Christ alone saves [Rom 3]

I am still a bit unwell and this passage is too important to get wrong, so I will turn to one of the old theologians. For this is one of the key passages of the gospel, the key point of preaching.

What Calvin’s commentary brings to the party is a sense that we cannot be justified by ritual or undoing. Our penances will not save us, be they prayers or carbon credits.

It is a matter of doubt, even among the learned, what the works of the law mean. Some extend them to the observance of the whole law, while others confine them to the ceremonies alone. The addition of the word law induced Chrysostom, Origen, and Jerome to assent to the latter opinion; for they thought that there is a peculiar intimation in this appendage, that the expression should not be understood as including all works. But this difficulty may be very easily removed: for seeing works are so far just before God as we seek by them to render to him worship and obedience, in order expressly to take away the power of justifying from all works, he has mentioned those, if there be any, which can possibly justify; for the law hath promises, without which there would be no value in our works before God. You hence see the reason why Paul expressly mentioned the works of the law; for it is by the law that a reward is apportioned to works. Nor was this unknown to the schoolmen, who held it as an approved and common maxim, that works have no intrinsic worthiness, but become meritorious by covenant. And though they were mistaken, inasmuch as they saw not that works are ever polluted with vices, which deprive them of any merit, yet this principle is still true, that the reward for works depends on the free promise of the law. Wisely then and rightly does Paul speak here; for he speaks not of mere works, but distinctly and expressly refers to the keeping of the law, the subject which he is discussing.

As to those things which have been adduced by learned men in defense of this opinion, they are weaker than they might have been. They think that by mentioning circumcision, an example is propounded, which belonged to ceremonies only: but why Paul mentioned circumcision, we have already explained; for none swell more with confidence in works than hypocrites, and we know that they glory only in external masks; and then circumcision, according to their view, was a sort of initiation into the righteousness of the law; and hence it seemed to them a work of primary excellence, and indeed the basis as it were of the righteousness of works. — They also allege what is said in the Epistle to the Galatians, where Paul handles the same subject, and refers to ceremonies only; but that also is not sufficiently strong to support what they wish to defend. It is certain that Paul had a controversy with those who inspired the people with a false confidence in ceremonies; that he might cut of this confidence, he did not confine himself to ceremonies, nor did he speak specifically of what value they were; but he included the whole law, as it is evident from those passages which are derived from that source. Such also was the character of the disputation held at Jerusalem by the disciples.

But we contend, not without reason, that Paul speaks here of the whole law; for we are abundantly supported by the thread of reasoning which he has hitherto followed and continues to follow, and there are many other passages which will not allow us to think otherwise. It is therefore a truth, which deserves to be remembered as the first in importance, — that by keeping the law no one can attain righteousness. He had before assigned the reason, and he will repeat it presently again, and that is, that all, being to a man guilty of transgression, are condemned for unrighteousness by the law.

For our sake, the passage does not end at that verse, but continues. For in Christ there is a way of justification that depends not at all on our righteousness, for we don’t have any.

It depends on God. And his righteousness, and his paying of the due penalty of our sins.

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one 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 God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

(Romans 3:19-31 ESV)

Most of us pay service to this. We accept that Christ saved us. God be praised. We understand that we live now not by the law or by any sense of undoing what we have done that is wrong, but for Christ. We understand that Christ is greater than our theology: we understand that it is not the ritual that saves, but what the ritual symbolises: that we are under a covenantal relationship with the maker of this world. who died to save us, and whose word is faithful.

[The medieval church knew this, and painted many bishops: who had been baptized, preached at Eucharist, and had holy orders, in hell, for their sins and heresies. God judges by not by outward appearance. And God knows his own].

But we tend to forget a few things, in our practice.

Firstly, we forget that God has not changed and the law is still profitable and the basic commands of morality remain. We are taught to live a humble, sober and Godly life, and here the law is of great benefit, for it can advise us on how to be godly.

Secondly, we make divisions. Between races, between men and women, between tribes. We consider some are better — at present the non european and distaff parts of humanity, which is the reverse of what the first eugenists (Darwin was not a pagan, but many Victorians became so, worshipping their British status and twisting natural selection to become not merely a denial of creation but a justification for calling most of humanity subhuman. And this led to evil. Such as Margaret Sanger setting up Planned Parenthood with the explicit aim of decimating the black population.)

Finally, we forget that the gospel is not about what we do, but about Christ. We start doing worthy things and promoting what we think is worthy: such as working against violence (generally battered wives, not battered husbands) and in doing that get entrapped in a sense that social reformation is the gospel. Which it is not. Social reformation, political revolutions, the restoration of a decent society can be good and proper things… at times. or not.

But they do not save. Christ alone does.