Righteousness through Faith in Christ

Righteousness from God appears apart from the law, yet the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it. It comes through faith in Jesus Christ, includes all who believe, and justifies freely by grace through redemption. God presents Christ in blood to show His justice and to justify believers.

B²¹ut now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. ²²And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand. ²⁶He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

Boasting is excluded because justification rests on faith, not works of the law. God is God of Jews and Gentiles alike, so the same faith justifies both. Faith does not nullify the law; it confirms it.

²⁷Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith. ²⁸For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law. ²⁹Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, ³⁰since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. ³¹Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.