Romans 3:29-31
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
29 Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too? Yes, also to Gentiles,(A) 30 for God is one and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised through faith.(B) 31 Are we then annulling the law by this faith? Of course not!(C) On the contrary, we are supporting the law.[a]
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- 3:31 We are supporting the law: giving priority to God’s intentions. God is the ultimate source of law, and the essence of law is fairness. On the basis of the Mosaic covenant, God’s justice is in question if those who sinned against the law are permitted to go free (see Rom 3:23–26). In order to rescue all humanity rather than condemn it, God thinks of an alternative: the law or “principle” of faith (Rom 3:27). What can be more fair than to admit everyone into the divine presence on the basis of forgiveness grasped by faith? Indeed, this principle of faith antedates the Mosaic law, as Paul will demonstrate in Rom 4, and does not therefore mark a change in divine policy.
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