Romans 3:27-28 – Faith Without the Law

This passage covers a shift in dispensations from the law to grace, and from Israel to all, both Jew and Gentile. Paul doesn’t invent a new gospel; he reveals a mystery that was purposed by God long ago before the foundation of the world but that He kept a a mystery right through all those ages up until Paul to whom this mystery was made manifest and made known to all through Paul.

Ephesians 3:1-7

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 

That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, (that’s in Christ’s body, the Body of Christ) and partakers of his (God’s) promise in Christ by the gospel: 

Whereof I (Paul) was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 

 

This mystery that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs with Christ and in body as members of His body, was not known by the prophets of old and was not revealed until Paul.

 

This change in dispensations was definitely not because God changed His nature.

Hebrews 13:8,

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Malachi 3:6,

For I am the LORD, I change not;

God’s nature never changes and His overriding purpose never changes, but very clearly the way He deals with mankind and the progressive revelation He gives to man does change!

 

Let’s quickly look at this because it’s a vital key to understanding scripture.

Hebrews 1:1–2

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son…

 

This shows a shift from revelation dispensed through the prophets to revelation dispensed by Christ Himself.

Ephesians 3:2–3

If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward… by revelation he (God) made known unto me the mystery…

Paul introduces the “dispensation of grace,” a new administration seperate from the law.

 

Colossians 1:25–26

…according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations…

 

Paul was entrusted with a previously hidden truth now revealed.

Galatians 3:23–25

But before faith came, we were kept under the law… the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ…

The law is pictured as a guardian or a tutor that taught lessons concerning the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the need for atonement.

Romans 5:13–14

Sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses…

 

This separates the time before the law from the Mosaic era.

Acts 13:38–39

…through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

 

Paul contrasts justification by faith with the limitations of the Mosaic law.

1 Corinthians 9:17

…a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.

 

Paul acknowledges a specific stewardship of the gospel message that was given to him.

Ephesians 1:10

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ…

 

This points to a future completion of God’s ultimate plan.

 

These verses collectively show that while God Himself never changes (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8), His methods of dealing with mankind—through law, promise, grace, and future glory have varied according to His purpose and timing.

 

Now this dispensation of Grace that we live in today came about because Israel fell, and God began creating a new creature—the Body of Christ.

God kept this mystery a mystery because God’s intention was to give Israel every possible opportunity to inherit the long promised and prophesied Kingdom of God that He promised them way back to the time of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.

With the coming of Christ, the Messiah, this promise was finally at the feet of the nation of Israel. All they had to do was walk in by faith, by believing that the Messiah had come and that He was Jesus who walked among them.

Remember that Jesus came to Israel for this purpose announcing, with John the Baptist, that the Kingdom of heaven was at hand. See Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, Matthew 10:7, Mark 1:15, Luke 21:31.

 

In Matthew 15:24 Jesus states,

But he (Jesus) answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

 

But the nation of Israel rejected the Messiah and murdered Him. They rejected Him in spite of the unmistakable signs and wonders that proved who He was.

They rejected God and His power at Christ’s resurrection and they rejected the Holy Spirit when He was sent at Pentecost according to Jeremaiah 31:31, Hebrews 8:10 and Joel 2:28.

The final, last straw came when they stoned Stephen after Stephen had clearly shown them the fulfilment of their history up till that date.

This caused God to place His program for Israel and the earthly kingdom on hold and Israel was blinded temporarily.

Romans 11:25

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 

 

Now, in this current interlude to God’s timeline that we know as the dispensation of grace, there’s no difference between Jew and Greek.

Colossians 3:11,

Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 

 

Even though God, in His perfect foreknowledge knew this would be the outcome He still performed absolutely according to His promises to Israel who were given every possible opportunity to walk into their promised kingdom and their incredible prophesied position. Even though currently and temporarily set aside, that promise will never change. It will be realised in the future after this dispensation of grace is over.

 

So, Paul uses the Law, the Prophets, and Christ’s work on the cross to preach justification freely to all, including those in Rome.

Romans 3:21–26 is not just doctrine, it’s dispensational, revelation, and deeply rooted in God’s eternal purpose.

 

So, after all that lets go to Romans 3:27.

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 

 

So, this comes right after Paul says in verse 26 that God justifies those who believe in Jesus.

 

Lots of people say they believe in Jesus, but Paul’s talking about more than that. We’ve got to believe in what He did not just that He existed as a historical figure. We’ve got to believe His sinless blood was shed for our sins (verse 25), the free gift of grace (verse 24), and the fact that we’re all sinners (verse 23).

We can’t just grab verse 26 and skip the rest. It’s all one sentence, all connected.

As we asked last time, Did Christs death on the cross save us?

If that were true every person that ever existed would be saved and we know that’s not true.

The key to all things with God is belief, faith. Without faith it’s impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:6.

It’s our belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ that saves us.

 

So Paul asks, “Where is boasting then?” That’s a big question. Before the cross, Israel had a special place.

Romans 3:1–2 says they had advantages—God gave them His law, His promises.

Romans 2:17 says they boasted in God, and verse 23 says they boasted in the law, and rightly so! God gave them His word, His law, and access to Him and that was a privilege.

 

But now, Paul’s preached the gospel and shown that all are sinners, even Israel, and salvation is now only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and where that grace is concerned there’s now no longer Jew or Gentil. All are the same.

So where’s the boasting now? It’s gone. Verse 27 says it’s excluded. Why? Because salvation isn’t by trying to keep the law or by our works anymore. It’s by faith in what Christ did, His works, That means nobody’s got a special edge. Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, educated or not—salvation is offered to all on the basis of faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

 

Back then, Israel had laws only they could follow. They had an access to God that others didn’t. That was their boast.

But now, Galatians 6:14 says we glory only in the cross of Christ. That’s the only thing worth boasting about. Not our background, our behavior, or our religion.

 

Even today, some Christians think they can boast because they’re saved. But Paul says no. We didn’t earn it and we didn’t deserve it. It’s a free gift.

Romans 3:24 says we’re justified freely by His grace. That word “freely” wipes out any idea of earning it. And verse 21 says it’s “without the law.” So if salvation isn’t by law, you can’t boast in the law.

 

Paul keeps saying “His, (Gods) righteousness” not ours. Under the law, Israel could say “look what we did, look who we are” But now, it’s “look what Christ did.” That’s the shift.

Deuteronomy 6:25 says,

And it shall be our righteousness, (Israel’s) if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us. 

 

If Israel kept the law, it would be counted as their righteousness. But now, that’s gone. Paul says it’s excluded.

 

Even Christians today can get this wrong when they start boasting in their good behavior, their church attendance, their clean living. But that’s not the gospel. Good works are good, for sure and Ephesians 2:10  tells us this,

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

 

But they’re not the reason or the method by which we’re saved. We can’t boast in them. That opens the door to pride, selfishness and confusion.

 

So Paul’s walking through history here. Israel had the law, had the promises, and had the access. But now, all are sinners, and all need grace. And that grace is offered to all. That’s why boasting’s excluded, because salvation isn’t about what we’ve done—it’s about what Christ did for us.

 

Unsaved people may say in talking about Christians, “I live just as good as you do,” and they’re probably right.

In the flesh, in the natural man, there’s no real difference between a saved sinner and an unsaved one. The change happens in our spirit when we believe.

Even then, even when our old inner man, our flesh is dead in Christ it takes a changing of our mind, a renewing of our thinking—to walk right and even then salvation isn’t based on how well we live.

If it was, then better living would mean better salvation. But that’s not grace—that’s law. That’s the wrong gospel.

 

So then, Paul asks in Romans 3:27, “Where is boasting then?” It’s excluded, shut out, banned.

You can’t boast in the law when salvation is without the law. You can’t boast in God as if He’s only yours. Israel used to boast in their God, the God of Israel. But now, Romans 3:22 says salvation is “unto all and upon all them that believe,” and “there is no difference.” That means Jew and Gentile are on the same level. Israel has no special access anymore.

 

This’s what got Paul in trouble. He wasn’t just saying Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. He was saying Israel, the law and the covenants, aren’t needed any longer in order to be saved.

That was heresy to many people. But Paul shows in Romans that this gospel is backed by Scripture, witnessed by the law and prophets. It’s what Christ told him. So it’s not out of line or heretical, it’s just new to their ears. It’s the mystery revealed.

 

In Romans 3:29 Paul asks,

Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 

 

That’s why Israel can’t boast anymore because God’s also the God of the Gentiles as well.

 

Paul says boasting is excluded and asks the question “by what law?” in such a way that he’s going to inform them what makes this a principle.

He then explains that it’s not the law of works which excludes boasting, but the law of faith.

That tells us two things:

 

1. The law of works—doing good, avoiding bad—can’t remove sin or make any man righteous. Romans 3:20 says no flesh is justified by the law. The law only shows us our sin.

 

2. Faith is not a work. Paul makes a contrast between works and faith. If faith were a work, it would fall under the law of works. But Romans 4:5 says faith is counted for righteousness, not earned. So faith isn’t something you do to earn salvation—it’s the method or the channel by which we receive it.

 

Ephesians 2:8–9 expands on this and we read,

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

 

That’s the same truth Paul teaches in this passage of Romans 3:21–28. Salvation is by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ and His blood. No boasting’s allowed.

 

Romans 3:28 gives the conclusion:

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. 

 

You and I couldn’t reach that conclusion before verse 20. From Romans 1:18 to 3:20, Paul shows how all are under sin—Gentiles, Jews, everyone.

Romans 3:10 says,

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

 

Romans 3:23 says,

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

 

So in verse 21, Paul starts explaining the gospel: the righteousness of God without the law.

This ties back to Romans 1:17, where Paul says “the just shall live by faith.”

From creation to Israel, Paul walks through history showing that works won’t save anyone. God’s wrath is on all, and the only way to be justified is by faith.

 

Romans 2:13 said,

For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 

 

But now Paul shows that no one can do the law perfectly. So the only way is faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God—not by doing the law. That’s the shift. That’s the gospel. And that’s why boasting is gone.

 

If you’re under the law and say, “I heard it, but I’m not doing it,” then you’re not justified. Romans 2:13 says it’s not just hearing—it’s doing. But Paul reveals something new in our passage (Romans 3:21–28): the righteousness of God without the law. That’s the only way faith can stand alone and justify us.

When we get to Romans 6 we’ll see the explanation of why we’re not under the law anymore.

 

In Romans 2, Paul talks to Israel. They boast in God and the law, but he asks, “Do you do it?”

Romans 2:21 says,

Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 

 

See, you teach others, Israel, but do you teach yourself?”

You say don’t steal—do you steal?

Romans 2:26 says,

Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 

 

This shows that even Gentiles who keep the law’s righteousness are counted as circumcised. Paul’s point is that Israel didn’t keep the law, even though they boasted in it. So boasting is excluded. You’ve got nothing to brag about.

 

So, Romans 3:28 says a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

That clashes with Romans 2:13 and James 2, which say the doers of the law are justified and that was true under the law.

Jesus said similar things in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,  but Paul’s conclusion in Romans 3 is something we couldn’t possibly know without the mystery being revealed to Paul.

It wasn’t taught before and if we removed Paul’s 13 epistles from the bible we wouldn’t know about it now because it’s not revealed anywhere else in the bible.

But now, we know what Christ did—not just for us today, but for sins under the law that are past as we saw in Romans 3:25.

People in the Old Testament and those living in the law, outside of the mystery revealed by Paul, had things they were required to do, but they failed.

Christ died for them too and Romans 3:26 reveals that God now justifies freely by grace through faith in Christ’s work.

 

Faith was always there, but now it stands alone. In the past, faith had to be proven by doing something—like offering sacrifices. God saw that as faith, even though the animal sacrifice itself didn’t save them. But now Paul says it’s without the deeds of the law. That means no sacrifices, no rituals, no works. Just faith.

 

That’s the mark of this dispensation. It’s not that faith or grace are new—it’s that they now stand by themselves. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. The nation Israel, the priests, and the covenants are no longer needed for salvation.

Paul says “but now” those things are removed. What’s replaced them?

Romans 3:21–26 says: the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s why we’re Christians. We worship Christ and His finished work.

 

Jesus was Israel’s Messiah who came fulfilling all the prophesies spoken of by the prophets for centuries.

 

Now the death of Christ declares God’s righteousness. God is just because He has made a way to save sinful man while still requiring the full payment of the penalty of sin.

He can justify the ungodly without condoning their sin or compromising His own righteousness because a perfect Substitute has died and risen again.

 

Christ is now all we need. Salvation from sin through His death, burial and resurrection is offered freely to everyone today and we find this truth only in Paul’s epistles.

The wonderful Romans 3:28 is the faith-alone verse,

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. 

 

Acts 13:38–39 backs this up. Paul stands and speaks to the Jews in the synagogue at Antioch and says,

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man (Jesus Christ) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

 

Through Jesus, forgiveness is preached, and all who believe are justified from things the law of Moses couldn’t fix. The law couldn’t justify you—but Jesus can.

 

That’s not something that Peter and the Jewish apostles said. Neither did Jesus Himself say that while He was on earth.

Paul can say it though because this new dispensation, the dispensation of grace, was given to him. Christ gave him new information that God did not reveal before Paul.

 

So Paul starts Romans 3:21 with “but now”—the righteousness of God without the law. He starts and ends the gospel sentence with that.

We need to understand why we’re not under the law.

If we just say “we’re not under the law” and leave it there, then the question could be asked, “Then why do good?” and that’s a fair question.

Back in Israel’s program, if you didn’t do what God said, you were cut off, Some even died.

That’s what 1 John 3:7 talks about.

John’s not writing to the church, the Body of Christ, today, he’s writing to the tribulation remnant, and in 1 John 3:7 he says,

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 

He that “does righteousness,” many people try to separate that from the doing of the law, but how do you know what’s good without the law God gave? Scripture is the only standard we’ve got. This happens mainly because people have been taught by tradition that 1st John and the other Jewish epistle were written as instruction for us the Body of Christ today. It was most certainly given for our learning and understanding, just like all scripture is as we see in 2 Timothy 3:16 – 17,

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

 

All scripture is given for our doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness but not all scripture written specifically to us for our instruction. We must use context to understand the difference.

1 John 2:2 says,

And he (Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 

Then in the next verse, 1 John 2:3-4 we read,

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 

 

These’re tough verses when you compare them to Romans 3, where Paul says all are sinners and the law can’t justify anyone.

 

So how do we know God? Not by our works, but by the faith of Christ (Romans 3:22). It’s not about doing what Christ commanded—it’s about trusting in what He did.

 

Romans 2 talks about God judging every man by his deeds (verse 6). But Romans 3:28 says a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

That seems like a contradiction unless we understand how Paul, in Romans 2, is walking through history, showing how God used the law to expose sin. But in Romans 3, he reveals the gospel, righteousness without the law.

 

If we stop reading at Romans 2, we’ll miss the point. The same as if we stop at Acts 2, you miss what God revealed in Acts 9. We’ve got to keep reading. Romans 3 is progressive revelation. Paul’s not making it up, he’s showing what God’s been doing all along.

Some people see the seeming contradiction between Romans 3, righteousness without the law, and James 2 where faith and works is required.

They try to fit it in to one combined teaching by saying Paul’s only referring to the removal of Israel’s ceremonial laws—like the ones that relate to circumcision, holy days, and special foods, but the moral laws like loving your neighbour must still be kept.

They say Paul taught faith plus works, just not Israel’s special works. But Paul clearly says “without the deeds of the law”. Not just some of them, all of them.

 

Most church denominations teach faith plus works.

They say James is correcting people who misunderstood Paul. But the real issue is they don’t rightly divide the word of truth and so they don’t see the dispensational change.

Romans 2 and 3 are both Paul, but he’s speaking historically in chapter 2 and revealing the mystery in chapter 3.

 

There’s no split between ceremonial and moral law. That’s man-made. The Ten Commandments include both. For example, “don’t commit adultery” is moral, but “keep the Sabbath” is ceremonial. Yet they’re all part of the same law given to Israel.

Teachers and preachers in many, if not most, modern, man organised churches teach this mixture that yes, we’re saved by grace through faith, but we must do the works of the law to either complete or keep salvation.

Often this mixture is subtle but whether subtle or blatant it causes confusion amongst church goers and all because these pastors and teachers have failed to see the dispensational changes in the bible, particularly where the mystery dispensation of grace is revealed to and by our apostle for today, Paul.

 

Paul says we’re justified by faith alone—without the law. That’s the gospel for today. It’s not faith plus works. It’s faith in Christ’s finished work. That’s what saves. That’s what makes us righteous. And that’s why we don’t boast in ourselves—we boast in Him, Christ.

 

Under Israel’s law, every one of the 613 commands was a moral requirement. You couldn’t pick and choose. James 2:10 says this,

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

 

See, if you break one, you break them all.

God held them accountable for every law—not just the “big ones.” People try to split the law into categories: ceremonial, moral, civil. But that’s man-made. The Bible doesn’t divide it like that. All 613 laws were given by God, and they were all binding.

 

Even in society today, civil laws help keep order.

Are they less moral? No. A law is moral if God gave it. So when Paul says “without the law” in Romans 3:20–21, he’s not just talking about Israel’s ceremonial stuff. He means the whole law—everything that was given to show right from wrong.

If Paul only meant ceremonial laws, then Romans 3:20 wouldn’t make sense. He says “no flesh” is justified by the deeds of the law. No flesh includes everyone, not just Jews. And the law brings the knowledge of sin—not just because someone didn’t wear tassels or tithe mint, but because they broke deeper commands like “thou shalt not covet” (Romans 7:7).

 

Jesus rebuked Israel in Matthew 23:23,

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 

 

This rebuke was not for skipping ceremonies, but for ignoring the weightier matters: judgment, mercy, and faith. Those are the hard laws.

The priests could tithe easily—that was their job. But loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbour? That’s harder. That’s where sin shows up.

 

So when Paul says “without the law,” he’s removing all works—ceremonial, moral, everything. If you say he’s only removing Jewish rituals, then you’re still stuck with the hardest laws. And those are the ones people fail at most.

Paul says no one’s justified by any deeds of the law.

 

If the law only showed sin through ceremonies, it wouldn’t apply to Gentiles. But Paul says the law shows sin to all. That includes moral failures like not loving God or our neighbour. That’s why the law brings the knowledge of sin.

 

In 1 John 2:29 we read,

If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. 

 

If you do righteousness, you’re born of God. But 1 John is written to remnant Israel under their covenant, not to the church, the Body of Christ, today. It’s a book of law and love. Paul’s gospel is different—it’s about grace and faith without the law.

We can’t split the law into parts. God didn’t and Paul didn’t. The law was one whole system, and it’s been set aside today.

Today, we’re justified by faith alone in Christ’s finished work. That’s the gospel of grace. That’s what Romans teaches. And that’s why we don’t go back to the law—not even the so called “moral” parts—to try and prove we’re righteous.

Good works are what we should be doing but when we try and earn salvation by those works we’re in grave error.

 

So, according to 1 John 2:29 if you know God is righteous, then everyone who does righteousness is born of Him.

Then in 1 John 3:6 it says whoever abides in Him doesn’t sin, and whoever sins hasn’t seen Him or known Him.

That’s a hard saying.

If Paul and John are teaching the same thing, and we’re only removing ceremonial laws, then 1 John would be our instruction. But John doesn’t talk about tassels or circumcision, he talks about keeping commandments. And if you don’t, you’re not of God. That’s not grace. That doesn’t line up with Paul.

 

1 John 3:10 says,

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 

 

In 1 John 3:18 we have,

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 

 

This’s the verse people use to say works are needed in this dispensation. But Paul doesn’t teach that our love earns us anything with God. He teaches that God loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). It’s His love, not ours, that saves.

 

If Paul was only removing ceremonial laws, salvation wouldn’t be any easier. You’d still be under the law and condemned by it. Romans 2 and 3 make that clear.

Romans 2:14 says Gentiles who don’t have the law still do things in the law by nature. That can’t be about ceremonial laws.

Gentiles weren’t shaving their beards a certain way or wearing special clothes. Paul’s talking about basic things like don’t kill, don’t steal—things even pagans knew were wrong.

 

Romans 2:21–22 shows Paul using moral laws like “don’t steal” and “don’t commit adultery” to prove Israel’s guilt.

These are the same laws that people that believe in salvation by faith plus works say are the fruit of true faith.

But Paul says these laws don’t justify anyone. So if you’re not justified by “don’t steal,” then you’re not justified by faith plus works either.

 

Paul’s argument is simple: the law shows sin, but it doesn’t save. Not stealing, not committing adultery, or loving your neighbour are good things, but they don’t justify you. Only faith in Jesus Christ does. That’s the gospel of grace. That’s what Paul taught. And that’s what rightly dividing God’s word helps us to see.

 

Paul says in Romans 3:27,

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 

 

If only ceremonial laws are removed, then you can still boast in your moral behaviour. That ruins Paul’s point.

Romans 4:2 says if Abraham was justified by works, he could boast—but not before God. Abraham didn’t have Israel’s law. He was justified by faith alone in Genesis 15. God told him something, he believed it, and that was it.

 

Even Gentiles who didn’t have the law had a conscience. Romans 2:14 says they did things in the law by nature. That’s not about tassels or feast days—it’s about basic right and wrong. God gave them a conscience, and that’s how they knew what was good. But even that didn’t justify them.

 

Romans 1 says people didn’t thank or glorify God. That’s a good thing that they should’ve done, but they didn’t. Paul’s whole argument is that no one, Jew or Gentile, is justified by works. Not ceremonial, not moral, not anything. Only faith in Christ’s finished work saves.

 

James talks about helping the poor and showing love. That’s all good stuff, but James wasn’t dealing with the same issue Paul was.

Paul’s explaining how sinners can be made right before God. James is talking to believers who claim to follow Jesus but don’t live it out. James didn’t know the mystery yet—Christ hadn’t revealed it.

That’s not to knock James or make him any less important in scripture. His words are true and just as vital as Paul’s, but in their context. It’s a different context to Paul, a different audience under a different dispensation.

But Paul’s gospel is different. It’s grace through faith, without works.

Romans 3:28,

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

 

In the next episode Paul answers a logical question. Do we then make void the law through faith? Until then may God richly bless you all.