{"id":41388,"date":"2018-04-30T07:00:13","date_gmt":"2018-04-30T14:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.olivetree.com\/?p=41388"},"modified":"2023-02-16T09:18:31","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T17:18:31","slug":"a-romans-rivalry-law-vs-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/a-romans-rivalry-law-vs-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"A Romans Rivalry: The Law vs Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Law vs Faith \u2014 one of the main conflicts Paul seeks to resolve in his letter to the Romans. Dig deeper into Romans 3:27-31 with <strong>Marvin C. Pate <\/strong>and this remarkable excerpt from his contribution to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/store\/product.php?productid=77414\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Teach the Text Commentary Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. <strong>\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A27-31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Romans 3:27-31<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>BIG IDEA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>These verses contain three contrasts between boasting in the law of Moses and justification by faith in Christ alone: boasting in individual legalism versus justification by faith and acceptance before God; boasting in national exclusivism versus justification by faith and monotheism; boasting in the old covenant versus justification by faith and the new covenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>KEY THEMES<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Paul has in mind three nuances with regard to nomos: \u201cprinciple,\u201d \u201claw of Moses,\u201d and \u201ccovenant.\u201d<\/li><li>Paul attacks both individual boasting before God based on obedience to the Torah (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9328&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27\u201328<\/a>) and national exclusivism based on circumcision, Sabbath keeping, and dietary laws (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A29%E2%80%9331&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:29\u201331<\/a>). The basis of Israel\u2019s national boasting that Paul criticizes is not just the three covenant markers but the entire Torah<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>THE TEXT IN CONTEXT<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A27-31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romans 3:27\u201331<\/a> is a transitional passage. It points backward to Paul\u2019s argumentation in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+1%3A18%E2%80%933%3A26&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1:18\u20133:26<\/a>, reiterating that justification before God is conditioned on faith in Christ and not on the works of the law. And it looks forward to Paul\u2019s argumentation in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+4%3A1%E2%80%9323&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4:1\u201323<\/a> that Abraham, the founding father of the Jews, was accepted by God on the basis of faith some four hundred years before the advent of the law of Moses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The theme of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A27-31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romans 3:27\u201331<\/a> is that boasting in the law is antithetical to justification by faith. Three contrasts drive that message home:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1.<\/strong> Boasting in individual legalism versus justification by faith and acceptance before God (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9328&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27\u201328<\/a>)<br><em>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<strong>a.<\/strong> Law (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A27a&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27a<\/a>)<\/em><br><em>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<strong>b.<\/strong> Faith (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A27b&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27b<\/a>)<\/em><br><em>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<strong>b\u02b9.<\/strong> Faith (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A28a&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:28a<\/a>)<\/em><br><em>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<strong>a\u02b9.<\/strong> Law (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A28b&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:28b<\/a>)<\/em><br><strong>2.<\/strong> Boasting in (Jewish) national exclusivism versus justification by faith and monotheism (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A29%E2%80%9330&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:29\u201330<\/a>)<br><strong>3.<\/strong> Boasting in the old covenant versus justification by faith and the new covenant (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:31<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1.<\/strong> As Simon Gathercole has perceptively demonstrated with regard to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A27-31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romans 3:27\u201331<\/a>, against the New Perspective on Paul, the literature of Second Temple Judaism is filled with individual boasting before God based on observing the whole Torah\u2014boasting, no less, in anticipation of judgment day (e.g., 2 Maccabees, <em>Testament of Job, Sibylline Oracles, Psalms of Solomon, 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch,<\/em> Dead Sea Scrolls). In other words, boasting in the Judaism of Paul\u2019s day went well beyond Jewish national pride in the three covenant markers (circumcision, Sabbath, diet). And it is individual boasting in the entirety of the Torah that Paul condemns in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9328&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romans 3:27\u201328<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A29%E2%80%9330&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romans 3:29\u201330<\/a> draws on the fundamental tenet of Judaism: God is one\u2014monotheism. Thus, Jews recited the Shema (Hebrew for \u201chear,\u201d the first word of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Deut.+6%3A4&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Deut. 6:4<\/a>) every day: \u201cHear, O Israel: The LORD [Yahweh] our God, the LORD is one . . .\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Deut.+6%3A4%E2%80%935&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Deut. 6:4\u20135<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3.<\/strong> Two covenants are at work in Romans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9331&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27\u201331<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+4%3A1%E2%80%9323&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4:1\u201323<\/a>: the Abrahamic covenant and the Mosaic covenant. For Paul, these two are in tension, and the former anticipates the gospel, the new covenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>INTERPRETIVE INSIGHTS<\/strong>: The Law vs Faith<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3:27\u201328 <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law [nomos]? The law that requires works? No, because of the law [nomos] that requires faith . . . a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law [nomos]. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>These verses point out that boasting in individual legalism is antithetical to justification by faith. This is seen in the chiasm (the law vs faith; faith vs the law) that these verses form:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em><strong>A<\/strong> Law (of Moses) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">v. 27a<\/a>)<\/em><br><em><strong>B<\/strong> Faith (in Jesus Christ) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27&amp;version=NIV\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">v. 27b<\/a>)<\/em><br><em><strong>B\u02b9<\/strong> Faith (in Jesus Christ) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A28&amp;version=NIV\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A28&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">v. 28a<\/a>)<\/em><br><em><strong>A\u02b9<\/strong> Law (of Moses) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A28&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">v. 28b<\/a>)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two standard opinions on the meaning of <em>nomos<\/em> (\u201claw\u201d or \u201cprinciple\u201d) in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9331&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27\u201331<\/a> (v. 27 [2x], v. 28, v. 31 [2x]). Some think that \u201claw\u201d in verses 27, 28, 31 refers to the law of Moses. Others think that two different nuances of law are intended: \u201claw of Moses\u201d (v. 27 [the first instance], v. 28, v. 31 [both times]) and \u201cprinciple\u201d (v. 27 [the second occurrence]). I suggest instead that <em>nomos<\/em>, both times in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9331&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27<\/a>, means \u201cprinciple,\u201d but two different principles: the principle of obeying the works of the Torah (v. 27a) versus the principle of justification by faith (v. 27b). Many commentators who take <em>nomos<\/em> here either as the law of Moses (v. 27a) and the principle of faith (v. 27b) or as the law of Moses in both cases miss the antithetical parallelism and the double meaning of <em>nomos<\/em> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9331&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em><strong>Verse 27a:<\/strong> principle (nomos) of works (of the Torah) (cf. v. 28b)<\/em><br><em>versus<\/em><br><em><strong>Verse 27b:<\/strong> principle (nomos) of faith (cf. v. 28a)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>On this reading, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9328&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27\u201328<\/a> Paul is summarizing his argument in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+1%3A18%E2%80%933%3A26&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1:18\u20133:26<\/a>: no individual can boast before God regarding obedience to the law of Moses because no one can ever follow the law perfectly enough to be accepted by God on judgment day. More than that, the law stirs up disobedience, not obedience, to God in the first place. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9328&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Verses 27\u201328<\/a> add one more vital detail to Paul\u2019s argument: the law itself stirs up individual pride before God and others. Rather, it is only by faith in Christ that anyone will be justified before God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3:29-30<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Here Paul turns his attention to criticizing Jewish national exclusivism. Jews fancied themselves to be better than Gentiles because they worshiped the one true God and possessed his law. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A29-30&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:29\u201330<\/a> Paul turns this argument on its head: monotheism means that the one true God is uniting all humankind (Jew [circumcised] and Gentile [uncircumcised]) on the basis of justification by faith in Christ (see Paul\u2019s extensive argument in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Rom.+4%3A1%E2%80%9325&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rom. 4:1\u201325<\/a>). In other words, for Paul, justification by faith is rooted in monotheism. In this scenario there is no longer any room for the law of Moses. It divided humankind, but justification by faith unites humankind. This is because all can have faith in Jesus, whereas only one nation (Israel) can lay claim to the law of Moses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3:31<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>Do we, then, nullify the law [nomos] by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law [nomos]. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This verse has generated three major interpretations, to which I will add a fourth. First, the more traditional perspective on Paul sees a problem with his statement here about faith establishing the law of Moses. Up until now in Romans the apostle has said next to nothing positive regarding the Torah, but now suddenly he seems to assert that faith establishes the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How so?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This view answers that Paul is talking not about the law of Moses per se but rather about the intent or commands of the Torah. In light of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Rom.+2%3A25%E2%80%9329&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romans 2:25\u201329<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Rom.+8%3A4&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">8:4<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Rom.+13%3A8%E2%80%9310&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">13:8\u201310<\/a> (which seem to say something similar: faith in Christ and the indwelling of the Spirit empower the Christian to do even better than the Torah, namely, to fulfill the divine intent behind the Torah in the first place without getting bogged down in its 613 specific laws), this may well be the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A second traditional view&#8230;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>is that Paul is not making a positive comment about the law in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Rom.+3%3A31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:31<\/a> but rather is saying that the purpose of the Torah is strictly negative: to bring all humanity up short of the righteousness of God and thereby drive all people to the gospel (cf. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Rom.+3%3A19%E2%80%9326&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rom. 3:19\u201326<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Gal.+3%3A1%E2%80%934%3A7&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gal. 3:1\u20134:7<\/a>). This, too, is quite possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Third, the New Perspective argues&#8230;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>that <em>nomos<\/em> is the law of Moses throughout <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9331&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27\u201331<\/a>, and Paul is criticizing not the law but rather the improper usage of it whereby Jewish covenant markers are used to marginalize Gentiles in their relationship with God. This view seems to me off base in that it does not recognize that Paul is using <em>nomos<\/em> in more than one way in these verses, and that in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9331&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27\u201328<\/a> he is attacking individual boasting before God, not just national exclusivism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A fourth view of 3:31&#8230;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>is reflected in my suggested translation: \u201cDo we then nullify the old covenant [<em>nomos<\/em>] by faith? May it never be! [Implied: faith did not need to nullify the old covenant because the law of Moses itself already did that by stirring up humans to sin against God.] Rather, we establish the new covenant [<em>nomos<\/em>] by faith.\u201d Here, <em>nomos<\/em> means \u201ccovenant,\u201d and, as in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9331&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27<\/a>, Paul is using <em>nomos<\/em> in antithetical parallelism and with a double meaning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em><strong>Verse 31a:<\/strong> we do not nullify the old covenant (nomos) by faith<\/em><br><em>(implied: the law of Moses itself did that by stirring up sin)<\/em><br><em><strong>Verse 31b:<\/strong> rather, we establish the new covenant (nomos) by faith<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Several factors lead me to this translation.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>ONE<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The law was the stipulation of the covenant for Israel; the two ideas went hand in hand. Indeed, the New Perspective assumes that Paul is talking about the \u201ccovenant\u201d markers in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A29%E2%80%9330&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:29\u201330<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mce_10\"><strong>TWO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>My suspicion that Paul is continuing to think about the covenant in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:31<\/a> seems confirmed by his choice of the word \u201cestablish\u201d (hist\u0113mi), which is used in the LXX for establishing the covenant (Deut. 28:69 [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Deut.+29%3A1&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">29:1 ET<\/a>]; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=1+Sam.+15%3A13&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1 Sam. 15:13<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=2+Chron.+35%3A19a&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2 Chron. 35:19a<\/a>), including the new covenant (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jer.+42%3A14-16&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jer. 42:14, 16<\/a> [35:14, 16 ET]). In other words, for Paul to say in 3:31 that faith establishes the covenant would have reminded his Jewish readers of the Old Testament phrase \u201cthe law establishes the covenant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mce_10\"><strong>THREE<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Here the antithetical parallelism surfaces in 3:31: the other word that Paul uses of <em>nomos<\/em> in 3:31 (besides \u201cestablish\u201d) is \u201cnullify\u201d (<em>katarge\u014d<\/em>), which in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=2+Corinthians+3%3A1%E2%80%934%3A6&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2 Corinthians 3:1\u20134:6<\/a> Paul uses four times regarding the demise of the old covenant in light of the arrival of the new covenant in Christ (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=2+Corinthians+3%3A7-14&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2 Cor. 3:7, 11, 13, 14<\/a>). Thus, it appears that Paul signals by the two words \u201cnullify\u201d and \u201cestablish\u201d the antithesis between the old and new covenants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mce_10\"><strong>FOUR<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Immediately following 3:31 is Paul\u2019s discussion of the contrast between the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>FIVE<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Since Paul uses the word <em>nomos<\/em> in two different ways in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9328&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3:27\u201328<\/a> (\u201cprinciple\u201d [2x in v. 27] and \u201cTorah\u201d [v. 28]), it would not be surprising that he would continue to offer another nuance of the word in 3:31 (\u201ccovenant\u201d). This to say that Paul provides a play on the word <em>nomos<\/em> throughout 3:27\u201331: \u201cprinciple\u201d (v. 27), \u201cTorah\u201d (v. 28), and \u201ccovenant\u201d (v. 31).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mce_21\"><strong>SIX<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The verb <em>katarge\u014d<\/em> is also used in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+4%3A14&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romans 4:14<\/a> of the promise to Abraham\u2014the Abrahamic covenant\u2014as being void if that promise\/covenant is based on the law of Moses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mce_21\"><strong>SEVEN<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This proposed reading would mean that Paul is perfectly consistent with his negative presentation of the law of Moses throughout <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+1%3A18%E2%80%933%3A31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romans 1:18\u20133:31<\/a>. These seven considerations combine to suggest that 3:31 contains a third contrast between boasting in the law and justification by faith: the former is not appropriate since the old covenant has passed away; only the latter is the avenue to the new covenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>THEOLOGICAL INSIGHTS<\/strong> INTO THE LAW VS FAITH<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though it is a short passage,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=+Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9331&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Romans 3:27\u201331<\/a> is full of profound theological truths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>First,<\/strong> individual boasting before God because of one\u2019s supposed good works is a dead-end street spiritually. Such arrogance only distances a person from God because trying to match one\u2019s righteousness with God\u2019s is a hopeless endeavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Second,<\/strong> boasting in one\u2019s supposed national superiority over others can also lead to a quagmire in relationships. Patriotism is not wrong, but it can go awry and bring about disastrous results. What we can learn from these two theological insights is that humility before God and others is the best way to go through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Third,<\/strong> the divine plan for salvation is based on faith, beginning with the Old Testament and continuing to the New Testament. The Abrahamic covenant (compare <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Rom.+3%3A29%E2%80%9330&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rom. 3:29\u201330<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Rom.+4&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rom. 4<\/a>) revealed that acceptance before God is based on faith; indeed, the true children of Abraham are those who are saved by faith, not by the law of Moses. Why, then, did God give the Torah to Israel? Ultimately, it was to drive both Jew and Gentile to belief in Jesus (compare <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Rom.+1%3A18%E2%80%934%3A25&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rom. 1:18\u20134:25<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Gal.+3%3A1%E2%80%934%3A7&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gal. 3:1\u20134:7<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fourth,<\/strong> the overarching argument that Paul makes in Romans 1:18\u20133:31 is that the stipulation of the new covenant is faith in Jesus Christ, not the law of Moses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>TEACHING THE TEXT<\/strong> ON THE LAW VS FAITH<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to preach or teach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Romans+3%3A27%E2%80%9331&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romans 3:27\u201331<\/a> and the law vs faith is to title the message something like \u201cNo Boasting before God.\u201d Then simply explain the three contrasts between boasting in the law of Moses and justification by faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>First, individual legalism constitutes a roadblock to justification by faith&#8230;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Because most people in this category are religious by nature and therefore assume that their good works\u2014church\/synagogue\/mosque attendance, helping others, living a morally upstanding life, and so on\u2014will earn them salvation. Indeed, Christian evangelism exposes such a baseless assumption when a person is asked, \u201cIf you stood before God today and he asked you why he should let you enter heaven, what would you say?\u201d Most folk in the category of individual legalism will point out the good works in their lives as grounds for their justification on judgment day. The challenge of the Christian evangelist is to wean such persons from trusting in their own merits before a perfect God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Second, millions of people trust in their national identity to be justified by God.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One thinks especially of Americans who claim that their country is a Christian nation and therefore they have inherited the blessings of that faith, including acceptance before God. But Paul and Jesus vociferously denied that one is born a believer by being born in Israel (compare <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Rom.+3%3A29%E2%80%9330&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rom. 3:29\u201330<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=John+1%3A11%E2%80%9313&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 1:11\u201313<\/a>), and the same argument can be made for America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Third, Paul contrasts the old covenant with the new covenant in 3:31.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the law and the old covenant failed to justify humans before God, the new covenant received by faith in Christ alone is the only legitimate way to be accepted by God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>TEACH THE TEXT COMMENTARY SERIES<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.olivetree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/TeachTheTextBookSetSocial-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52904\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/TeachTheTextBookSetSocial-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/TeachTheTextBookSetSocial-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/TeachTheTextBookSetSocial-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/TeachTheTextBookSetSocial-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This excerpt on the law vs faith came directly from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/store\/product.php?productid=77414\">Teach the Text Commentary Series<\/a>. If you enjoyed it, we highly encourage you to look into buying either the Romans volume or the entire set. It&#8217;s a fantastic resource for gaining context on a passage and being able to teach the passage to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-very-light-gray-color has-text-color has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/store\/product.php?productid=77414\" style=\"background-color:#81a55b\">LEARN MORE<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Law vs Faith \u2014 one of the main conflicts Paul seeks to resolve in his letter to the Romans. Dig deeper into Romans 3:27-31 with Marvin C. Pate and this remarkable excerpt from his contribution to the Teach the Text Commentary Series. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":46212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sb_show_comment_boards":false,"_cf_multicollab_revision_bundle":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7849,5338],"tags":[5974],"class_list":{"0":"post-41388","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentaries","8":"category-new-testament-articles","9":"tag-teach-the-text-old-and-new-testament-set"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Romans Rivalry: The Law vs Faith - Olive Tree Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Law vs Faith \u2014 a conflict Paul seeks to resolve in his letter to the Romans. Learn more with Marvin C. 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