Justification: Grace, Faith, and Righteousness — Romans 3:21-26

Paul's argument reaches its climax in Rom 3:21-26, where the righteousness of God is revealed "apart from the law." This answers the indictment he has built since Rom 1:18, where the wrath of God is revealed against all unrighteousness. The problem of 1:18 finds its solution in 3:21.

The pivotal phrase is dikaiosyne theou. C.E.B. Cranfield — The Epistle to the Romans, and the Reformers heard in it a righteousness received by faith (Martin Luther — Lectures on Romans). All sides confess v.26: God is "just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

The historic question is how the verdict touches the sinner. Council of Trent — Decree on Justification, while John Calvin — Institutes of the Christian Religion. The 1999 Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation — Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. Paul grounds the verdict in the hilasterion of Rom 3:25, echoing the mercy seat of Lev 16:14-15, and draws the pastoral conclusion in Rom 5:1: "we have peace with God."