The faith of Jesus Christ

“But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed (witnessed by the law and the prophets), but a righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ, which is for all and comes upon all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:21-23

How God’s justice comes about

Paul is just about to explain something completely new here in the letter to the Romans. See also the previous contributions. It continues in Romans 3:21 where the apostle left off in Romans 1:17. In between is a section on the “injustice of men.” Now he picks up the thread of Romans 1.

In Romans 1:17 Paul wrote:

“For God’s righteousness is revealed in it [im Evangelium] by faith for faith.”

God’s righteousness, we read in this verse, has to do with faith. The question, however, is whose faith is meant here. The somewhat strange expression “by faith for faith” is not explained further in the first chapter. Now that Paul takes up the original theme of the righteousness of God from Romans 3:21, this twofold statement of faith also comes into play again. Central to this is the question of how exactly God’s justice comes about.

He writes:

“But one righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ, which is for all, and cometh upon all them that believe.”
Rom 3:22

The righteousness of God does not come about through my faith or through your faith, but exclusively through the faith of Jesus Christ. This is usually taught differently. In many communities and beliefs, people must perform themselves. Faith is also elevated to an achievement, a work, a payment to God. It sounds something like this: “You must have faith, otherwise God cannot do anything. If you don’t believe, God cannot save. He is powerless if you do not move the lever of faith.” How differently the apostle Paul speaks!

Let’s take a closer look at the text and the statements it contains.

First, the faith of Jesus Christ, that is, His faith, is spoken of here. If you’ve never heard it said that way before, you should let it sink in. It is a significant statement. There is a genitive here in the Greek: “through faith of Jesus Christ” (Gr. διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ). Whose faith is at stake here? For His faith! This is about the faith of Jesus, through which God ‘ s righteousness came into being. Paul directs our view away from our own performance and focuses our gaze on God’s work. Father and son have made a difference here together. This is the message of the Gospel. The two made God’s justice possible. This is “accomplished.” Paul directs the view to God’s work, which came about through this faith of Jesus Christ. Through this faith, Jesus went the way of the cross, saying, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luk 22:42).

A translation such as “faith in Jesus Christ” or “in Jesus Christ” is not the issue here. Whoever translates it this way is making a projection. The text reads quite differently. It is about His faith. Through it, the righteousness of God came into being. This is radically different from what many people read here. Through His faith, He went to the cross. His faith thus became the basis of our salvation. This is about what God Himself does – through His Son. What comes out is a gospel, a good news. God Himself is at work here and Jesus is carrying out His mission in accomplishing God’s will. This resonates in the words of Jesus on the cross: “It is done!” (John 19:30).

God’s justice now concerns “all

Secondly, this righteousness is now given to us. All for free! Let us first consider to whom Paul is addressing himself here. It is not a general statement about all mankind. He writes to the church in Rome. His listeners are believers. They trust God’s Word. However, they will all share equally in this righteousness that God Himself has brought about.

This is an important statement with great scope, because at that time there were differences in the community. There were believers from Israel (Jews) and believers from the nations (Gentiles). In the apostle’s letters we regularly see how there is a dispute between the two groups. More than once, the believers from Israel have thought that they have privileges and the nations believers are not standing in the same place as them. Paul corrects this opinion here.

The righteousness of God is now “for all” and comes “upon all believers” and not only upon a portion of believers. He clears up misinterpretations that were rampant within the community. There are no differences. All receive the righteousness of God by grace and for free. It is not about your lineage or mine, not about your faith or mine, but it is exclusively about God’s own righteousness that came through the faith of Jesus. All will live by faith because God’s justice has been satisfied. It applies to believing Jews in the Roman community as well as believers from the nations.

Paul sees the faith of Jesus Christ as the basis for God’s righteousness. God has solved it comprehensively. There are no more differences from the human point of view. Thus Paul had already written in Romans 1: “The righteous will live by faith” (Rom 1:17, cf. Hab 2:4). This is a general statement, because the one who is allowed to participate in God’s righteousness receives a different foundation for his life. Human differences fall away, as do supposed advantages from a particular ancestry. The Jew received God’s righteousness in the same way as the believer from the nations. Neither of them added anything. Both receive it for free. It is God’s righteousness that He Himself is now giving away. It is not dependent on anything that could come from me. This is the good news.

Faith is not a prerequisite

Many read this Bible verse quite differently. There it speaks of a faith “in” or “on” Jesus Christ and the second part of the verse is interpreted to mean that it is an election criterion of God. One then projects the following thought onto the text: “Only he who believes receives this righteousness of God”. However, this statement completely misses the point of the text. It is a projection that is corrected by the text itself – if we translate it close to the Bible and include the context.

Paul is not making a statement here about the whole world, but he is speaking to the believers in the church at Rome. He does not talk about people outside the community. He makes it clear, as he does in many other places, that there are no distinctions within the community. The new humanity in Christ means that we are renewed into the image of Christ, “where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian nor Scythian, slave nor free, but all and in all Christ” (Col 3:10-11). All are in the same place.

That these two groups (“Jews” and “gentiles”) are meant is clear from the verses mentioned earlier. Paul has previously stated that no one is righteous, not even one (Rom 3:10) and the so-called benefits of the Law (of the Jews) are relative, for the Law does not bring about righteousness, but only brings knowledge of sin (Rom 3:19-20). What Paul subsequently describes is “separate from the law.” Paul does not affirm preferences from a lineage, but clears up just that. What Paul writes is different. It belongs to a different category.

Paul speaks about the righteousness of God being revealed (that is, hidden until then) and this righteousness came about “through the faith of Jesus Christ.” The community should know this. You should also see the consequences of it, namely that it is “for all, and comes upon all believers”. This is without distinction. All believers are included without distinction. It is not an exclusion criterion for unbelievers, but an inclusion criterion for believers from the nations, who are on the same level as believers from Israel.

The faith of Jesus is mentioned more often

The text in Romans 3 is not an isolated case. Other passages also speak of this “faith of Jesus Christ.” In many translations this is translated incorrectly. Here’s a list of the other places so you can check for yourself:

Romans 3:22
Romans 3:26
Galatians 2:16 (2x)
Philippians 3:9

The contrast is always with the law. The statement always applies within the community. Paul consistently refers to God’s action in and through His Son.