But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
All Commentaries on Romans 3:21 Go To Romans 3
Thomas Aquinas
AD 1274
299. After showing that Jews and gentiles are equal as far as the state of previous guilt is concerned [n. 274], the Apostle now shows that they are also equal as far as the state of subsequent grace is concerned. In regard to this he does three things: first, he states his teaching; secondly, he explains something he had presupposed, there [v. 29; n. 318] at Or is God the God of the Jews only?; thirdly, he answers an objection, there [v. 31; n. 321] at Do we therefore destroy the law? 152 In regard to the first he does three things: first, he states his teaching; secondly, he manifests it, there [v. 22c; n. 304] at There is no distinction; thirdly, he draws the intended conclusion, there [v. 27; n. 313] at Where therefore is your glorying? In regard to the first he does three things: first, he states the relation between justice and the law; secondly, he gives the cause of justice, there [v. 22; n. 302] at the justice of God; thirdly, he shows that such justice is available to all, there [v. 22b; n. 303] at in all. 300. First, he sets down a twofold comparison or relation of justice to the Law [n. 301]. The first is that it is not caused by the Law. This is what he says: It has been stated that in times past God’s justice could not exist in virtue of the works of the Law, either because the just one himself fulfills the promises about men’s justification: "For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs" (Rom 15:8). Or, rather, God’s justice, by which a person is justified by God, of which it says below: "not knowing the justice of God" (Rom 10:3). This justice of God, I say, has been manifested now, i.e., in the time of grace, by the teachings of Christ, by his miracles, as well as by the evidence of the fact, inasmuch as it is evident that many have been divinely made just. And this apart from the Law, i.e., without the Law causing righteousness: "You are severed from Christ, you who had 153 been justified by the Law; you have fallen away from grace" (Gal 5:4); "Soon my salvation will come, and my justice will be revealed" (Is 56:1). 301. But lest anyone suppose that this justice is contrary to the Law, secondly, he sets down another relation of justice to the Law when he says: although the law and the prophets bear witness to it. The Law bears witness to Christ’s justice by foretelling and prefiguring it: "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me" (Jn 5:46); and also by its effect, for, since it could not justify, it bore witness that justice was to be sought elsewhere. The prophets bore witness by foretelling it: "To him all the prophets bear witness" (Ac 10:43). 302. Then he assigns the cause of this justice, and says the justice of God through the faith of Christ Jesus, i.e., which he delivered: "Looking to Jesus the perfecter of our faith" (Heb 12:2); or which is held concerning Him: "Because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom 10:9). God’s justice is said to exist through faith in Christ Jesus, not as though by faith we merit being justified, as if faith exists from ourselves and through it we merit God’s justice, as the Pelagians assert; but because in the very justification, by which we are made just by God, the first motion of the mind toward God is through faith: "Whoever would draw near to God must believe" (Heb 11:6). Hence faith, as the first part of justice, is given to us by God: "By grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing; for it is the gift of God" (Eph 2:8). 154 But this faith, out of which justice exists, is not the unformed faith about which James 2(:26) says, "Faith without works is dead," but it is faith formed by charity, about which Gal 5(:6) says, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith [working through love]," through which Christ dwells in us; "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Eph 3:17), which does not happen without charity: "He who abides in love abides in God and God in him" (1 Jn 4:16). This is the faith about which Acts 15(:9) says, "He cleansed their hearts by faith," a cleansing that does not occur without charity: "Love covers all offenses" (Pr 10:12). 303. And lest anyone suppose that only the Jews are made just through this faith, third, he shows that this justice is common, when he adds in all. In other words this justice is in the heart, not in fleshly observances, about which Hebrews 9(:10) says that carnal observances were directed to the justification of the flesh, being regulations for the body and imposed until the time of reformation. And over all, because it transcends human power and merit: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us" (2Cor 3:5). He adds, who believe in him, which refers to the living faith, by which man is justified, as has been said. 304. Then when he says for there is no distinction, he manifests what he had said: first, in regard to the common availability of justice; secondly, as to its cause, there [v. 24; n. 306] at justified by grace; thirdly, as to its manifestation, there [v. 25b; n. 310] at for the manifestation. 305. First, therefore, he says: It has been stated that the righteousness of God is in all and above all who believe in Christ. For in this matter there is no distinction between 155 Jew and Gentile: "In Christ Jesus there is not Gentile and Jew" (Col 3:11), namely [a Jew] who has some distinction, as though the Jew does not need to be made just by God as the Gentile does. Since all have sinned, as has been shown above: "All we like sheep have gone astray" (Is 53:6) and for this reason need the glory of God, i.e., the justification that redounds to God’s glory. Furthermore, man should not ascribe this glory to himself: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give glory" (Ps 115:1); "Give glory to God" (Ps 66:2). 306. Consequently, because all have sinned and cannot of themselves be justified, they need some other cause to make them just. This cause he indicates when he continues, being justified. First [cf. n. 307], he shows that such justification exists without the Law, i.e., that it does not come from the works of the Law, when he says being justified freely [gratis], i.e., without the merit of previous works: "You were sold for nothing and you shall be redeemed without money" (Is 52:3). And this is by his grace, namely, God’s, to whom glory is due on this account: "By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor 15:10). 307. Secondly, he shows what is the cause of justification. First [cf. n. 308ff.], he discloses the cause itself, when he says, through redemption. For as is stated in John 8(:34), "Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin." From this slavery a man is redeemed, if he makes satisfaction for sin. For example, if a man owes a king a fine for some guilty action, the one who paid the fine would be said to have redeemed him from the debt. Now, this debt involved the whole human race, which was infected by the sin of the first parent. Hence no other person could satisfy for the sin of the entire human race except Christ alone, who was immune from all sin. 156 Hence he adds, which is in Christ Jesus. As if to say: in no other could there be redemption: "Not with perishable things, such as silver and gold" (1 Pt 1:18). 308. Secondly, he shows whence this redemption has efficacy, when he says whom God put forward as an expiation. For Christ’s satisfaction was efficacious for justifying and redeeming by the fact that God had assigned him to this in his plan, which he designates when he says whom God put forward as an expiation: "According to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will" (Eph 1:11). Or put forward, that is, he put [him] forward for all, because the human race had no way of making satisfaction unless God himself gave them a redeemer and satisfier: "He sent redemption to his people" (Ps 111:9). And so, while making satisfaction, he redeems us from the debt of sin and obtains pardon for our sins, which the Psalmist begged: "Be propitious to our sins" (Ps 79:9); and this is why he calls him a propitiation. Propitiation. As a figure of this it was commanded in Exodus (25:17) that a propitiatory [seat], i.e., Christ, be placed on the ark, i.e., the Church. 369. Thirdly, he indicates how the effect of redemption reached us, when he says, by faith in his blood, i.e., faith concerning his blood poured out for us. For in order to satisfy for us, it was fitting that he undergo the penalty of death for us, a penalty man had incurred by sin, as indicated in Genesis 2(:17), "In the day that you eat of it you shall die." Hence 1Peter 3(:18) states, "For Christ also died for sins once for all." This death of Christ is applied to us through faith, by which we believe that the world has been redeemed by His death: "I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me 157 and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20). For even among men payment made by one man does not benefit another, unless [that other] considers it valid. And so it is clear how there is justification through faith in Jesus Christ, as has been stated above. 310. But because he had stated above [n. 300] that God’s justice is manifested now, he considers this manifestation [n. 311ff]. First, he touches on the manner of this manifestation, saying for the manifestation. As if to say: I say that we are justified by the redemption of Christ and by faith in his blood, for the manifestation of his justice, i.e., to the end that God might show his justice, and this because of the remission of former sins. For in remitting former sins, which the Law could not remit or men by their own power sufficiently guard against, God showed that the justice by which they are made just by God is necessary for men. But only through the blood of Christ could sins both present and past be remitted, because the power of Christ’s blood works through man’s faith, which the men who lived before his passion had, just as we have: "Since we have the same spirit of faith . . . we too believe" (2 Cor 14:13). Hence another way of reading it is: for the remission of the sins of those men who preceded the passion of Christ: "He will tread our iniquities under foot and he will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea" (Mic 7:19). 311. Secondly, he shows the time of its manifestation, when he adds: in the forbearance of God, for the manifestation of his justice in this time. As if to say: former sins before the passion of Christ were in the forbearance of God as, so to speak, under a certain divine support [sustinentia], because he neither damned believers and penitents 158 for them nor completely absolved them, in the sense that, the sins notwithstanding, they might enter into glory. Or, according to another reading, it can mean that the saintly fathers themselves were in God’s forbearance, because they were detained in limbo, not suffering sensible pain but waiting to enter into glory through the passion of Christ: "Wait for the forbearance of God" (Sir 2:3). For this purpose, I say, previous sins and the ancient fathers were in the forbearance of God, namely to for the manifestation of his justice in this time, i.e., that in this time of grace he might manifest his justice perfectly by granting full remission of sins: "Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor 6:2). And this is what he had said above, namely that God’s justice is now manifest. Up to this present time former sins had be in the forbearance of God, in order to convince man of his lack of knowledge, since in the time of the law of nature man fell into errors and base sins; and of his lack of power, since after the written law, which gave knowledge of sin, man still sinned through weakness. 312. Thirdly, he shows that by remitting sins God’s justice is shown, whether it be taken as the justice of God by which he himself is just or as the justice by which he justifies others. Hence he continues: that he himself may be just, i.e., that by remitting sins God may appear to be just in himself, both because he remitted sins as he had promised and because it belongs to God’s justice to destroy sins by leading men back to his justice: "The Lord is righteous, he loves righteous deeds" (Ps 11:7). 159 19 Cf. n. 274, 299, and 304. And also the justifier of him who is of the faith of Jesus Christ, i.e., who approaches God through faith in Jesus Christ: "Whoever would draw near to God must believe" (Heb 11:6).
