These are a Few of My Favorite Adversative Conjunctions - Romans 3:21
January 26, 2023 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
I love adversative conjunctions because they exalt the power and grace of God by uniting two opposing statements that present seemingly impossible scenarios. Let me highlight a few of my favorites.
Luther once said, “The epistle to the Romans is the most important document in the New Testament. It is the place in which the gospel is in its purest expression.” Interestingly then, Paul spends nearly three chapters to open his letter to the Romans to build the case that no one can be saved by their own works. The gospel is only good news when we understand our desperate need for salvation. Paul builds that case through Romans 3:20.
In order to feel the weight of Paul’s concluding and summarizing statement in Romans 3:20, we need to briefly trace his argument in the first three chapters. He begins in 1:18 stating, “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness.” He explains that there is a general revelation of God’s power and divine nature that is evident to all humans. People in their natural state, however, “suppress the truth” and “became futile in their thinking” and worship creation, rather than the Creator (1:18-23). Though they know, through that general revelation, of just condemnation, they practice “all manner of unrighteousness” (1:28-32).
Paul turns his attention to the Jews in Romans 2, for they presumed that they were not at risk of condemnation because of their ethnic status. Paul explains that possession of the law and circumcision are not enough to avoid the wrath of God. He says, “It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified” (3:13). This requires obedience to the entire law. Then in Romans 3, Paul reiterates that “both Jews and Greeks are under sin” (3:9), even though Jews have the advantage of God’s special revelation of his law.
Paul concludes then in Romans 3:20, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” The word “justified” is a rich biblical and theological word that speaks about our acceptance before God. God does not delight in wickedness; no evil may dwell with him (Ps. 5:4). Therefore, no sin, nor sinner, will ever be accepted before God. And no amount of obedience to the law will make up for or erase our sin. Therefore, Paul says no one will be justified in God’s sight.
That is the most devastating news found in Scripture. We are cut off from God, the only source of life and all that is good. And we have no means in ourselves to gain access to God. Paul has carefully built his case, and we should feel the utter despair of our situation. If Paul finished his letter at Romans 3:20, we would be utterly hopeless.
But there is an adversative conjunction! Praise God for adversative conjunctions! They shine the spotlight on the fact that he is the God of the humanly impossible! Paul writes in Romans 3:21, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” God, in his infinite mercy and grace, provides a means to be justified, to be accepted before him, that is not dependent on us and upholds the righteous requirements of the law. It is an alien righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ and is received by faith.
John Murray speaks about this important phrase, “the righteousness of God,” in his commentary on Romans, “It is a ‘God-righteousness.’ Because it is such, God is its author; it is a righteousness that must elicit the divine approval; it is a righteousness that meets all the demands of his justice and therefore avails before God. But the particular emphasis rests upon its divine property and is therefore contrasted not only with human unrighteousness but with human righteousness. Man-righteousness, even though perfect and measuring up to all the demands of God’s perfection, would never be adequate to the situation created by our sins. This is the glory of the gospel” (p. 47).
At the turn of one adversative conjunction, we go from the lowest of valleys to the magnificence of the highest mountain peak, from the despair of our sin and just condemnation to the fullness of joy in God’s presence. This is the glory of the gospel!
