Salvation God’s way is by grace through faith in Jesus. This is Paul’s gospel of “good news.” Chapter 3 introduces us to the controversy brewing around Paul’s gospel message. Paul needs to explain to the Jews the history and nature of this completely radical salvation1 that includes the Gentiles and has profound implications for themselves as Jews – “the people of God.”
Paul embarks upon the explanation of the role of faith in salvation. For our purposes we get a glimpse into the nature of faith in verses 1-3.
“So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted with the very words of God. What then? If some were unfaithful, will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Absolutely not!” (CSB)
The questions in 3:3 support an understanding of faith as something that is not predetermined by God or granted only to select individuals. The Old Testament accounts of God’s relationship and interaction with Israel to which Paul is alluding to here certainly bears this out. The relation between God and man is dynamic, not static. There are many accounts in which God communicates to his people what he wills for them, yet they continually disobey and stray from him. They are unfaithful. But there are times when they return to him, and he takes pleasure in those who do so. God takes pleasure in those who demonstrate trust and faith him. He condemns unbelief but seeks a response of faith in him. My point is that the theological model in which this dynamic is rationally coherent is one of libertarian freedom not theistic determinism. The point of these verses is precisely that men can be faithful or faithless, yet God remains faithful. Again, libertarian freedom is confirmed and gives proper context and insight into defining God’s sovereignty as his ability to rule and reign despite man’s vacillating responses to him.
Now, the thrust of Paul’s argument is that “Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.” (3:9) The Jew is no “better” (3:9) than the Gentile in this most basic respect of the sinful nature. Sin is inherent in all of humanity. The catena of seven Old Testament citations in 3:10 ff. do not teach a “total depravity” of mankind which eliminates the possibility of faith in God and Christ. If that were the case, then the unqualified call of the gospel (e.g., “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” Acts 16:25-34, CSB) that goes out to all to believe would be disingenuous if it applied only to some and not others. God would be duplicitous.
What Paul is saying is that the Old Testament itself testifies to the elimination of distinctions between those who believe themselves righteous on the basis of the privilege of having and keeping the Old Testament law (i.e., the Jew) and those who did not have the privilege of being given the law (i.e., the Gentiles). Those who were counting on having Abraham’s God as their God and Abraham as their father were leaning on the Old Testament law as the expression of God’s graciousness to them and the means by which the relationship with God was maintained. In addition, that relationship was considered by the Jew to be exclusive. God was the God of the Jews only. But God had more universal intentions in choosing the nation of Israel as his people.
Israel needed to realize that the same Old Testament law they thought brought them righteousness actually showed them their sin. Paul employs the law to reveal sin in all people. The law is not a vehicle by which one may be declared righteous, not because the law is faulty, but because man is sinful. Indeed, “through the law we become conscious of our sin.” (3:20, NIV) Note that Paul has leveled all of mankind to the point of helplessness with respect to righteousness and the attaining of salvation. Every mouth, both Jew and Gentile, has now been silenced “and the whole world held accountable to God.” (3:19, NIV. cf. Rom. 11:32) The scope of sin as affecting both Jew and Gentile in the same manner and with the same implications for their righteous standing and relationship to God is important to keep in mind as Paul expounds on salvation in Christ and the scope of the means of appropriating that salvation, that is, faith. The principle is simply this: as is the scope of sin, so is the scope of salvation. We have here a Pauline principle that speaks against a new salvific exclusivity of a limited number of unconditionally elected persons predestined by God to be saved. Israel needed to realize that their Old Testament affirmed God’s universal purpose in salvation (3:21-22). As Abraham was made righteous through faith (Gen. 15:6; Rom. ch. 4), so God’s original intention was to also save both the Jews and Gentiles through faith in Jesus Christ. As all are under sin (3:9,23), all are saved by faith (3:24). The walls have been broken down between Jew and Gentile (Eph. 2:14) and the Jewish conception of a righteousness of the law dismantled.
How will Paul reconstruct the new salvific hope for both Jew and Gentile? Will it be along the lines of an unknown eternal decree predestining some to eternal life and all others to eternal death? Let’s examine 3:21ff. more closely.
1 This is not a new salvation, for it was in continuity with God’s plan of salvation by faith in Christ from the beginning of Israel’s history. Yet Israel has rejected their Messiah and the Savior of the world. How can this be? Has God’s word failed? Hence, the need for the discussion in Romans 9-11. Paul can also entertain the thought of this salvation as premundane and go back beyond history into God’s eternal plans and purposes “in Christ.” This is what he does in Eph. 1. Note therefore that Paul’s concept of “election” is variously nuanced and this is important for a proper interpretation of the doctrine.
The Truth of the Gospel 