Romans 3:21-22 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
The righteousness that God has for people is a gift and does not come through human obedience to the law. Paul has shown that no one can keep the law. Everyone breaks it, either because of pride or idolatry. The Old Testament gives many stories of the failures of both Israel and the nations to live out God’s laws written in stone or on the heart. The ESV translation is not correct with the word “although.” The participle “being witnessed by” should be “since” or “by”. The Law and the Prophets prove Paul’s point. They both showed people’s failure and pointed ahead to God’s solution. The Law and Prophets looked forward to when God would change the human heart and that God would do something new through the coming Messiah. Paul knew his Bible well and saw how God had a plan from the beginning of time. The only way to participate in this plan is through faith in Jesus Christ because Jesus is the only solution for the problem of sin. God’s method has always been for salvation to come as a gift of grace to be experienced through faith that shows its sincerity by obedience.
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