“Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.”
— Romans 3:27–31
Paul’s words here are both profound and disruptive. He could have made one neat theological statement about justification by faith, but instead he unpacks it with a series of rhetorical questions. Each question presses in on human pride, on the false security of religious privilege, and on the true universality of the gospel.
Boasting Excluded
The question about boasting speaks directly to a Jewish mindset of the time. Many Jews believed their covenant faithfulness and possession of the Law gave them a privileged place before God — a status Gentiles could never attain. Yet God’s intention was never to create an exclusive club; Israel was meant to be a light to the nations, drawing Gentiles to His truth.
Instead, Israel often withdrew from the nations to guard covenant identity, and in the process neglected their mission to the nations. Paul dismantles this pride by saying: boasting is excluded. Why? Because justification is by faith, not works.
Moreover, he says this works like a law!
Law of Works vs. Law of Faith
Paul contrasts two “laws”:
- Law of works → performance, obedience, effort, and achievement, which leaves space for boasting.
- Law of faith → reliance on God’s promise in Christ, which leaves no room for boasting because all credit goes to God.
Here, “law” doesn’t mean commandment only, but a principle of operation.
Think of the law of gravity. It works the same for everyone — it’s universal, consistent, and impartial. Faith functions like that.
The law of faith means that whoever trusts in Christ — Jew or Gentile, good or bad, moral or criminal — will be justified. It is not a case-by-case evaluation; it is a God-ordained principle.
Do We Nullify the Law?
Paul anticipates the objection: if salvation is by faith, does that make the Law irrelevant? His answer is emphatic: “Absolutely not!”
Faith doesn’t overthrow the Law — it establishes it. How?
- The Law convicts us of sin, showing our need for salvation (Rom 3:20).
- Christ fulfills the Law’s righteous demands and bears its curse (Gal 3:13).
- Grace doesn’t erase the Law but shows its true role: pointing us to Christ.
So when we embrace Christ by faith, we aren’t discarding the Law; we are affirming that the Law was good, holy, and necessary. But we now live free from condemnation (Rom 8:1), empowered by the Spirit to produce the kind of righteousness the Law pointed toward.
Faith as the Instrument
It’s important to see that faith is not the reason God justifies us. There is no boasting! Paul is clear: God doesn’t justify us because we have faith; He justifies us because of what Christ has done. Faith is simply the instrument that receives Christ’s finished work.
Faith is the empty hand that clings to Jesus as our only hope. Our faith doesn’t save us; Jesus saves us — and faith unites us to Him.
Final Thought
Paul’s conclusion in Romans 3 leaves us with three unshakable truths:
- No boasting — salvation is a gift of grace, received by faith.
- One God for all — both Jew and Gentile are justified on the same basis.
- The Law upheld — faith confirms the Law’s goodness while showing us its ultimate fulfillment in Christ.
The law of faith, like gravity, is God’s unchanging principle. Whoever believes is justified. No exceptions.
References
- The Holy Bible, Romans 3:20–31; Galatians 3:13; Romans 4:5; Romans 8:1–4.
- Steven E. Runge, High Definition Commentary: Romans (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014), 71–72.
- Sam Storms, Biblical Studies: Romans (Edmond, OK: Sam Storms, 2016), Rom 3:27–28.
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