since it is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Truth to Learn
God will justify anyone who comes by faith.
Behind the Words
The Greek word starting off this verse is different depending on which Greek text is used. Some have it as epeiper, meaning “since indeed” whereas others have it as eiper, meaning “if on the whole.” Although the epeiper is a stronger assertion, they both imply that what follows is a true statement.
The word “by” is from the Greek word ek, meaning “out of, from, or by means of.” In other words, it implies origin.
“Through” is translated from dia, meaning “through,” or “through which.” In other words, it implies instrumentality.
Meaning Explained
Since Paul has just demonstrated that Jehovah is the God of both the Jews and the Gentiles and that man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law, he now takes the next step in his explanation. He says that it is one God who will justify both the Jews and the Gentiles and that justification comes not from keeping the Law but through faith.
The construction of this verse is a little confusing and has been argued back and forth for centuries (in my opinion it is an example of senseless quibbling). Some say that even though the prepositions are different, they are used to express the same thing. They would interpret this phrase as, “… who will justify circumcision by faith and uncircumcision by the same faith.”
Others would argue that the Jews are justified by (out of) the faith which Abraham had and which they now also have, whereas the Gentiles must acquire such faith independently in order to receive justification through such faith. If you think that this is an unnecessary splitting of hairs, I agree with you. The point is that God will declare a person righteous based on faith, whether a Jew or a Gentile.
The two points that Paul has been making all along in this chapter are: 1 – There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles when it comes to justification, and 2 – The only way to obtain justification is by faith.
If you look back through the Old Testament you will see a number of examples where men were justified by faith. For instance, Noah believed God was going to send a flood and demonstrated that faith by building an Ark. Abraham believed that he was going to have a son even when he and Sarah were too old to have children. Moses believed God was going to release the Israelites from bondage when he went in and challenged Pharaoh to “let my people go.”
Throughout the ages, men (and women) have been saved by faith, not by works. That is precisely what Paul is teaching these Jewish Christians in Rome.
Application
The message of salvation is very simple: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It’s not, believe and keep the Ten Commandments. It’s not, believe and join the church. It’s not, believe and be baptized. It’s simply “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s all there is to it – just believe.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved