associated with the word “prophets” that is translated from a Greek noun (prophētēs) that refers to a person inspired to proclaim or reveal divine will or purpose. In other words, a proclaimer or expounder of divine matters or concerns that could not ordinarily be known except by special revelation. Such a person rebukes people or predicts events. In Romans 3:21, the word has the sense of “the writings of prophets.” Consequently, when the apostle wrote the phrase of Romans 3:21 the Law and the Prophets he was referring to the entire OT Scripture as will become evident in the discussion that follows.
All the same, we asserted that the clause of Romans 3:21 to which the Law and the Prophets testify as translated in the NIV hides a significant fact communicated in the Greek. This is because of the impression that may be created by the word testify of the NIV. It may create the impression that the apostle was concerned primarily with what is going on at the present when what he wanted to communicate is much more than this. To begin with the word “testify” is translated from a Greek verb (martyreō) that may mean to confirm or attest something on the basis of personal knowledge or belief hence may mean “to bear witness, to testify” as Apostle Paul used it to affirm the generosity of the Macedonian churches as we read in 2 Corinthians 8:3:
For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,
The word may mean to affirm in a supportive manner and so it is translated with the meaning “to confirm” as it is used to describe the Lord’s approval of the message of Apostles Paul and Barnabas through miracles according to Acts 14:3:
So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.
Some of our English versions used the word “testified” to translate our Greek word here in Acts although the NJB used the word “attested” in this verse. The word may mean “to declare” as it is used to describe the priesthood of Jesus Christ in Hebrews 7:17:
For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
The word may mean “to speak well” of someone as the word is used by Apostle John to describe Demetrius in 3 John 12:
Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.
In our passage of Romans 3:21, the word has the sense of “to be testified.”
The problem is that the apostle used a present participle in the Greek that literally reads being testified. His use of the participle raises the question of how to relate the action of testifying to the action of revealing of God’s righteousness. There are three possibilities. A first interpretation is that the apostle made a simple timeless statement about the testimony of the Scripture regarding God’s revealed righteousness. In effect, the apostle was not concerned with whether the testifying occurred in the past or was continuing with the revelation of the righteousness of God. This seems to be the interpretation reflected in the NIV. A second interpretation is that the action of testifying by the Scripture occurred in the past prior to the revealing of the righteousness of God. This interpretation is reflected in such English versions as NCV, the NLT, and the HCSB. A third interpretation is that the revealing of the righteousness of God is a truth that occurred in spite of the testimony of the Scripture. This interpretation of the Greek participle used in our passage of study is often translated with the word “though” in the English. Thus, the third interpretation is reflected in the English versions that used the word “although” or “even though” in their translation. It is this interpretation that is reflected in the ESV, the TEV and the NABRE. All three interpretations make sense in the context. It is probably that the apostle was concerned to state the reality that the revelation of the righteousness of God was already stated in the OT Scripture so that all three interpretations would make sense.
In any case, there is no doubt that the OT Scripture testified regarding the righteousness of God that has been revealed. It is easier to see how this is the case, especially if we remember that we stated that the way this righteousness of God is revealed is by the coming of Jesus Christ into this world. Moses spoke of the coming of Jesus Christ in terms of a prophet like him that God would send as stated in Deuteronomy 18:15–19:
15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” 17 The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. 19 If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.
Apostle Peter, as he preached the gospel to the Jews, referenced this passage concerning Jesus Christ as we read in Acts 3:22:
For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.
Prophet Isaiah wrote of the righteousness of God that is revealed when the prophet indicated that the Messiah would bring the justification of many as recorded in Isaiah 53:11:
After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
The Lord Jesus, during His earthly ministry, stated several times that the OT Scripture spoke about Him as, for example, what He said to the disciples after His resurrection recorded in Luke 24:44:
He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
In this passage, the Lord Jesus referred to the three parts of the OT Scripture: the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. Psalm is one of the books described as the Writings in the three divisions of the OT Scripture. That aside, while the Lord Jesus rebuked the Jews for unbelief, he informed them that the OT Scripture they studied spoke about Him as stated in John 5:39:
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.
The point is that since the OT Scripture spoke of the coming of Christ that it spoke about the righteousness of God that has been revealed. The fact the apostle referred to the OT Scripture telling beforehand the appearance of Jesus Christ on this planet should give you confidence on the validity of the Christian faith. There is more to the section we are considering but we are out of time, so let me close by reminding you of the message of this section, which is that God’s revealed righteousness that is independent of the law and obtained through faith in Christ, is necessary because all humans do not meet God’s approval.
04/03/26