“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28).
As we approach the end of Romans chapter three, our text from verse twenty-eight prepares us for a larger discussion concerning the relationship between faith and works, or “…the deeds of the law.” We can identify four reasons why God has chosen to justify us by faith and not by our own efforts…
- “Faith eliminates the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do.
- Faith exalts what God has done, not what we do.
- Faith admits that we can’t keep the law or measure up to God’s standards—we need help.
- Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance for God.” (1)
Ephesians 2:8-9 contains what is arguably the most significant Biblical verse on this subject…
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
We can expand on this key Biblical teaching if we divide this portion of Scripture from Ephesians chapter two into its constituent elements…
- For by grace (or God’s undeserved favor).
- you have been saved (or delivered from an eternity of separation from God in a place of outer darkness and torment, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth).
- through faith (trust and reliance on God).
- and that not of yourselves (not through human effort).
- it is the gift of God, not of works (salvation is a divine gift that is beyond the reach of human accomplishment).
- lest anyone should boast (or gloat, brag and/or show off).
One source draws a helpful analogy that serves to illuminate the nature of genuine faith…
“When God says, ‘Whosoever believes on Him [His Son] has eternal life’ (John 3:16), faith involves accepting that promise as true. Someone has compared saving faith to reaching out to accept a gift that another person offers, like a Christmas present. One must extend his or her arm to receive the gift, but that act does not constitute doing something that earns the gift.” (2)
Finally, many have seen what appears to be a disparity in the Biblical teaching that appears in our text from Romans 3:28 and the Biblical teaching that appears in James chapter two. We will address that seeming inconsistency when we enter into a discussion of Abraham, the great Old Testament patriarch, in our study of Romans chapter four.
(1) Life Application Study Bible NKJV [Romans 3:28] Copyright © 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc., all rights reserved.
(2) Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Romans 2026 Edition (n.d.). https://soniclight.com/tcon/notes/html/romans/romans.htm