Both Ernest Kasemann and Joseph Fitzmyer have identified in their ‘Commentaries on Romans’ the text of 3:21-31 as THE THESIS of this Book. The magnitude of this reveals to me that if I can ‘get this’, ‘see this’, ‘understand this’— then I will have seriously, critically ‘increased my faith’; the prayer that every Christian should pray— daily!
Helpful, then, is the division that Fitzmyer has used in dividing the ‘Thesis’ statement of Romans into two parts: 1) verses 3:21-26 and, 2) verses 3:27-31. Therefore, again, again, and yet again:
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:21-26) with 4 occurrences of ‘pistis/faith’.
Running the numbers again, so useful. Those four words that Paul uses more than 60-70 times EACH in this Letter/Book, look, they are all here in just these Six (6) verses: righteousness (4 times); faith (4 times) law (2 times); and sin (2 times).
Alas, we have reached a time in this Empire— these United States of America, when ‘The Law’ has been exposed for the ‘demigod’ that it is. I know, I know, some of you are thinking that now ‘she has lost her mind’! But, I assure you that this is something that ‘flesh and blood’ CANNOT REVEAL to you: “But now THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD has been MANIFESTED APART FROM LAW…” God has shown ‘Godself’ (power, majesty, dominion, sovereignty, salvation… APART (Turn to your neighbor and say APART! Webster? separately, as regards place and time; in consideration or function; independently; disassociated;…) from LAW (man-power, man-majesty, man dominion, man made sovereignty). ‘Only as contradiction…’
Again, run THESE numbers: It has come to pass that the office of the President of the United States, which now requires not less than a Billion Dollars to have and to hold— is a lawyer. The First Lady is a lawyer. Count the number of United States Senators (and Tennessee State Senators for this matter) who are lawyers. Inventory the number of Houses of Representatives (both national and pick a state, any state) members who are lawyers. The Judges; The Lobbyist on whom so much is being written now about the ‘revolving door’ between ‘The Chamber’ and ‘The Lobby’— oh yeah, all Lawyers! Thank you God, thank you Paul for this revelation: “But now the righteousness/(justice) of God has been manifested apart from (disassociated with) law, …”
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