How does Romans 3:31 reconcile faith with the importance of the law? Text of Romans 3:31 “Do we, then, nullify the Law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the Law.” Immediate Literary Setting Paul has just concluded that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23) and that sinners are “justified freely by His grace” (3:24). Verse 31 guards against a misunderstood inference: if justification is by faith apart from works (3:28), is the Mosaic Law now irrelevant? Paul’s emphatic μη γένοιτο (“Certainly not!”) rejects the idea. Paul’s Theology of Law and Faith 1. Diagnostic Function: “Through the Law we become conscious of sin” (3:20). Faith does not cancel this exposing role; it presupposes it. 2. Prophetic Function: The Law and the Prophets “testify” to the very righteousness revealed in the gospel (3:21). Faith fulfills what the Law anticipated. 3. Pedagogical Function: Galatians 3:24 calls the Law a παιδαγωγός (“guardian”) leading us to Christ. Once faith comes, the Law’s tutorial purpose is accomplished, not discarded. Meaning of “We Uphold the Law” Faith upholds the Law in four interlocking ways: • Soteriological: Christ satisfies the Law’s demands (Matthew 5:17; Romans 8:4). • Covenantal: The promised New Covenant writes the Law on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33), achieved in believers by the Spirit (Romans 8:2). • Ethical: By receiving a new nature, believers “serve in the new way of the Spirit, not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6). • Eschatological: Faith points toward the consummation when God’s people perfectly keep His statutes (Ezekiel 36:27). Continuity with Jesus’ Teaching Jesus declared, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Paul echoes this continuity: gospel faith honors every moral intention of the Torah by locating its fulfillment in Christ. Old Testament Anticipation of Law-Justified Faith • Genesis 15:6—Abraham “believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Pre-Sinai precedent shows justification by faith is older than the Law. • Habakkuk 2:4—“The righteous will live by faith.” Paul quotes this (Romans 1:17) to ground his doctrine in the prophetic corpus. Thus faith does not upend the Law; it is the Law’s honored destination. Harmony with James on Works James 2:24 states, “a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.” The contexts differ: Paul addresses the ground of justification before God; James addresses the demonstration of justification before people. True faith inevitably produces works, thereby “upholding” the moral purpose of the Law. Jew-Gentile Equality and the Law Romans 3:29-30 stresses one God who justifies both Jew and Gentile by faith. The Law’s unifying intent (Deuteronomy 4:6-8) is realized as the gospel brings nations into covenant obedience—not by ethnic boundary markers but by Spirit-wrought righteousness. Practical Ethical Implications • Worship: Gratitude replaces legalism, motivating obedience (Romans 12:1). • Sanctification: The Spirit empowers believers to “not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). • Civic Good: The moral law guides Christian witness in society (Romans 13:8-10). Key Cross-References for Study Romans 6:14; Romans 7:12; 1 Timothy 1:8; Galatians 5:14; Hebrews 8:10. Conclusion Romans 3:31 teaches that faith in Christ does not nullify God’s Law but rather confirms, fulfills, and honors it. The Law exposes sin, predicts the gospel, and, through the Spirit, is written on the believer’s heart. Justification by faith establishes the very righteousness the Law always intended, demonstrating the perfect coherence of Scripture’s redemptive message. |
    |