Lord’s Library editors offer this Romans 3:28 meaning and commentary with supporting Scriptures for your edification.
To obtain a Romans 3:28 meaning, see the verse in Scripture: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” As it is written, this verse is a clear and definitive statement that justification—being declared righteous before God—is based solely on faith, apart from any works of the law. Paul’s conclusion in this verse follows his argument throughout Romans 3, where he establishes that all have sinned and thus fallen short of God’s glory.
See Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” The Law of Moses was never given to make a person righteous but to reveal sin in all men. Romans 3:20 illustrates this key point: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law shows mankind’s inability to attain righteousness in comparison to a Holy God, pointing to the need for salvation through the Finished Work of Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:28 Meaning
Justification by grace through faith alone is the central message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Good News is not a mixture of faith and works but can be understood entirely through believing in Christ’s Finished Work. See Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
Paul’s teaching here in Romans directly refutes the idea that works righteousness can save the soul. Isaiah 64:6 also declares it: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Even the best deeds fall short of God’s perfect standard and require imputation. This is why Paul emphasizes in Romans 4:5: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Ephesians 2:8-9 takes it a step further: “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.”
If salvation depended on works, man could boast about their own righteousness, but faith eliminates the presence of human pride in salvation and magnifies God’s grace instead. See Romans 5:1: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Romans 3:28 offers foundational elements of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; attained by faith alone, being apart from works. It upholds the complete and total sufficiency of Christ’s Finished Work on the cross and ensures that salvation is a matter of grace, freely given to all who believe.
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