Then where is the boasting? It is excluded. Through what kind of law? Of works? No, but through a law of faith.
Truth to Learn
Salvation through faith in the blood of Christ is nothing to brag about.
Behind the Words
“Boasting” is from kauchēsis, which refers to the act of bragging or boasting.
The Greek word translated “excluded” is ekkleiō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and kleiō, meaning “to shut.” Therefore, this word literally means “to shut out.” In other words, something has no chance of coming in whatsoever. In sports, we refer to a team as having been “shut-out” if they have been beaten without having scored a single point.
The words “what kind of” are translated from the Greek word poios, which means “of what sort” or “what kind.”
“Law” is translated from nomos, which refers to “a law” or “a principle.” Paul is using it here, as he does in many places, in reference to a principle rather than a specific law.
The word “no” is from the Greek word ouchi, which is a stronger form of the word ou, meaning “no” or “not.” We might translate this as “No way!”
Meaning Explained
The apostle now goes on to cement in the minds of the Roman Christians that their salvation is not of themselves through acts of righteousness, but completely through the actions of God. He starts off this verse by asking where any of us can find room for boasting. There is nothing to boast about in having been granted righteousness. Since all have sinned and have failed at being able to justify themselves by obeying the Law, and since all are alike, dependent on the mercy of God, any reason for bragging is, of course, taken away. It is shut out.
That’s what Paul is telling us about boasting or bragging with regard to our salvation. There is no way we can brag about our salvation because bragging has been shut-out!
This boasting is not shut-out by the law of works, but by the law of faith. By this Paul means that we cannot be justified by performing any works no matter how unselfish or self-sacrificing they are. We cannot be justified by keeping the 10 commandments, and we cannot be justified by obeying all the rules or ordinances set-down for us by our church. We simply cannot be justified by this kind of law. In other words, there is nothing we can do to earn righteousness, nothing! It can only come through faith.
Back in verse twenty-two we learned that faith (Greek pistis) means “belief in a truth.” But what does Paul mean by “the law of faith?” This is not a written law or set of commandments, but a principle. The principle here is, “believing in a truth.” That is, the truth that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God who, while completely God, is completely man. The truth that He lived a perfect life, then offered His life as a sacrifice in payments for your sins and mine.
Application
It’s easy to boast about all the things we have done to earn something, but salvation can’t be earned. It requires humility to accept salvation and become a Christian. It can’t be bragged about. A humble person doesn’t brag about his humility.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved